With the stories which emerge from life on a Lars Von Trier production you might be mistaken that you were hearing about a horror movie. Take DOGVILLE (2003) for example – there were Paul Bettany’s extraordinary tales. First director Von Trier attempted to convince co-star Nicole Kidman that Bettany was a porn addict. Then the two actors realized Von Trier was hanging from the window ledge by his fingers when they were alone in the room. Not to mention the exit of John C.Reilly when he discovered the goat sacrificing sequence was going to be a bit more realistic than first thought.
In terms of Von Trier tackling horror itself there was his TV series The Kingdom (1994), a twisted saga set at a hospital that saw its creator appear over the end credits to offer an explanation as to what just occurred. ANTICHRIST (2009) was a gory meditation that provoked a barrage of abuse at the accompanying Cannes press conference – Willem Defoe’s face as the journalists laid into his colleague was priceless.
Von Trier’s latest project, announced at Cannes (which he will not attend), is the screenplay for an American horror provisionally titled DETROIT. The director will be another Dane, Kristian Levring (whose upcoming THE SALVATION was produced by Von Trier’s company Zentropa), at whose behest the maverick lenser wrote the script. Details are scant but expect blood, bizarre imagery and a questionable take on female roles. Or don’t – this is a man who is the epitome of “anything can happen”.
Source: THR
