Von Trier. Cultural Jewish upbringing
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Lars von Trier revisits Nazi comments
Controversial Danish director explains his infamous gaffe at Cannes Film Festival, says 'I am as good a Jew as any'
Danish director Lars von Trier
has taken the opportunity to give an explanation for his now infamous Nazi gaffe at Cannes in May.
"There was a point to this whole thing. I think history shows that we are all Nazis somewhere, and there are a lot of things that can be suddenly set free, and the mechanics behind this setting-free is something we really should really investigate, and the way we do not investigate it is to make it a taboo to talk about it," Von Trier stated at a Q&A, during a retrospective of his films.
The controversial director, who inadvertently won a lifetime ban at the Cannes Film Festival for admitting that he sympathized with Hitler, provided infinitely more nuanced words at the Berlin Film Festival, regarding the incident.
Setting a Precedent
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In a recent interview with The Independent, Von Trier addressed the Cannes incident providing further evidence that his comment was in jest, by discussing the man who reared him as a son.
“After all this nonsense in Cannes, I am claiming that since he was Jewish and gave me a cultural Jewish upbringing, I am as good a Jew as any. Maybe he didn't give the sperm, but he gave me a family and a background," he averred.
Von Trier’s latest film, Melancholia, has received glowing accolades from critics and stars Kirsten Dunst, Kiefer Sutherland, and Charlotte Gainsbourg. It opens in theatres on November 11.
Reprinted with permission from Shalom Life
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