The Absorption Company - Shop now
To share your reaction on this item, open the Amazon app from the App Store or Google Play on your phone.
Add Prime to get Fast, Free delivery
Amazon prime logo
$10.37
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
FREE delivery Tuesday, January 14 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Or fastest delivery Monday, January 13. Order within 14 hrs 21 mins
In Stock
$$10.37 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$10.37
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Ships from
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Returns
30-day refund/replacement
30-day refund/replacement
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more

Melancholia [Blu-ray]

Kirsten Dunst (Actor), Charlotte Gainsbourg (Actor), Lars Von Trier (Director) Rated:
R
Format: Blu-ray
IMDb7.1/10.0
Amazon's Choice highlights highly rated, well-priced products available to ship immediately.
Amazon's Choice
$10.37 with 39 percent savings
List Price: $16.98
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime
FREE Returns
Additional Blu-ray options Edition Discs
Price
New from Used from
Blu-ray
March 13, 2012 		—
1
$10.37
$10.37 $4.82
Blu-ray
May 3, 2012 		—
1
$15.17
$15.17 —
Blu-ray —
1
$15.80
$15.80 $20.98
Watch Instantly with Rent Buy
Melancholia $3.59 $12.99
{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$10.37","priceAmount":10.37,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"10","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"37","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"d33U6qiYzQKrLKrMxaesQwK4CyGhmyx3NW%2FZJZMpdmPtqF%2BO9U8CnVWPwEiG7cypzt4ifFNxyTLfFc312UbTwb%2FmUd4OHJ8o%2FXUoavLspg%2BNxbyPRWf1Cj12qE6PRrDuW5gNU%2By7C1o4Igt5%2BM96FA%3D%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

Genre Science Fiction & Fantasy
Format Blu-ray, AC-3, NTSC, Closed-captioned, Subtitled, Widescreen
Contributor Charlotte Rampling, Lars Von Trier, Kiefer Sutherland, Kirsten Dunst, Alexander Skarsgard, Brady Corbet, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Cameron Spurr See more
Language English
Runtime 2 hours and 15 minutes
Available at a lower price from other sellers that may not offer free Prime shipping.

Frequently bought together

Melancholia [Blu-ray]
This item: Melancholia [Blu-ray]
$10.37
Get it as soon as Tuesday, Jan 14
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
Nymphomaniac 1 & 2 [Blu-ray]
$17.94
Get it as soon as Tuesday, Jan 14
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
Antichrist (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]
$25.62
Get it Jan 22 - 24
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Deep_Discount_Entertainment.
Total price: $00
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Details
Added to Cart
spCSRF_Treatment
These items are shipped from and sold by different sellers.
Show details Hide details
Choose items to buy together.

From the manufacturer

MELANCHOLIA - Directed by Lars Von TrierMELANCHOLIA - Directed by Lars Von Trier

MELANCHOLIA - Directed by Lars Von Trier

Kirsten Dunst, Alexander Skarsgaard, Kiefer Sutherland, Charlotte Gainsbourg in MELANCHOLIA.Kirsten Dunst, Alexander Skarsgaard, Kiefer Sutherland, Charlotte Gainsbourg in MELANCHOLIA.
Special Features

  • About Melancholia
  • The Universe
  • The Visual Style
  • Visual Effects
  • HDNet: A Look at Melancholia
  • Theatrical Trailers

MELANCHOLIA

A FILM BY LARS VON TRIER

Justine (Kirsten Dunst) and Michael (Alexander Skarsgård) celebrate their marriage at a sumptuous party in the home of Justine’s sister Claire (Charlotte Gainsbourg) and brother-in-law John (Kiefer Sutherland). Despite Claire’s best efforts, the wedding is a fiasco with family tensions mounting and relationships fraying. Meanwhile, a planet called Melancholia is heading directly towards Earth threatening the very existence of humankind…

Starring:

  • KIRSTEN DUNST
  • CHARLOTTE GAINSBOURG
  • ALEXANDER SKARSGÅRD
  • BRADY CORBET
  • CAMERON SPURR
  • CHARLOTTE RAMPLING
  • JESPER CHRISTENSEN
  • JOHN HURT, STELLAN SKARSGÅRD, UDO KIER and KIEFER SUTHERLAND

Product Description

In this beautiful movie about the end of the world, Justine (Kirsten Dunst) and Michael (Alexander Skarsgerd) are celebrating their marriage at a sumptuous party in the home of her sister Claire (Charlotte Gainsbourg), and brother-in-law John (Kiefer Sutherland). Despite Claire's best efforts, the wedding is a fiasco, with family tensions mounting and relationships fraying. Meanwhile, a planet called Melancholia is heading directly towards Earth MELANCHOLIA is a psychological disaster film from director Lars von Trier.

