{"id":39932,"date":"2018-08-13T07:52:20","date_gmt":"2018-08-13T12:52:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.davidbordwell.net\/blog\/?p=39932"},"modified":"2019-04-08T12:56:31","modified_gmt":"2019-04-08T17:56:31","slug":"the-camera-as-perpetual-motion-machine-jeff-smith-on-breaking-the-waves","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.davidbordwell.net\/blog\/2018\/08\/13\/the-camera-as-perpetual-motion-machine-jeff-smith-on-breaking-the-waves\/","title":{"rendered":"The camera as perpetual motion machine: Jeff Smith on BREAKING THE WAVES"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Jeff Smith’s analysis <\/a>of von Trier’s film has been posted on our series on the Criterion Channel <\/a>of FilmStruck<\/a>. Here, as is his custom, he offers more insights into this extraordinary work.<\/em><\/p>\n

I still remember the shock I felt watching Lars von Trier\u2019s Breaking the Waves<\/em> for the first time. Some of it was undoubtedly a response to the film\u2019s emotionally unsettling narrative. Yet I also wasn\u2019t quite prepared for the caught-on-the-fly quality of Robby M\u00fcller\u2019s handheld cinematography.<\/p>\n

Was this the same director who had created such striking, high-contrast, black and white images for Zentropa<\/em>?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Was this the same Robby M\u00fcller who composed the austere, yet stylish landscapes shots in Kings of the Road<\/em>, Paris, Texas,<\/em> and Down by Law<\/em>?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

In contrast to the very controlled look of those titles, the prologue to Breaking the Waves <\/em>establishes a more muted visual style. Interior spaces look washed-out and the color is drained from the beautiful Scottish landscape. This effect was created by shooting on 35mm, scanning the negative to video, and transferring the altered footage back to film.<\/p>\n

The camera also moves constantly. It anxiously follows action as it unfolds to capture a sense of both intimacy and immediacy. In Zentropa<\/em>, the actors mostly were subsumed into the overall visual design of the image. In Breaking the Waves<\/em>, the specific choices in editing and cinematography were subordinated to the actors\u2019 performances. For Trier, this choice was partly dictated by the material. He wanted to preserve a sense of existential mystery about the film\u2019s events. The decision to shoot in a raw, naturalistic style was necessary to keep the film believable.<\/p>\n

Breaking the Waves <\/em>also laid down a marker in terms of von Trier\u2019s commitment to the dictates of the Dogme 95 manifesto. Although the film departs from those principles in significant ways, it previews the even nervier approach von Trier takes in The Idiots<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Yet elements of pictorial stylization are retained in Breaking the Waves, <\/em>and they\u00a0foreshadow the formal tensions that characterize much of von Trier\u2019s later work. In Dancer in the Dark<\/em>, the juxtaposition of stylization and naturalism is evident in the way Bjork\u2019s musical numbers provide escape from the grim misery of Selma\u2019s daily existence. Antichrist<\/em> opens with luminous black and white imagery in super-slow -motion that directly contrasts with the slightly more desaturated color seen in the rest of the film.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Melancholia<\/em> begins with fantastic, colorful, almost still tableaux accompanied by an excerpt from Wagner\u2019s Tristan and Isolde<\/em>. This differs markedly from the rest of the film which is shot in the semi-documentary style seen in Trier\u2019s Dogme work.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

In what follows, I trace the way Breaking the Waves<\/em>\u2019 dialectic between naturalism and stylization is expressed in particular visual motifs. I also show how these techniques reinforce some of von Trier\u2019s larger thematic concerns. Warning: some spoilers<\/strong> ahead.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Camera playing catchup<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Robby M\u00fcller\u2019s handheld cinematography in Breaking the Waves<\/em> fulfills a number of different objectives. First and foremost, the constant, restless movement adds a visual dynamism that contrasts with the locked-down camera frequently seen in \u201cslow cinema.\u201d Secondly, the association of this style with documentary adds a jolt of authenticity to the scenes of Jan aboard ship and the various emergencies that occur at the hospital. Lastly, the \u201ccaught on the fly\u201d quality of the images lends a sense of intimacy and immediacy to the character\u2019s interactions.<\/p>\n

Breaking the Waves\u2019<\/em> most common technique involves the use of rapid pans to convey a feeling of imminence–the sense of pushing us toward what is just about to happen in the scene. Those anticipatory pans pans serve a number of storytelling functions.<\/p>\n

