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The Element of Crime (Danish: Forbrydelsens Element) is a 1984 experimental neo-noir crime film co-written and directed by Lars von Trier. It is the first feature film directed by Trier and the first installment of the director's Europa trilogy – succeeded by Epidemic (1987) and Europa (1991).

The Element of Crime
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Lars von Trier
Written by	Lars von Trier Niels Vørsel
Produced by	Per Holst[1]
Starring	Michael Elphick Esmond Knight Meme Lai Jerold Wells
Cinematography	Tom Elling
Edited by	Tómas Gislason
Music by	Bo Holten
Production company	Det Danske Filminstitut
Distributed by	Kærne Film
Release date	14 May 1984 (1984-05-14)
Running time	104 minutes[2]
Country	Denmark
Languages	English Arabic

Plot

A detective named Fisher, who has become an expatriate living in Cairo, undergoes hypnosis in order to recall his last case. The Europe of his dreamlike recollection is a dystopia, dark and decaying. Fisher remembers pursuing an elusive killer called the "Lotto Murderer", who was strangling and then mutilating young girls who were selling lottery tickets. He attempts to track down the killer using the controversial methods outlined in a book entitled The Element of Crime, written by his disgraced mentor, Osborne. He is joined in his search by a prostitute named Kim, who, it turns out, has had a child by his target. Fisher's search is based on a tailing report written by Osborne when trying to track down a murderer who had been killing in the same way as the "Lotto Murderer", but who, supposedly, has since died in a crash. The Osborne method requires the detective to try to identify with the mind of the killer. This he does, but, in so doing, begins to behave more and more like a serial killer himself.

Cast

Style

The film employs the film noir conventions of monochrome footage, apparently constant night, and the frequent presence of water, such as rain and rivers. The film is shot almost entirely in sodium light resulting in images reminiscent of sepia tone, though with a more intense yellow.[3] Because sodium lamps produce light in only a few narrow emission peaks, rather than over a wide spectrum, the film has an almost monochrome appearance. The sepia is occasionally contrasted with piercing blues and reds.

The world depicted in the film is semi-derelict. Disordered collections of similar or identical objects are found in many of the scenes, reinforcing the sense of a crumbling society. Examples include white paper, light bulbs, heaps of keys, surgical scissors, glass bottles, rubber stamps, and Coca-Cola cans.

The film's slow pace, dark visuals and occasional surreal imagery give it a dreamlike quality. In addition, much of the dialogue is contradictory. An example is one conversation between Fisher and his mentor's housekeeper:

Fisher: Is it always as dark as this at this time of year?

Housekeeper: There are no seasons anymore. The last three summers haven't been summers. The weather changes all the time. It never alters.

In the opening of the film, a shot of a donkey lying on its back and then slowly struggling to stand may be a homage to a similar shot in Andrei Tarkovsky's Andrei Rublev (1966).[4] Trier has stated that he is an admirer of Tarkovsky's work.

I was very inspired by Tarkovsky. I won't make any bones about that. I saw an excerpt from The Mirror (Zerkalo) on Swedish television once, just a travelling shot around that house, and that was one of those 'I'll be damned' experiences.[5]

Reception

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (July 2015)

Critical response

The Element of Crime polarized critics at Cannes in 1984.[6] Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 77% of critics gave the film a positive review.[7]

Accolades

The film received several awards including the Bodil Awards and Robert Awards in 1985 for the Best Film, and was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the 1984 Cannes Film Festival.[8]

Organization	Category	Recipients and nominees	Result
Avoriaz Fantastic Film Festival	Grand Prix	Lars von Trier	Nominated
Cannes Film Festival	Technical Grand Prize	Lars von Trier	Won
	Palme d'Or	Lars von Trier	Nominated
Bodil Awards	Best Film	Lars von Trier	Won
Fantasporto	International Fantasy Film Award for Best Director	Lars von Trier	Won
	International Fantasy Film Award for Best Film	Lars von Trier	Nominated
Mannheim-Heidelberg International Filmfestival[9]	Josef von Sternberg Award	Lars von Trier	Won
Robert Awards	Best Cinematography	Tom Elling [da]	Won
	Best Costume Design	Manon Rasmussen	Won
	Best Editor	Tómas Gislason [da]	Won
	Best Film	Lars von Trier	Won
	Best Production Design	Peter Høimark [sv]	Won
	Best Sound	Morten Degnbol	Won
	Best Special Effects	Peter Høimark	Won
Vulcain Prize	Technical Grand Prize	Lars von Trier	Won

Home media

The Element of Crime has been released on DVD in North America by the Criterion Collection. In Europe, a digitally remastered DVD is available as part of the box set Lars von Trier's Europe Trilogy – Hypnotic Edition.

References

External links

• The Element of Crime at IMDb
• The Element of Crime at the TCM Movie Database
• The Element of Crime at Rotten Tomatoes
• The Element of Crime an essay by Peter Cowie at the Criterion Collection
• The Element of Crime in the Danish Film Database

На других языках

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[de] The Element of Crime

The Element of Crime (Alternativ: Spuren des Verbrechens,[2][3] Originaltitel: Forbrydelsens element) ist der erste Kinofilm des dänischen Regisseurs Lars von Trier. Der 1984 erschienene Film ist zugleich der erste Teil der so genannten Europa-Trilogie, gefolgt von Epidemic (1987) und Europa (1991).

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- [en] The Element of Crime

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[ru] Элемент преступления

«Элемент преступления» (дат. Forbrydelsens element) — дебютный полнометражный фильм датского режиссёра Ларса фон Триера, вышедший на экраны в 1984 году. Первая картина трилогии «Европа» («Элемент преступления» — «Эпидемия» — «Европа»).

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