Product details

  • Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
  • MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ R (Restricted)
  • Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 0.5 x 5.3 x 6.8 inches; 2.22 ounces
  • Item model number ‏ : ‎ MGNO10448BR
  • Director ‏ : ‎ Lars Von Trier
  • Media Format ‏ : ‎ Blu-ray, AC-3, NTSC, Closed-captioned, Subtitled, Widescreen
  • Run time ‏ : ‎ 2 hours and 15 minutes
  • Release date ‏ : ‎ March 13, 2012
  • Actors ‏ : ‎ Kirsten Dunst, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Kiefer Sutherland, Alexander Skarsgard, Brady Corbet
  • Subtitles: ‏ : ‎ Spanish
  • Studio ‏ : ‎ Magnolia Home Ent
  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B006KH6CI6
  • Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ USA
  • Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
3,452 global ratings

Review this product

Share your thoughts with other customers
Write a customer review

Top reviews from the United States

  • Andrew Ellington
    5.0 out of 5 stars Behold; the Death-Star!
    Reviewed in the United States on October 26, 2011
    Verified Purchase
    `Melancholia' is a film that is going to be extremely divisive. Not everyone is going to appreciate this, and yet there are going to be some that laud this as one of the finest films ever made. I can certainly see its flaws, and yet there is this underlying captivating atmosphere that I can't help but wholly appreciate.

    `Melancholia' is a unique and engrossing experience that is less what it seems and more what you'd come to expect from an auteur as controversial as Lars von Trier.

    The opening montage of cataclysmic destruction plays out like a Vogue editorial shoot captured in slow motion. It seems almost anticlimactic to show us the end before the beginning, and while I understand that this cinematic trick (or gimmick) is initially rather off-putting and presumes to fail the overall purpose of the film somewhat by showing us the cause of concern before we truly understand the concern building in the key characters, it works in a way that I can't quite explain. I personally was rather upset with the sequence upon watching it, but as the film tied itself together I found myself calling it to mind with awe for I saw how the pieces of that puzzle came together in an unexpected way.

    And, one cannot forsake its beauty.

    And then the actual film starts, which is broken into two sections.

    The first part of `Melancholia' focuses on Justine, the bride. Her lavish wedding begins with promise. Her `filthy rich' brother-in-law has paid for the spectacle to take place at his gigantic home, complete with a butler, an 18 hole golf course and a slew of guest rooms (with baths, not showers). The joyous couple show up late, thanks to an oversized limo and some narrowly curved roads, and then all joy seems to evaporate as Justine's intense depression sets in and begins to erode her happiness. Everyone around her fails to understand her condition, even though most of them try (especially her groom and her sister). Justine seems bewitched by a red star she seems looming overhead; a star that goes unseen by the others. This star sets a strange precedent for the remains of the evening as Justine's behavior becomes more reclusive and catatonic almost.

    Bridges are burned, relationships are broken all hope is lost.

    The second half switches focus to Claire, the elder sister. While Justine is certainly suffering from depression, Claire begins to delve into paranoia as the impending collision with the mysterious planet Melancholia grows closer and closer. They don't ever say how much time as elapsed since the wedding, where that `star' first reared its head, but Justine is still sulking in misery and the agitation she caused on that `blessed day' obviously still lingers.

    "It tastes like ashes."

    With only five days left before Melancholia is supposed to `pass' Earth, Claire and Justine begin to come to terms with the inevitabilities of their futures.

    At the core of `Melancholia' is a sharply constructed look at mental instability and the effect it has on our own personal survival. Justine's character is of particular interest because her depression, which is initially assumed to stem from the planet traveling towards Earth, is almost eased by the foreknowledge that the end is coming. She possesses a unique bond with the planet, a connection (as seen by her nude moon-bathing) that helps ease her dissention since she is obviously of the accord that life on Earth is corrupted; infected with an evil that, even in its most unintuitive form is still prevalent and contaminating.

    For her, eradication is a way out of a life she cannot support.