They’re often used during dialogue scenes as a variant of more conventional shot\/reverse shot techniques. In the hospital, when Bess and Dodo discuss Jan\u2019s sick fantasies, the camera swivels between the two speakers some eight times.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The entire conversation is handled in five longish takes instead of the dozen or so shots we\u2019d get if von Trier had used shot\/reverse shot.<\/p>\n

More commonly, von Trier\u2019s dialogue scenes use quick pans to capture another character\u2019s reaction before then cutting back to the other speaker. Near the midpoint of Breaking the Waves,<\/em>\u00a0we see Richardson rifling through the pages of Bess\u2019s file. Richardson asks Bess about her care under another doctor. The camera swings swiftly over to Bess who professes ignorance of this prior episode.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The camera then pans back to Richardson.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

He acknowledges that her treatment was related to her brother\u2019s death before von Trier eventually cuts back to Bess. Given the emphasis on performance during shooting, these panning movements keep the actors in the moment, enhancing the impression of dramatic intimacy and visual energy. But the style also enables Trier to shoot coverage so that he can select between different takes during editing.<\/p>\n

In some instances, these rapid shifts from one character to another preserve the interactions of the ensemble within a single take. This occurs, for example, as the wedding party reacts to the sudden appearance of rain. We see it again later when Jan and his buddies pass around a flask of booze.<\/p>\n

In still other cases, these rapid pans enhance the dramatic impact of eyeline matches. The viewer is often cued to these moments by a character\u2019s glance offscreen and their facial expression. The camera then pivots to reveal what is in the offscreen space. A fairly early instance of this is when Dodo returns to Bess\u2019s house to find her sitting quietly and Bess\u2019s mother asleep.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Later Trier uses Bess\u2019s glance offscreen to cut during a whip pan to a rabbit on the side of the road.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The moment serves as counterpoint to what we\u2019ve just seen. Bess has vomited in disgust after a sexual encounter on a bus. The way she wrinkles her nose at the bunny reminds us of her childlike naivet\u00e9.<\/p>\n

The panning motif pays off during the inquest into Bess\u2019s death. Dr. Richardson testifies that Bess died because of her inherent goodness. Unsurprisingly, this claim is met with skepticism from the magistrate presiding over the hearing. Von Trier then cuts to a close-up of Dodo.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The camera tilts down and pans right as she grasps someone\u2019s hand. It then tilts back up, to reveal Jan seated next to her.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The revelation comes as a bit of surprise because Trier has omitted the narrative action that connects the hospital scenes to the hearing. As mysterious as Bess\u2019s death is, Jan\u2019s recovery prompts even deeper questions. How is it that Jan survived when it appeared that his own death was imminent? More pertinent, how was his paralysis cured? In exploring the nature of the miraculous as part of the everyday, von Trier presents us with an enigma that he refuses to explain. It is here that we first begin to grasp the meaning of Bess\u2019 religious faith and the impact of her self-sacrifice.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Are you there, God? It\u2019s me, Bess.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Another important visual motif involves the long takes used for Bess\u2019 talks with God. For the most part, Breaking the Waves<\/em>\u2019 average shot length is relatively short. But Trier sets off these moments of prayer by shooting them in a markedly different style.<\/p>\n

More often than not, M\u00fcller\u2019s camera photographs Bess in close-up or medium close-up to focus our attention on her face. Emily Watson uses the simplest of means to indicate the two sides of her dialogues with God. She shifts her gaze either upward or downward and changes her style of speech. Notably, in a suggestion of the degree to which Bess has internalized the church\u2019s doctrines, her vocal impersonation of God sounds uncannily like one of the church elders.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

These shots of prayer often unfold in real time lasting a minute or more. Their duration and more static framing convey both a sense of intimacy and important information about Bess\u2019 motivation. Her imagined conversations with the heavenly father help to explain her actions in what would otherwise seem like wildly improbable changes in character.<\/p>\n

These scenes also invite the viewer to consider Bess\u2019 mental stability. Because of her childlike nature, Bess\u2019 belief that God talks directly to her initially seems delusional. Yet, as the film goes on, Bess\u2019 devotion to both God and her husband introduces the possibility that her actions are divinely inspired. By demonstrating her selfless love for Jan above all else, including her own safety, von Trier suggests that Bess\u2019 sacrifice might be the reason for Jan\u2019s recovery.<\/p>\n

Or it could all just be a coincidence. Jan\u2019s recuperation might not have any explicable cause, either physical or spiritual.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

An energetic but casual style: raw immediacy as studied nonchalance<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Throughout much of Breaking the Waves<\/em>\u2019 running time, von Trier\u2019s narration seems to be rather communicative. The relentless camera movement and frequent cutting suggest a desire to capture the story as it unfolds and to transmit the most narratively salient material.<\/p>\n

