The One Hundred Camera Movie

Rumours surrounding DITD started right here at Cannes Festival two years ago, when Lars von Trier exhibited his polemic " The Idiot" and released the Dogma 95 Manifest. Since then, news begun to pop up, indicating his forthcoming project would not follow the Manifest and would have a strange concept of a realist musical,  starring and having the music written by Björk e co-starred by Catherine Deneuve. Never confirmed or denied rumours only raised curiosity about the film, finally unveiled yesterday when the sixth long featured film from the Danish director (and the fifth disputing the Palm D'Or) was screened in Cannes.

Before the movie started, the audience heard five minutes of the film's opening song, written by Björk in  half-lighted room. At the end of the film, as it's usual when we talk about a Von Trier movie, the audience was confused. Lots of applauses, less intense hisses and tears. Perhaps because DITD pushes all the director's obsessions to the edges. Von Trier, who enjoys taking risks, here comes close to the abyss and almost falls down. He has never been so melodramatic and goes so far that sometimes seems like he succumbs to cliches.

(...) Then it goes on telling the movie plot, saying Bjork looks very fragile on the screen.

According to Von  Trier Björk was the one and only person considered to play Selma. ' I didn't know much about her music, just few vids, and that was enough. When I asked her (to take part in the movie), she took like ten seconds to say yes' , said the director.

Both Von Triers and Catherine Deneuve did not confirm or deny rumours that Björk had fought with the director and left the set for four days. The singer didn't attend the press interview.

' There isn't a  movie that doesn't come through a rough time and all Björk's difficulties concerned the fact that she has completely given herself to the character. Sometimes the pain during the shooting was so much that she didn't recover' said Deneuve.

' Björk lived simoultaneously moments that were creative and difficult.  I know how hard  it must be to play such a painful character, and  what I liked the most about Björk is that she does not act, she feels' said Von Trier.

(...) Then Deneuve explains how she was a bit concerned about improvising in English.

The beauty of the soundtrack, made of almost all original songs - except three from The Sound of Music - is Von Trier's best shot to make the movie overcome all the melodramatic excesses and make one surrender. The way each song starts is very smart : Selma imagines the songs from the sounds surrounding her. The last two numbers are very original and beautiful, and maybe are the best moments from this rebellious musical.

Written by Pedro Butcher, O Globo.