    From a technical standpoint, `Melancholia' is something special. The imagery is stunning. Lars von Trier has a great track record of using a film's cinematography to eclipse the viewer and sustain his themes. `Antichrist' was a film that suffered in conception and yet it was sustained to a degree thanks to the beautiful and captivating way in which it was shot (not to mention Gainsbourg's phenomenal performance). Here, the night sky is illuminated by cascading stars and eerily shifted cloud structures. Even the murky yet polished way in which the close-ups are rendered is astonishing to watch. I was really taken by the nostalgic score, one that embodied the same sound and atmosphere as the classic apocalyptic and science fiction films. The drama is there, bolded with each swell in the music.

    Performance-wise, the film belongs to Kirsten Dunst. She is remarkable here. This is a truly restrained and intimate performance, no real showboating or dramatics involved. Instead, Dunst takes a far more realistic look at depression by holding it all in. Sure, she has her crying fits and breakdowns, but she internalizes so much. I'm so happy for her Cannes win, especially since Oscar will most likely look the other way (they like their actresses to SHOW their pain), but I completely concur with many who say this is quite possibly her finest work. She has been one of my favorite actresses for years, and I am so thrilled to see her making some intriguing and rewarding film choices (she should have won the Oscar last year for her tremendous work in `All Good Things'). I also was wholly impressed with Kiefer Sutherland, who dwelled in the skin of his character, adding little touches that made him feel complete as opposed to a mere prop (unlike the younger Skarsgard, who just proved uninteresting). Kiefer portrays an odd warmth, paternal and yet elusively selfish. You can see his colors changing as the film progresses, and his many shades, while never blatant or wholly exposed, haunt long after he's left the screen.

    In the end, `Melancholia' is probably the strangest `apocalyptic' film you'll ever see, and while it contains certain flaws, those flaws are swallowed and digested by the films ravenous pluses. The pacing is extraordinary (don't listen to the naysayers claiming this film drags, for it most certainly does not) for it allows the impending dread to set it slowly, meticulously, calculated and yet entirely natural so that you feel yourself letting go as you watch Justine and Claire prepare themselves for the afterlife.
    22 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • joebobhenrybob
    5.0 out of 5 stars I guess this review is for people on the fence about this movie...
    Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    This is a qualified 5 - if I could give it 10 for my own tastes, I would. That said, for some, buyer beware. And I guess I'm going to end up addressing my review to people who might rate this movie low because I think you can get more out of it than 1-3 stars when you watch it.

    If you like Hollywood films and hate art films, obviously, stay away. If you like living in certainty, stay away. But before you do, let me make a small suggestion.

    Sometimes being unsettled is good. Sometimes feeling bad is good - we should be grateful as human beings to feel depth of emotion - be it happiness OR melancholy.

    Sometimes you should take a walk. Take a walk when the weather is great. But get out there and take a walk in a blizzard, on a really hot day, or in the rain... or on a foggy night, put on headphones, go out for a walk at 1am and listen to old spooky blues records.

    The whole POINT of going for a walk instead of staying in your living room where you have everything just the way you like it IS that it is unsettling.

    The whole, "ships are safest in harbor, BUT THAT'S NOT WHAT SHIPS ARE FOR" and neither are you.

    So that said, what are you buying into with Melancholia? You aren't getting entertainment, you're getting art.

    I don't think it is about depression per se. It isn't about "gee, these people are depressed and what should they do about it."

    I got the distinct impression that Kirsten Dunst's character has some sort of foresight. Not specific knowledge but she feels intrinsically that something is going to go wrong, thus the dumping of the great advertising job that she is brilliant at, the groom, etc. It turns out she isn't feeling depressed, she's feeling ACCURATELY.

    Which begs the question is depression or melancholy ALWAYS a dysfunction or is it healthy when it is an accurate response to what is going on? Is cheerfulness, teamwork, ambition, confidence, sick in the wrong context? This isn't a movie about "oh gee they're DEPRESSED" which I see in quite a few 5 star reviews as well as 1 stars. Dunst makes the right decisions about her life, drops the career, etc because something horrible is coming and can feel that in light of that, it doesn't mean all that much to her - that's symbolically valid within the movie with the rogue planet coming, but it's valid in actual real life.

    The fact is, something horrible is going to happen to you.

    It is coming for you as you read this, waiting somewhere in your future.

    Certainly death, the deaths of those you love, absolutely, but not just death. It's very likely you'll have your heart broken, lose a good friendship, disappoint yourself, act like a jerk in a way you can never take back, experience the whole gamut of suffering, pain, for yourself and those you love - you will lose things or have horrible things happen or do bad things THAT CAN NEVER BE UNDONE.