At key moments, however, the film\u2019s visual techniques prove surprisingly reticent. Significant plot developments are sometimes handled in an offhand fashion. This strategy seems to be an extension of von Trier\u2019s interest in making the film\u2019s melodramatic narrative seem plausible. (Indeed, Breaking the Waves<\/em> plays as a sort of Magnificent Obsession <\/em>for the art film crowd.) More than that, though, this restraint also encourages viewers to form their own conclusions about the events depicted.<\/p>\n

Consider Jan\u2019s observation that Bess has blood on her wedding dress after consummating their marriage in the bathroom of the reception hall.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Another director would likely cut to an insert from Bess\u2019s pov to underscore this image. It would serve as a symbol of her loss of innocence and as a grim foreshadowing of her ultimate fate (i.e. love as a form of blood sacrifice). But Trier refuses to force that interpretation on the viewer. Instead, by showing Bess calmly rinsing out the stain, von Trier allows the moment to resonate more organically.<\/p>\n

This motif reaches a kind of apotheosis in the shot of Jan standing on crutches at Bess\u2019s gravesite. The whole story has built toward this moment. Yet Trier treats it in a pointedly cursory fashion. Jan is photographed in long shot. The camera\u2019s distance mollifies the character\u2019s evident grief and refuses the viewer the kind of emotional catharsis we commonly associate with such rituals.<\/p>\n

Jan\u2019s silence also preserves the sense of mystery about how this turn of events occurred. Is Jan\u2019s ability to walk evidence of the hand of God? Perhaps. Yet it might also be seen as a kind of cosmic joke, proof that humanity\u2019s existence is ruled by forces of Kierkegaardian absurdism.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Rendering the kitsch sublime<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Breaking the Waves<\/em>\u2019 most striking shots appear in the film\u2019s chapter titles. Von Trier worked with the artist Per Kirkeby to create these images using fairly simple computer animation tools. Early in the production, they were described as merely panorama shots. But as the work developed, Trier described them as natural landscapes that evoked the Romantic tradition. This picture-postcard imagery is simultaneously both beautiful and banal, sublime and kitschy.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

These more conventionally picturesque shots are further differentiated by Trier\u2019s use of music. Each chapter title is accompanied by a different seventies classic: Elton John\u2019s \u201cGoodbye Yellow Brick Road,\u201d Mott the Hoople\u2019s \u201cAll the Way to Memphis,\u201d Procol Harum\u2019s \u201cA Whiter Shade of Pale,\u201d and David Bowie\u2019s \u201cLife on Mars.\u201d The combination of music and saturated color enable these proleptic titles to function as the antithesis of the film\u2019s handheld camerawork. As Kirkeby himself explained, they contrasted with M\u00fcller\u2019s \u201ctropistic intimacy.\u201d<\/p>\n

By using these titles to structure the narrative, von Trier preserves the opposition between naturalism and stylization until Breaking the Waves<\/em>\u2019 final shot. After Jan and his pals give Bess an impromptu burial at sea, they awaken the next morning to the sounds of bells ringing. We know from the scenes of Jan and Bess\u2019 wedding that the source of the sound can\u2019t be the church. Rather miraculously, the bells ring in the clouds unmoored from any terrestrial structure.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Von Trier denies us narrative closure by refusing to explain the meaning of Bess\u2019 actions. But he gives us a kind of formal closure by synthesizing within a single image the different styles of cinematography seen throughout Breaking the Waves<\/em>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Breaking the Waves<\/em> has always fascinated me as a study in contradictions. The film is about a miracle, but it is rendered in a style that seems wholly naturalistic. The cast was encouraged to improvise to create the desired sense of spontaneity. Yet Stellan Skarsg\u00e5rd reported that the actors mostly stuck to the script because the dialogue was so good as written. The plot hinges on an answered prayer, but the outcome is such a cruel twist of fate that it leads the viewer to doubt the nature of divinity entirely.<\/p>\n

Even the central characters are defined by contradictions. Jan is a worldly outsider whose passions and joie de vivre<\/em> raise the hackles of the strict Calvinist community where the principal actions take place. Bess was raised inside this overtly patriarchal structure, but she displays such childlike innocence that the inherently sinful nature of humanity somehow eludes her. Only von Trier would make a film in which a character\u2019s adultery and debauchery are construed as holy acts of spiritual self-sacrifice. Bess might seem like a secular saint. But her sainthood is achieved by almost completely abasing herself.<\/p>\n

