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Rafael "Mister Movie" Jovine3.5

Action!: The Kingdom of Chaos and Nihilism That Von Trier BuiltLars and Udo Kier once again join forces for this TV adaptation based on Dreyer’s script for the Euripides play of the same name.Trier does a really good job blending some of Dreyer’s sensibilities and style with his own, though one may argue that ultimately this is more of Lars' movie than Carl’s. The very minimalist production design is brilliant, with the director doing a great job exploiting the TV quality and limitations. There’s a constant sense of almost desolation—a dystopian look—that adds a level of dread that fits the film, especially as things get darker. Olesen’s performance as the titular character is great; this is in many ways where Dreyer’s footprint can be found in her performance, and the ways she’s shot call back to Falconetti in the seminal The Passion of Joan of Arc in the way she conveys much of the emotion through her physicality, despite Medea being a colder character. All in all, if you are ever interested in watching Dreyer’s film as directed by Lars Von Trier, you should definitely check it out. Action!: The Kingdom of Chaos and Nihilism That Von Trier BuiltTODAY SCHEDULEGood MothersMedeaIn A Better WorldMifune

Steve Lovecraft4.0

Often overlooked even as a hidden gem of television movies, Medea is Lars von Trier’s production of Carl Theodore Dreyer’s screenplay adaptation of Euripides’ Ancient Greek tragedy. Dedicated in homage to the Danish master of silent film himself, the movie is a curiosity of Trier’s filmography but not one without its own merits. Like Dreyer’s other works, it deals heavily with proto-feminist themes via its protagonist and her struggle against men of state. I denote it as proto-feminist as the work itself predates modern feminist theory, and Trier’s adaptation certainly isn’t breaking any new ground with the text especially after Pier Paulo Pasolini's adaptation 20 years prior. It does however serve as a fitting precursor to the focus and themes of Trier's later “Golden Heart” trilogy (but I don’t want to get too ahead of myself here).Unfamiliar as I was with the story of Medea, I was pleasantly able to experience the movie in a cultural vacuum, free of spoilers, although the stylized logo of the film title is a major spoiler in and of itself. Speaking of style, Trier returns to the aqueous textural work of The Element of Crime while trading in those noir conceits and leaning heavily into Ingmar Bergman’s Persona and The Seventh Seal for stimulating imagery. From dark, shrouded interiors to the deafening roar of waves on some nondescript European shoreline, the movie seems to be a very chilly representation of ancient Greece that more resembles a Dutch Atlantic beach or the lowlands of a Russo-Finnish folktale production, a somewhat far cry from its Mediterranean setting - but then again I've never been to Europe so what do I know?Since it was made for Danish television it’s hard to dismiss the paltry production value, but once again the seeds of the Dogme 95 movement are apparent as its technical limitations lend some striking results. There is some really interesting usage of rear screen projection that looks to be a parody of Gone with the Wind, that is, if the tone weren’t so dour. Either way, it's pretty and psychedelic. Beautiful landscape and sounds of nature make it a very pastoral mood piece amidst the minimalist sets. And I couldn’t help but think that Udo Kier’s performance and the shots of the old Corinthian raft creaking under the sun blasted clouds were integral influences on those of Mads Mikkelsen’s Viking journey to the New World in Nic Refn’s Valhalla Rising.It’s just a shame that the picture quality is so awful. I understand that it was shot on tape, but I imagine this deep cut warrants a more meticulous re-release than Epidemic at least. It is interesting in a kind of vapor-wave/found-footage horror aesthetic that the tape degradation gives it a realist edge. After all, for a movie that partly concerns Jason of the Argonauts one would be expecting a more boisterous “sword and sandals” epic, yet it subverts that setting with a seething interpersonal drama that culminates in a rather disturbing and bleak climax.DVD quality aside, the movie is uncharacteristic of Trier's broader works, hence the low-priority of its preservation. But the film still maintains the melancholic atmosphere that he's known for mixed with a few shocking moments of physical terror (like that poor horse). As it stands though, I do think it is more accessible and succinct than the two theatrical releases that precede it, and its short run time of 76 minutes flew by.

Slig0013.5

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