    Ouch, right? But so, so very true.

    Now, if you want to stay in your living room with everything just so, if walking in the fog at 1am listening to blues records or in the rain, lifting your face to feel it instead of rushing inside sounds insane to you, you are missing out. And besides, your living room won't ultimately save you.

    What do you do when depression is PERFECTLY JUSTIFIED, the most sane thing? Do you withdraw? Do you rush out to seek other people? But what if other people can't help? How do you, how do others, meet what is most definitely coming? Sorry but this too is part of the human experience. You will be more alive, more human, more compassionate to other humans, with that awareness - less human, less alive without.

    It's one of those roadtrip/cocktail party questions - what is art? I'll tell you my definition. When you sleep, you dream and process the events of your life symbolically. People kept awake to long start too go kind of batty, can't function well - even if you let them sleep but interrupt only when they start dreaming. Dreaming is the unconscious processing of being alive - of life's experience. You have to do it or you'll literally lose your mind.

    Art is kind of the same way - it's the semi-conscious processing of human experience of life. Dreaming and art fulfill kind of the same functions - in the months following WW2, in totally bombed-out Germany, while Berlin was still essentially rubble, what did the people there do in the aftermath, as soon as they had their bare, basic needs met? Put on plays. Put little orchestras together and play music. In the RUBBLE. Because they needed to. I suspect we're all a little crazy in this day and age because we instinctively reach for art and get entertainment handed to us instead - sleep instead of dreaming.

    So anyway, the movie is beautiful. I was about to say "well, it isn't entertainment but it is art" but I remembered, in the 1800's there was a musical subgenre that specifically would be songs about tragically dead children - seriously that was it - people would show up to the concerts in droves, weep, it'd be very cathartic. If THAT was entertainment, I suppose Melancholia is entertainment - depressing films, horror films that ACTUALLY horrify as opposed to make you jump due to a loud sudden noise, are cathartic and entertaining in their own right. Idunno, maybe we in America have a religion that trumps all others and that religion is COMFORT. That makes me feel uncomfortable, which is why I take walks in bad weather and at bad times and watched Melancholia - to take me out of my comfort zone just a little bit.

    And ah... have some compassion for the people you run into in your life that aren't all sparky and upbeat - psychological studies prove that slightly depressed people perceive reality more accurately than upbeat people. Maybe they're onto something. Non-melancholy is overrated :)
    41 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
  • Lighthouse
    5.0 out of 5 stars Multi layered and moving
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 1, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Seen the film so often I decided to buy the DVD. It remains a fine study in the ultimate expression of depression and simply going through the motions. It helps that the characters here are very well off and have little day to day worry of being able to afford or survive the day. But then the film is simply about how we cope and go through life. In the end the strongest of us when faced with ultimate conclusion probably have less fear and less panic. After all they have lived their lives with those emotions for so long anyway.

    A fine cast and well portrayed despite the over simplification of the script. Well worth delving into.
    Report
  • Victoria Sánchez
    5.0 out of 5 stars Se trata de una gran película las secuencias finales son sobre todo excelentes
    Reviewed in Spain on December 31, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    Excepcional película
    Report
  • Jesus Delgado
    5.0 out of 5 stars Resignación
    Reviewed in Mexico on April 7, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    A pesar de que esta película, desde sus primeros segundos, te presenta el tema central y el mismísimo final, no deja de ser impactante. El desarrollo de la historia se lleva en un solo lugar, y te pone en los zapatos de dos protagonistas: primero Justine, y después su hermana.
    El tema es la resignación, y como de esos dos puntos de vista que presentan las hermanas llegan a aceptar el fin del mundo.
    Altamente recomendada.
    Report
  • Simon Omnes
    5.0 out of 5 stars Two ends of the world told through two sisters
    Reviewed in Canada on April 29, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    Ever since Lars von Trier learned from his mother the truth about his origins, that the father who raised him wasn't his biological father, the Danish director has decided from that day forth to orientate his movies on a quest for honest storytelling and sincere emotions, something that his family always condemned. Starting from the Kingdom, then getting international recognition with Breaking the Waves all the way up to Antichrist, all of Lars' movies have worked on this quest for truth, but also on a mission to move viewers in ways that many would find either pleasant and enriching, or unpleasant and disagreeable.