This sense of contrast and contradiction also extends to Trier\u2019s sources for Breaking the Waves<\/em>. Much of the inspiration for Bess came from a children\u2019s book entitled Gold Heart<\/em>. The title character is a young girl who enters the woods with bread and other foodstuffs in her pockets. By the end of her journey, she is left naked and empty-handed. Her innate goodness and generosity makes her vulnerable, almost to the point of self-destruction. To quote von Trier, \u201cGold Heart is Bess in the film. She is goodness in its most absolute gestalt<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the other end of the cultural spectrum, though, von Trier incorporates ideas drawn from the films of his Danish predecessor, Carl Theodor Dreyer. The original title of Breaking the Waves <\/em>was \u201cLove is Everything,\u201d the aphorism that Gertrud<\/em>\u2019s protagonist wanted as her epitaph. The basic dramatic situation is also reminiscent of Ordet<\/em>. Like Inger, Jan is bedridden and near death. Like Johannes, Bess is the holy fool whose insistence on faith acts as a counter to science and rationality. And as in Dreyer’s work (La Passion de Jeanne d’Arc, Day of Wrath<\/em>) a woman’s decisive actions put her at odds with a community steeped in religious dogma.<\/p>\n

Breaking the Waves <\/em>accent on contrasts is perhaps best epitomized in one of the film\u2019s lighter moments. During Jan and Bess\u2019s wedding reception, Terry and the Chairman of the church elders chug their beverages.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

A close-up shows Terry crushing his beer can in an homage to a similar contest of machismo in Jaws<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

It takes a rather dark turn, however, when the Chairman breaks the glass he\u2019s holding with his bare hand.<\/p>\n

Although the scene is a bit of a throwaway, it in many ways epitomizes the tonal shifts that mark von Trier\u2019s work as a whole. All of his films contain moments of bleak humor, episodes where laughter slightly obscures the stories\u2019 violent undertones and dark menace. To quote the spirit animals in Antichrist<\/em>, \u201cChaos reigns\u201d in the von Trier universe. And whether it is death, nightmare visions, or the literal end of the world, the prototypical von Trier hero confronts this chaos mindful of the immense absurdity of the inexplicable.<\/p>\n

\n

Thanks to Kim Hendrickson, Grant Delin, Peter Becker, and the whole Criterion team for their superb work on the video.\u00a0A complete list of our FilmStruck installments is here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Several different editions of Breaking the Waves <\/em>have been released on home video. I recommend the Criterion dual-format edition<\/a>.\u00a0As one would expect, it contains lots of goodies in the extra features. These include deleted and extended scenes, interviews with Emily Watson and Stellan Skarsg\u00e5rd, and selected-audio commentary by von Trier, editor Anders Refn, and location scout Anthony Dod Mantle.<\/p>\n

The published screenplay<\/a>\u00a0from\u00a0Faber & Faber includes introductory essays by von Trier, artist Per Kirkeby, and Swedish film critic Stig Bj\u00f6rkman.<\/p>\n

Collections of interviews with Denmark\u2019s enfant terrible<\/em> can be found here<\/a> and here<\/a>. There’s also a good online interview<\/a> with\u00a0von Trier about Breaking the Waves.<\/em><\/p>\n

The quote from Stellan Skarsg\u00e5rd can be found at Mental Floss<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I also want to thank the film faculty at the University of Copenhagen and Lars von Trier himself. I had the rare privilege of hearing the director discuss his work after a special screening of Antichrist<\/em> <\/a>that was arranged for attendees of the Society for Cognitive Studies of the Moving Image conference in 2009. I learned a lot from the experience, especially about von Trier\u2019s fondness for mixed pictorial styles within his films.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Breaking the Waves<\/strong> (1996).<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jeff Smith’s analysis of von Trier’s film has been posted on our series on the Criterion Channel of FilmStruck. Here, as is his custom, he offers more insights into this extraordinary work. I still remember the shock I felt watching Lars von Trier\u2019s Breaking the Waves for the first time. Some of it was undoubtedly […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[262,71,60,228,43],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-39932","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-criterion-channel","category-directors-von-trier","category-technique-cinematography","category-filmstruck","category-national-cinemas-denmark"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.davidbordwell.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39932","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.davidbordwell.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.davidbordwell.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.davidbordwell.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.davidbordwell.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39932"}],"version-history":[{"count":21,"href":"https:\/\/www.davidbordwell.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39932\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40009,"href":"https:\/\/www.davidbordwell.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39932\/revisions\/40009"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.davidbordwell.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39932"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.davidbordwell.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39932"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.davidbordwell.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39932"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}