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Breaking The Waves [DVD] [1996]
 
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Breaking The Waves [DVD] [1996]

DVD ~ Emily Watson
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
RRP: £12.99
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Frequently Bought Together

Breaking The Waves [DVD] [1996] + Dancer In The Dark [DVD] [2000] + Manderlay [DVD] [2007]
Total RRP: £34.97
Price For All Three: £12.84

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Breaking The Waves [DVD] [1996]
89% buy the item featured on this page:
Breaking The Waves [DVD] [1996] 4.2 out of 5 stars (27)
£4.88
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Dancer In The Dark [DVD] [2000]
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Product details

  • Actors: Emily Watson, Stellan Skarsgård, Katrin Cartlidge, Jean-Marc Barr, Adrian Rawlins
  • Directors: Lars von Trier
  • Writers: Lars von Trier, David Pirie, Peter Asmussen
  • Producers: Axel Helgeland, Lars Jönsson, Marianne Slot, Peter Aalbæk Jensen
  • Format: PAL
  • Language English
  • Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Classification: 18
  • Studio: Pathe Distribution
  • DVD Release Date: 1 Sep 2003
  • Run Time: 153 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B00009KOW5
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 4,153 in DVD (See Bestsellers in DVD)

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Reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review

Set in an unmercifully rugged, coastal village in Scotland in the 1970s, this extraordinary film by Lars von Trier stars British actress Emily Watson as a barely contained naive named Bess, who holds regular conversations with God and whose pure and intensely personal faith is hardly tolerated by the gruesome Calvinist elders of her church. Bess marries an oil-rig worker (Stellan Skarsgard) and comes to believe that erotic discovery is a part of God's grand plan. But after her spouse is hurt in an accident, she decides that divine instruction is leading her toward the life of a prostitute--with disastrous but somehow beautiful results. Von Trier (The Kingdom) has made a wonderful, entirely unexpected, and rigorous work of discovery in this film, with a formal visual design that recalls classic films by Carl Theodor Dreyer and Robert Bresson. Watson is a phenomenon, her wide-eyed wonder at the world as God's handiwork a breathtaking portrayal of conviction. --Tom Keogh


Synopsis

Danish director Lars von Trier's BREAKING THE WAVES is a sweeping romantic fable that is photographed like a low-budget documentary, resulting in a strikingly original motion picture from one of contemporary cinema's most distinct visionaries. Bess McNeill (Emily Watson) is a shy young woman living in a small Scottish shore town dominated by a strict religious sect. When she meets Jan (Stellan Skarsgaard), an offshore rig worker, the two immediately fall in love. Jan embraces Bess's absolute innocence and, soon after, they are married. Their magical existence comes to a crashing halt when Jan is forced to return to sea for an extended period of time. In a series of intense dialogues with God, Bess begs for Jan's return back to shore immediately, and when Jan is paralyzed in a freak accident, her wish is granted. Convinced that her prayers caused Jan's tragedy, Bess devotes her life to redeeming herself however she can. Jan insists that she experience sexual relations with a series of strangers, relating to him her escapades. Obeying his wish, she begins to see that her actions are restoring Jan's health, sparking her into committing one reckless final sacrifice. Watson delivers one of the most stunningly naked screen debuts in screen history, filling BREAKING THE WAVES with an intensity that is tragic, yet somehow hopeful.

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Customer Reviews

27 Reviews
5 star:
 (17)
4 star:
 (3)
3 star:
 (4)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:
 (2)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.2 out of 5 stars (27 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Breathtaking Bess, 25 Oct 2006
By Mrs.D (Scotland) - See all my reviews
I saw this movie for the first time tonight, and I am completely blown away. I had it on while I was doing other things so missed bits of it, but it gradually wound its way into my consciousness and I sat, transfixed, through the remainder, and I *will* be getting this for my collection.

I don't know directors. I don't know cinematography. I'd never heard of this film before tonight, but I do know is that this is a masterpiece. It was as powerful and touching as it was brutal and raw.