    And this is exactly what happens with Melancholia, as Lars once again confronts the Science-Fiction genre rules and stereotypes, and adds human psychology. Instead of conforting us with the usual end-of-the world story told through the eyes of the scientists, military and space agency who try to do everything they can to stop a fly-by from destroying Earth on the third or fourth of July, Lars has decided to show us this end of the world through two sisters, Claire and Justine, whose story happens in the United States, on the golf property of Claire's husband, John. While we hear excerpts, and see an excellent prologue, using the overture of Wagner's Tristan and Isolde under gorgeous visual effects.

    Although Justine, played by Kirsten Dunst, who totally deserved her palm for Best actress, is considered the main star of the story, it is evident that Claire, played by Charlotte Gainsbourg, is also the main star of Melancholia. Indeed, though their lives took different turns in terms of professional and social successes, I think the two sisters are both alike because, as we watch the movie, we find out that they are both extremely anxious people who dread an unpredictable future.

    To me, the reason why some viewers on Amazon, and on the Web, didn't like Melancholia is probably because Lars doesn't work in the classical sense of storytelling. If Melancholia had been done under a very conventional director and/or scriptwriter, the viewer would have gotten likeable characters, with whom the viewer would identify with; and would have a clear explanation to the characters' lives which would explain all their actions and reactions, especially Justine's as she does things that turn her wedding into another direction. Not only that, Lars never entirely explains the characters' troubled state, though a few hints at the wedding reveal the parents absence to be a major influence. Doing exactly what other controversial directors (i.e: David Lynch, Maurice Pialat, Jonathan Demme, Carl Theodor Dreyer, David Chase, and Michael Haneke) have been doing through their movies, Lars wants us to take a look at the story through an open-mind and to interact with it. Which means that we have to create our own explanations through the subtle details Lars is showing in the movie, which would then tie up the missing pieces in this movie that the director has shot like a documentary. Of course this kind of thinking will annoy some viewers who only think of movies as a device to decompress from the week's or job's stress, or to have some quality time with their loved ones. However I think it is much more interesting to watch a movie where the characters act and talk like real individuals; and not like some cardboard stereotypes from the Hollywood Sci-fi and Action genre rules, or get used, just like in the movie Armageddon, as a device to promote some Aerosmith videoclip.

    For although I do love to watch a commercial Sci-fi flick once in a while, it is nice to see directors try to follow their own voices and give a finger to what some viewers and Hollywood take for granted when they pay their movie tickets and DVDS. And by that I mean that the movie will give them exactly what they want, will explain everything that they need to know, and that they will come out of the theater or living room uplifted, having learned an important moral lesson for the day, ready to take the stresses of lives with a stronger, but sometimes fake and temporary, sense of hope for humanity.

    If you are ready to get your senses shaken and being told that sometimes, life does not work like a Hollywood movie, then get on it and have fun watching Melancholia, which I did. But if you don't and prefer to hide your anger through short one-star bashings, where you don't clearly explain why you didn't like a movie, please do not watch Melancholia.

    As Foamy the Squirrel, from the Web cartoon Neurotically Yours, said in the episode 'Germaine for Stupids' : 'Life is offensive people. It's brutal, annoying, stupid, dirty, and at the end ****ing pointless'. And we need stories to sometimes remember that. So that we can be better prepared when those situations happen. For better or for worse.

    And besides, I find it ironic that a movie working under a 13 million budget has better visuals effects, scripts and actors, than movies working with 100 millions of dollars of budget (Spider-Man 3, Van Helsing, Armageddon, The Day after Tomorrow, Transformers). Maybe Hollywood should take a note and remember that it is good scripts and directors that make a good movie, not the stars working on it.
    Report
  • Simon Omnes
    5.0 out of 5 stars La fin du Monde racontée à travers deux soeurs
    Reviewed in France on February 3, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    Depuis que Lars von Trier a appris de sa mère la vérité sur ses origines familiales, c'est-à-dire que le père qui l'avait élevé n'était pas son père biologique, le réalisateur danois a décidé depuis ce jour d'orienter ses films dans une quête à la recherche d'une narration honnête avec des émotions véritables, aspect que sa famille avait toujours condamné. Commençant avec le "Royaume", puis par une reconnaissance internationale de "Breaking the Waves" jusqu'à "Antichrist", tous les films de Lars ont suivis cette quête de la vérité et de cet objectif à bouleverser les spectateurs à travers des histoires qu'ils trouveraient soit plaisantes et enrichissantes, soit déplaisantes et désagréables.

