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THE KINGDOM
This isn't really a movie, but the first eight episodes of a
still-unfinished Danish miniseries that was released theatrically in two
four-hour compilations. Nevertheless, it's one of the decade's premier cinematic
achievements in the horror genre, a wild, crazy, profound and endlessly thought
provoking work that's a veritable masterpiece in its present state and, once
completed, will most likely turn out to be the premier achievement of its famed
director Lars Von Trier.
The Package
The Danish filmmaker Lars Von Trier has long been
considered one of the world's most important contemporary moviemakers, and
rightfully so; no other filmmaker has been so audacious in form or subject
matter. Von Trier is the inventor of the "Dogma 95" style of filmmaking, which
pioneered the current hand-held digital revolution and thrust the moribund
Danish cinema into the world's spotlight. On the other hand, he's also caused
more than his share of controversy; just look at his most recent film DANCER IN
THE DARK, which was met with equal amounts of outrage and adulation, so much so
that several US periodicals ran opposing reviews in the same issue.
THE KINGDOM started life as a four episode miniseries
made for Danish television that became so popular it was released around the
world as a four-hour feature in 1994. This in turn led to another four episodes
and, in 1997, another feature. There's been no word yet about a Part Three,
although, as this is an extremely addictive series whose last compilation ended
with an agonizing cliffhanger, I'd say it's past time it appeared.
The Story
Imagine an extended episode of ER written by
Stephen King and directed by David Lynch, and you'll a pretty good idea of the
tone of this outrageous, horrific masterpiece. The setting is a vast hospital
known as The Kingdom, built on the sight where (a stunningly shot prologue
informs us) a band of superstitious peasants once labored; once The Kingdom was
constructed, superstition was apparently conquered, but "the gateway
to The Kingdom is opening again!"
The characters include a wacky spiritualist whose son
works as an orderly in the hospital; a xenophobic Swedish neurosurgeon who chats
with his feces and forever rails against the "Danish scum" he's forced to work
with; the restless ghost of a little girl murdered on the premises years
earlier; a squeamish surgeon who tries to overcome her fear by viewing a
succession of gore videos; and a guy who tries to impress the girl of his dreams
by giving her a severed head. That's not even mentioning the two down syndrome
dish washers who act as a Greek chorus, the driverless ambulance that cruises by
the hospital each night, the bizarre group encounter sessions held in the
basement, or the cameo appearances by the Angel of Death and the Prince of
Darkness.
The Direction
Lars Von Trier was trying something that at the time
(before THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT or Von Trier's subsequent work) seemed
revolutionary: totally handheld digital camerawork coupled with on location
sound. The camera never stops moving, lending the proceedings a gritty,
naturalistic flavor. This has the effect of making the film seem even more
bizarre than it already is, with its (deliberately cheesy) special effects and
hokey situations. Add to that the brownish, puke-tinged color scheme and you've
got quite a work whose stylistic elements seem quite chaotic-and so fit the
material like a glove.
Vital Statistics
THE KINGDOM (PARTS 1-8)
Zentropa Entertainment Productions
Director: Lars Von Trier
Producer: Ole Reim
Screenwriters: Lars Von Trier and Tomas Gislason
Cinematography: Eric Kress
Editors: Jacob Thuesen, Molly Marlene Stens-Gaard
Cast: Udo Kier, Ghita Norby, Kirsten Rolffes, Ernst Hugo Jaregard