Lars Von Trier questioned by police over Hitler comments

dark crystal

http://www.digitalspy.ie/movies/news/a344022/lars-von-trier-questioned-by-police-withdraws-from-all-interviews.html

Von Trier's full statement is as follows:

"Today at 2pm I was questioned by the Police of North Zealand in connection with charges made by the prosecution of Grasse in France from August 2011 regarding a possible violation of prohibition in French law against justification of war crimes.

"The investigation covers comments made during the press conference in Cannes in May 2011. Due to these serious accusations I have realised that I do not possess the skills to express myself unequivocally and I have therefore decided from this day forth to refrain from all public statements and interviews.

Lars von Trier
Avedøre, 5. October 2011"

The director said in May: "I wanted to be a Jew and then I found out I was really a Nazi, because my family was German. Which also gave me some pleasure.

"What can I say? I understand Hitler. I think he did some wrong things, yes absolutely, but I can see him sitting in his bunker at the end... I think I understand the man. He's not what you would call a good guy. But I understand much about him and I sympathise with him a little bit."

Personally, I think the French police overreacted here a bit.

He has said that it was a very poor joke at the time, but it seems there are consequences for such actions.

Should there be limits to free speech?

MungBean

Must have been one shít joke if the police are investigating it.

humbert

What he said on the day shouldn't have offended anyone and I thought Europeans were a bit more sensible than this.

steelcityblues

MungBean wrote: »

Must have been one shít joke if the police are investigating it.

Reminds me of Seinfeld hating the dentist who converted to Judaism, because his jokes offended him as a comedian, not as a Jew.

Biggins

Don't know what he said but maybe the French police are just going through the official steps of investigating the matter and/or wish to be seen doing so.
Nothing more might come of it.

dark crystal

Biggins wrote: »

Don't know what he said but maybe the French police are just going through the official steps of investigating the matter and/or wish to be seen doing so.
Nothing more might come of it.

His comments are included in my quote in the OP.

Morlar

Biggins wrote: »

Don't know what he said but maybe the French police are just going through the official steps of investigating the matter and/or wish to be seen doing so.
Nothing more might come of it.

It's Danish police, interviewing him on 5th October 2011 relating to a throwaway comment/joke made in France several months ago.

Lars von Trier has announced his withdrawal from all public statements and interviews.

The Melancholia director disclosed that police in Denmark's North Zealand region have begun an investigation into comments he made at a Cannes Film Festival press conference earlier this year.

Von Trier sparked controversy and was thrown out of the prestigious festival when he joked that he was a Nazi.

Von Trier's full statement is as follows:

"Today at 2pm I was questioned by the Police of North Zealand in connection with charges made by the prosecution of Grasse in France from August 2011 regarding a possible violation of prohibition in French law against justification of war crimes.

"The investigation covers comments made during the press conference in Cannes in May 2011. Due to these serious accusations I have realised that I do not possess the skills to express myself unequivocally and I have therefore decided from this day forth to refrain from all public statements and interviews.

Lars von Trier
Avedøre, 5. October 2011"

The director said in May: "I wanted to be a Jew and then I found out I was really a Nazi, because my family was German. Which also gave me some pleasure.

"What can I say? I understand Hitler. I think he did some wrong things, yes absolutely, but I can see him sitting in his bunker at the end... I think I understand the man. He's not what you would call a good guy. But I understand much about him and I sympathise with him a little bit."

humbert

dark crystal wrote: »

His comments are included in my quote in the OP.

Taken horribly out of context.

Biggins

dark crystal wrote: »

His comments are included in my quote in the OP.

Morlar wrote: »

It's Danish police, interviewing him on 5th October 2011 relating to a throwaway comment/joke made in France several months ago.

O' right! Cheers for that.

I suspect it will come to nothing.
He should have been wiser but a quiet word in his ear should have been better.

ejmaztec

I'm more concerned with the reason for his sh1t movies being regarded as art.

Morlar

ejmaztec wrote: »

I'm more concerned with the reason for his sh1t movies being regarded as art.