    Et c'est exactement ce qui se produit avec "Melancholia" alors que Lars confronte cette fois les règles de genre de la science-fiction et leurs stéréotypes, tout en ajoutant une dimension psychologique humaine. Au lieu de nous conforter avec les habituelles fins du monde racontées à travers les scientifiques, militaires et agences spatiales qui font tout pour empêcher qu'une planète entre en collision avec la Terre, Lars a décidé de nous montrer cette fin du monde, ayant lieu le 3 ou 4 juillet, à travers deux sœurs, Claire et Justine. Leur histoire se déroule aux États-Unis, dans la propriété de golf de John, le mari de Claire. Parallèlement, nous entendons des extraits sonores, mais visionnons aussi une introduction spectaculaire, utilisant le prologue de Tristan et Isolde de Wagner; le tout sous des effets visuels impeccables et plus percutants que ce que l'on voit dans des films hollywoodiens à gros budgets.

    Bien que Justine, jouée par Kirsten Dunst qui a gagnée la Palme de la Meilleure actrice, est considérée comme la star de l'histoire, il est évident que Claire, jouée par Charlotte Gainsbourg, est aussi la star de Melancholia. En effet, bien que leurs vies ont pris des tournures différentes dans leurs succès professionnels et sociaux, je pense que les deux sœurs sont pareilles car, durant le film, elles se révèlent des êtres très angoissées qui redoutent un avenir chaotique et imprévisible.

    De ce film, l'histoire se révèle plus interne qu'explosive et donc, cette fin du monde s'oppose à celle que l'on retrouve dans des films comme Armageddon, dont le concept me semblait plus être une stratégie de promotion pour un vidéo clip d'Aerosmith. Melancholia est une histoire à 13 millions de dollars qui offre des niveaux de lectures rappelant à la fois « La Comète » d'Hans Christian Andersen, mais aussi un château de contes de fées. Le tout accompagné d'excellentes performances dont Kiefer Sutherland, Alexander Skarsgard, John Hurt, Stellan Skarsgard, Udo Kier, Charlotte Rampling, Brady Corbet et Cameron Spur.

    Dans les bonus du film, nous avons plusieurs séquences de qualité, dont un commentaire audio, une discussion des concepts du film avec l'équipe, des storyboards pour le prologue, des entretiens avec les acteurs et Lars, mais aussi deux bonus particulièrement importants pour les fans et le public.

    Le premier est un documentaire intitulé Filmbyen, qui nous présente la naissance du complexe cinématographique que Lars von Trier et son producteur ont créée dans Copenhague. C'est un documentaire détaillé, qui nous montre l'atmosphère de travail et le côté créatif véhiculé dans cet endroit.

    Quant au deuxième bonus, il s'agit de la conférence de presse de Mélancholia donné au Festival de Cannes en 2011, offerte dans son déroulement complet et avec les interprètes français à l'oreille.

