The Five Obstructions ( De fem benspænd ) ( 5 Obstructions (As Cinco Obstruções) )

The Five Obstructions (DVD) (*)

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Original Title: De fem benspænd
Alternate Title: 5 Obstructions (As Cinco Obstruções)
Screened, competed or awarded at:
European Film Awards
Other Film Festival Awards

Language Selections:
Danish ( Subtitles )
English ( Subtitles )

Product Origin/Format:
United Kingdom ( PAL/Region 2 )

Running Time:
87 min

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen (1.78:1)

Special Features:
Documentary
Interactive Menu
Scene Access
Trailer(s)

Movie filmed in 2003 and produced in:
Belgium ( France, Benelux )
Denmark ( Scandinavia, Iceland )
France ( France, Benelux )
Switzerland ( Germany, Central Europe )

Directed By:
Jørgen Leth
Asger Leth

Written By:
Jørgen Leth
Sophie Destin

Actors:
Claus Nissen ..... The Perfect Man - from 'Det perfekte menneske' 1967 (archive footage)
Majken Algren Nielsen ..... The Perfect Woman, from 'Det perfekte menneske' 1967) (archive footage) (as Maik
Jørgen Leth ..... Speaker (from 'Det perfekte menneske' 1967) / Himself - Director (segments 'The
Lars von Trier ..... Himself - Obstructor (segments 'The Conversations') / Lars von Trier (segment 'O
Daniel Hernandez Rodriguez ..... The Perfect Man (segment 'Obstruction #1 - The Perfect Human: Cuba')
Jacqueline Arenal ..... The Perfect Woman (segment 'Obstruction #1 - The Perfect Human: Cuba')
Vivian Rosa ..... The Perfect Woman (segment 'Obstruction #3 - The Perfect Human: Brussels')
Alexandra Vandernoot ..... The Perfect Man / Speaker (segment 'Obstruction #3 - The Perfect Human: Brussels
Patrick Bauchau ..... Maid (segment 'Obstruction #3 - The Perfect Human: Brussels')
Marie Dejaer ..... Couple (Man) (segment 'Obstruction #3 - The Perfect Human: Brussels')
Pascal Perez ..... Couple (Woman) (segment 'Obstruction #3 - The Perfect Human: Brussels')
Meschell Perez ..... Gangster from 'Det gode og det onde' 1975 featured in segment 'Obstruction #4 -
Bent Christensen ..... Naked Man, from 'Notater om kærligheden' 1989 featured in segment 'Obstruction
Anders Hove ..... Naked Woman - from 'Notater om kærligheden' 1989 featured in segment 'Obstructi
Charlotte Sieling

Synopsis:

With THE FIVE OBSTRUCTIONS, notoriously mischievous director Lars von Trier performs yet another cinematic experiment. This time around, the Danish prankster tries to outwit his mentor, director Jorgen Leth, forcing him to remake his classic 1967 short, 'The Perfect Human', five different times, with a series of increasingly outlandish guidelines. His goal is to break down the abnormally stable Leth, teaching him a valuable life lesson in the process. In the first film, von Trier sends Leth to Cuba and sets his first seemingly insurmountable rule: make a film that consists of shots that are no longer than twelve frames at a time. Miraculously, Leth uses his forced limitations to create a beautiful work, which obviously irks von Trier. Next up, von Trier challenges Leth to return to Bombay - which he calls the 'most wretched place on Earth' - in order to confront some demons from his past. Once again, the clever mentor rises to the challenge. Frustrated and sensing defeat, von Trier's next challenge is deceptively simple: Leth must remake his film with no limitations whatsoever. He travels to Brussels and succeeds once again. After a foray into animation, von Trier creates the final obstruction, a film in which von Trier admits defeat and pays tribute to his mentor. 'The Five Obstructions' is a thoughtful, entertaining meditation on the filmmaking process.

Once upon a time--1967, to be precise--Danish director Jørgen Leth released The Perfect Human. In The Five Obstructions, fellow countryman Lars von Trier (Breaking the Waves) challenges his "hero" to remake the short five times and provides a different set of "obstructions" for each. Because Leth likes cigars, von Trier suggests the first be made in Cuba. For the second, however, he sends Leth to "the worst place on earth"--Bombay's red light district. The obstructions keep coming, interspersed with conversation and clips from the original film, in which actors engage in a variety of activities, like eating and dancing, while the narrator posits oblique questions like "Why is joy so whimsical?" (Von Trier claims to have watched it "at least 20 times.") In the end, the two Danes have whipped up an unclassifiable concoction that plays less like documentary and more like a duel between friendly adversaries.

About a filmmaker not only revisiting, but also recreating (not in a conventional sense) one of his first films, The Perfect Human / Det perfekte menneske (1967)

This product was added to our catalog on Friday 17 September, 2010.

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