Dogville was a work of art imo. The rest of them I could take or leave, very hit and miss.

ascanbe

Overreacted a bit?
Whenever you have a state investigating someone over something they said, that's not 'over-reacting a bit'.
It's fascism, plain and simple.

humbert

Morlar wrote: »

Dogville was a work of art imo. The rest of them I could take or leave, very hit and miss.

Agree. The Boss of it All was also very good(but not art).

steelcityblues

ascanbe wrote: »

Overreacted a bit?
Whenever you have a state investigating someone over something they said, that's not 'over-reacting a bit'.
It's fascism, plain and simple.

'Anti- fascists' groups who organise for certain speakers to be removed from a platform. Living in strange times.

ascanbe

steelcityblues wrote: »

'Anti- fascists' groups who organise for certain speakers to be removed from a platform. Living in strange times.

I get what you're saying.
But 'anti-fascist' groups are entitled to organise for that purpose, if they so wish; whether they're right or wrong, is besides the point.
The scary thing is when the state gets involved and looks to criminalise people merely for speaking their mind, no matter what they say.
That's fascism.

steelcityblues

ascanbe wrote: »

I get what you're saying.
But 'anti-fascist' groups are entitled to organise for that purpose, if they so wish; whether they're right or wrong, is besides the point.
The scary thing is when the state gets involved and looks to criminalise people merely for speaking their mind, no matter what they say.
That's fascism.

Though, anti-fascist organisations have been pressurising for Von Trier to be charged. So, they are part of the problem here.

General General

He wouldn't last a day with the mods around here.

humbert

More interestingly in the same interview he said his latest movie was crap

ascanbe

steelcityblues wrote: »

Though, anti-fascist organisations have been pressurising for Von Trier to be charged. So, they are part of the problem here.

Yes and no.
They may be pressurising for Von Trier to be charged; that's their right as it is the right of anyone to 'pressurise' the government over anything, no matter how facile or wrong.
That, in itself, is a part of the concept of free-speech.
The problem only arises when the state puts itself in a position to investigate/prosecute people for speaking their mind/advocating their cause through words.
You mightn't agree with these anti-fascist organisations on this issue; but they should be entitled to put their argument forward without fear of implicating themselves criminally; just as the person they're ironically advocating against should be.
I agree with you that they're wrong; i just don't agree that what they're doing equates to fascism.
They have no actual legislative power; they're merely using their right to free speech.
As Von Trier was.

Dotrel

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LayW8aq4GLw

The guy was joking around. He's basically half-way between a piss-taker and a troll and on this occasion it got lost in translation.

Some of his many other quotes

1. "I am the best film director in the world." -- Cannes 2009
2. " I'm happy that I'm alive. I feel like someone coming back from Vietnam, you know; I'm sure that later on I'll start killing people in a square somewhere, but right now, I just feel happy to be alive." -- from Jan Lumholdt's book Lars von Trier: Interviews (Conversations with Filmmakers)
3. "I don't care what people think of me." -- Time Out, 2005
4. "I come from a family of Communist nudists. I was allowed to do or not do what I liked. My parents were not interested in whether I went to school or got drunk on white wine." -- Die Zeit, 2005
5. On George W. Bush: "I think he's in love with Condoleezza Rice. And he's dreaming of being whipped by her." -- Die Zeit, 2005

humbert

I think fascism is being used to much and too liberally on this thread...

Dotrel wrote: »

The guy was joking around. He's basically half-way between a piss-taker and a troll and on this occasion it got lost in translation

He was also clearly very hungover, which is why it rambles on past the point where people find it funny(something I found quite funny).

ascanbe

humbert wrote: »

I think fascism is being used to much and too liberally on this thread...



He was also clearly very hungover, which is why it rambles on past the point where people find it funny(something I found quite funny).

Oh yeah?
Well i think 'liberally' is being used too fascistically.

suicide_circus

The Nazis - a great bunch of lads.

thomasj

Morlar wrote: »

It's Danish police, interviewing him on 5th October 2011 relating to a throwaway comment/joke made in France several months ago.

yes but surely the French police have to be involved if the Danish police are investigating a possible violation in french law.

super_furry

Thought police strike again.