    Il est évident que, suite à tout le scandale qui s'est déroulé à Cannes, la présentation complète de cette conférence dans le DVD/Blu-Ray était une façon de montrer au public la conférence de presse dans son intégralité authentique, sans les coupures et détournements que plusieurs journaux et journalistes ont fait face aux propos de Lars et ce pour augmenter leurs chiffres de vente. D'ailleurs, un journal sur Internet dont le nom m'échappe avait même été jusqu'à dire qu'il était devenu Persona non Grata parce qu'il voulait faire un drame pornographique (Nymphomaniac qui est censé sortir cette année avec Charlotte Gainsbourg, qu'il voulait pour le rôle principal). Par ailleurs, je trouve déplorable que la conférence dans le DVD/Blu-Ray n'offre pas une piste sonore sans les interprètes français parce que sans eux, on perçoit mieux l'embuscade sournoise et ignoble que la journaliste Kate Muir, du journal « The Times », a fait à Lars. En effet, dans sa question verbeuse et mal formulée comme si elle savait que ce qu'elle disait était inacceptable et bourré de préjugés, une question qui faisait référence aux propos de Lars en Mai 2011 dans le #72 de la revue "Film" du Det Danske FilmInstitut (comme cette femme l'explique elle-même dans son article inexact, hypocrite, non-subtil, et très auto-révélateur qu'elle a intitulé "No let-off this time for the enfant terrible after "Nazi" rant"), Kate Muir insinuait que l'intérêt de Lars pour l'esthétique Nazi était dû à ses origines biologiques allemandes. Bref, à cause du sang de l'allemand Fritz Michael Hartmann, qui est le père biologique de Lars. C'était une "insinuation-question piège" que j'ai constaté au visionnement complet de la conférence en mai 2011 et que plusieurs internautes (blogs, forums, YouTube) ont constaté aussi. Ainsi, devant cette question raciste envers les allemands et insultante envers Lars qui est "juif" mais non-pratiquant, qui avait été élevé pendant des années dans une culture juive avec sa famille, qui continue à élever ses enfants dans cette culture (ex: leurs noms), qui a vécu avec des parents juifs ayant survécu à l'holocauste, qui a tourné "Europa" — film condamnant ce génocide — et qui avait déjà un intérêt pour l'esthétique Nazi — notamment grâce au film "Le Portier de Nuit" — avant même de connaître la vérité sur son père biologique, Lars a répondu des blagues juives et danoises (à prendre au second, second degré) qui lui permettaient de faire ressortir le racisme germanophobe de cette journaliste pour qui "allemand égale Nazi". Des blagues que d'autres membres de l'équipe du film (Charlotte Gainsbourg, Kirsten Dunst, Udo Kier et Stellan Skarsgaard), Willem Defoe, des fans, des universitaires, des gens que j'ai croisé dans la rue, et plusieurs internautes (blogs, forums, YouTube) ont très bien perçues. Malheureusement, comme Lars a tendance à répondre de façon abstraite par des phrases qui nécessitent une lecture entre les lignes, mais aussi que Lars n'arrivait plus à trouver une phrase-clé pour clore ses blagues dans un punch, certaines personnes n'ont pas compris son humour provocateur et peu conventionnel. Suite à cela, Lars s'est retrouvé banni de ce festival alors que la journaliste s'en est tirée indemne, sans la moindre réprimande ou punition pour l'embuscade qu'elle avait fait, ce qui a terminé la conférence en queue de poisson. Mais bon c'est vrai que quand on est, de un, la chef-critique de la section cinéma d'un journal comme le Times qui est, de deux, propriété importante de Rupert Murdoch, monstrueux requin qui empoisonne les médias dans une culture de scandale, de voyeurisme et de préjugés — particulièrement la presse du Royaume-Uni — et qui possède d'autres services d'information diffusant des nouvelles/éditoriaux sur Cannes, cela reste deux atouts très efficaces pour faire peur et encourager le festival à faire ce qui est facile au lieu d'être juste. À condamner celui qui a essayé de se défendre par des blagues sarcastiques au lieu de punir une "Rita Skeeter" qui l'a provoquée, attaquée, diffamée et prétendue que durant une entrevue pour la revue "Film" — magazine danois sur le cinéma — Lars avait impliqué "en même temps" (at the same time) son sang allemand avec son intérêt pour une culture controversée. Ce qui est faux et un horrible mensonge déformatoire puisque j'ai lu l'entretien en question, "The only redeeming factor is the world ending" écrit par Per Juul Carlsen, et Lars, comme je le savais, n'y a jamais parlé SIMULTANÉMENT de son sang allemand avec son intérêt (at the same time = simultaneously = simultanément). En fait, son sang allemand était mentionné dans l'entrevue durant une brève énumération impliquant sa lecture de Nietzche et maintenant celle de Thomas Mann; un tout autre contexte où il démontrait par cette énumération comment toute sa vie (privée et artistique) le ramène à l'Allemagne. C'est tout.
    Et en lisant cet entretien, je soupçonne la journaliste d'avoir attaquée le réalisateur à cause d'une phrase où il a dit — pendant son dialogue sur l'esthétique Nazi — qu'il trouvait le design artistique des Stuka (avions des Nazi) plus impressionnant et mémorable que celui des Spitfire (avions britanniques). Phrase qui selon moi a piqué le petit égo patriotique de la journaliste britannique — culture qui est malheureusement archi-obsédée par les deux dernières guerres, qui se complaît souvent dans une nostalgie malsaine du passé que plusieurs éditorialistes et auteurs (ex:J K Rowling) ont dénoncés, et qui est devenue depuis la Première Guerre très germanophobe — et motivé son accusation diffamatoire et déformatrice.