Bess' conversations with God are believable in a way that I would never have credited. Her fragility and unwavering goodness and devotion to both God and her husband worked so well that I can't even begin to describe it. Someone said that it had a disappointing ending, but I can only think that they either missed the point or left before it was finished.

While the elders of the church and village are consigning Bess to eternal damnation and hell, the heavens ring out their approval of Bess and their acceptance of her sacrifices, of her love, and a miracle is born.

This film is, in itself, a miracle. The acting was superb throughout. The method of filming added to the power of the story. It is not a pleasant film. It will definitely not be for everyone. It's a love story that batters you to exhaustion, and when it finally releases you, you are grateful for the battering, for the opportunity to have experienced Bess in all her beauty and innocence and certainty.

The only films I can think of that even come close to the brilliance and brutality of this one are Pulp Fiction and Snatch, but this one goes further; it lacks the slickness of Hollywood. That isn't a criticism, either... it's a benefit.

I can't recommend it highly enough, but you will need guts to watch it.
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21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The best film you'll ever watch!, 5 Nov 2006
By Melissa Rennie (Highlands, Scotland) - See all my reviews
This is an amazing film!

I live where this film was made and the portrayal of the Church and the Elders is absolutely spot on. All the characters were brilliantly cast but Emily Watson was amazing as Bess.

I have never watched a film which made me feel the way this one did.

Everything about this film is fantastic! I can't really say much more than that!
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14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars a beautiful and moving film, 16 Jun 2003
By A Customer
Breaking the Waves is likely to be the most moving film you will ever see. It is not a mainstream film but its success didn't go unnoticed in Hollywood studios; this is one of the 'marginal' films produced in the mid 1990s, which influenced mainstream cinema's attempts to 'play around' with film narrative. A must-see for those who like films to be a little different. Director Lars Von Trier ('The Idiots' & 'Dancer in the Dark') was co-founder of the 'Dogme'film movement, which is also well worth investigating for anyone with a passion for film.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars jb
Fanastic film one of the best ever made. Emily Watson is brilliant a must see
Published 4 months ago by J. D. Boon

5.0 out of 5 stars superb movie
The acting is superb,wonderful cinematography,a story which makes you laugh in some places and cry in others.A gem of a film and a bargain at the price.
Published 13 months ago by N. Tate

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding
I'm not a fan of "artsy" type films and this is usually the kind that falls into the category of them. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Dismal Angel

1.0 out of 5 stars An insult
This film is an insult to the viewer. There is absolutely no redeeming factors here, and it seems that the only point of making this film is to see how much filth you can get away... Read more
Published 19 months ago by Red Critic

5.0 out of 5 stars Didn't expect to but loved it
This is quite a hard film to watch but perseverance pays off.The synopsis and previous reviews are explanatory so I won't repeat previous comments except to concur with the view... Read more
Published 20 months ago by S. Ross

3.0 out of 5 stars A different kind of film...
Breaking the Waves is a rather unusual film. It has a strange feel and a dark aura to it - so much so that it makes Eastenders look fun. Read more
Published 21 months ago by LXIX

1.0 out of 5 stars Breaking The Wind
Brilliant directing, acting, cinematography can go towards making a truly awful film. I can't think of another film which is so sadistic, nasty and hypocritical. Read more
Published 22 months ago by dogme

2.0 out of 5 stars Too real, hardly any creativity.
While the film boasts some good performances, it left me feeling a bit cheated. Basically the film is about the effects an accident has on a newly wed couple. Read more
Published on 18 Aug 2006 by Mr. C. S. Parker

5.0 out of 5 stars A disturbing and challenging masterpiece.
This was the film that gave von Trier his much-deserved international breakthrough and revealed him as one of the most brilliant and uncompromising filmmakers of his generation... Read more
Published on 16 April 2006 by David Welsh

4.0 out of 5 stars BREAKING THE WAVES
I remember when this film first came out in the cinema. I was so desparate to see it so I travelled to London where it was the only place showing the film. Read more
Published on 3 April 2006 by film fan

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