    De cette histoire, je dirais que la seule erreur que Lars a fait dans sa carrière, c'était de s'obstiner, de faire confiance, et de perdre son temps à donner des conférences de presse à Cannes pour des pourris qui ne méritaient pas de son attention. D'autant plus qu'à chaque fois qu'il a donné des conférences à Cannes ou fait des films, il se faisait insulter, regarder de travers et calomnier sous des noms vraiment ignobles. D'abord par des mauvaises graines du journalisme (la liste est longue!). Puis par des opportunistes du milieu du cinéma et de la musique comme Bjork, Paul Bettany, James Caan, Radu Mihaileanu, Nicholas Winding Refn, et Mélanie Laurent qui, dans l'article de 2011 "Exclusive Q&A: Mélanie Laurent Has More Than Beginners Luck" pour le site Web "NextMovie", s'est comportée en entrevue comme une commère, comme une insignifiante qui ferait mieux de se renseigner et se taire avant de dire des sottises, et prétendu que Lars s'était "suicidé" professionnellement. Bref, Lars s'est fait attaqué par deux groupes d'individus qui n'ont jamais voulu le comprendre, mais qui parlent de lui comme s'ils le connaissait. Le tout sous la lecture et jugements de gens impulsifs et impressionnables, qui ne se servent pas de leur tête et qui gobent n'importe quoi. Sans prendre la peine de discerner les journalistes biaisés, complaisants et lèche-bottes de ceux qui traitent les individus comme Lars avec respect, dignité, et une honnêteté intellectuelle qui ne plonge pas aux niveaux de la presse à scandale. Personnellement, il aurait mieux valu que Lars donne des séances de questions/réponses à ses fans, qui l'ont toujours respecté, qui prennent la peine de l'écouter, et qui auraient établis une vraie discussion, plutôt que les interrogatoires que deviennent les conférences du Festival de Cannes. D'autant plus qu'un modérateur est employé à chaque conférence du Festival et aurait dû, au lieu d'être mou pendant cette conférence de Lars, confronter la journaliste sur sa question et ses insinuations racistes; obligeant cette femme soit à être direct avec Lars au lieu de jouer dans la verbosité sinueuse, soit à poser une question plus convenable, soit à passer le micro à un autre reporter qui aurait, contrairement à elle, quelque chose d'intelligent à demander.

    Bien entendu, je sais que ce commentaire doit se consacrer au film et que parler de cette conférence peut sembler surprenant. Toutefois, comme la sortie de Melancholia a été troublée par ce scandale qui n'aurait pas dû être là, mais que Cannes a créé et alimenté, et que cette conférence est offert en bonus dans ce DVD/Blu-Ray, je me suis dit qu'il était important de raconter ma perception de la conférence "offerte dans ce produit", tout comme je me permets dans tous les commentaires que je fais une interprétation et opinion du film, jeu vidéo, série télé ou livre que je commente. D'aller dans le direct des choses.

    Car depuis cette histoire, j'ai perdu tout respect pour les journalistes, les journaux, mais surtout le minuscule respect que j'avais pour le festival et ses hauts-placés, que je reproche depuis longtemps de savoir peut-être sélectionner des films, mais de ne pas savoir, ou vouloir, discipliner les journalistes qu'ils invitent; journalistes mal élevés qui se prennent pour des petits rois/petites reines, qui ont un comportement démontrant qu'ils se fichent pas mal des films qu'on leur présente, qui se vengent quand on attaque leur petite fierté —particulièrement la presse britannique et son "journalisme jaune" que le Leveson Inquiry a exposé — et se permettent tous les coups bas pour obtenir n'importe quel scandale et s'enrichir, quitte même à transformer les conférences de presse en procès. Procès où on pose des questions stupides aux réalisateurs, où on les accusent de choses qu'ils ne sont pas, où on pose des questions inappropriées sur la vie privée des artistes — comme Emma Thompson qui, dans son journal de tournage pour "Raisons et Sentiments", y raconte qu'à la conférence du film "Carrington", elle s'est fait demandé s'il y avait des parallèles entre elle et la vie sexuelle torturée de son personnage — et où on exploite la nationalité et les traits génétiques des artistes et des membres du jury (ex.: jury de Cannes 2009) comme facteur expliquant leur travail, leurs intérêts artistiques, leurs intérêts pour des cultures controversées, ou leurs sélections de gagnants qu'ils ont choisis, n'ont pas choisis, auraient dûs choisir, ou devraient choisir. Ce qui est sale, raciste, honteux et inacceptable de la part d'un festival et des médias.

    Bref, je boycotte depuis mai 2011 le Festival de Cannes et les journaux qui y sont invités.
    Report