Lars Von Trier

With the international success of Breaking the Waves (1996) and Dancer in the Dark (2000), Lars von Trier has established himself as one of the most provocative and daring film directors working in cinema today. A central figure in the conception of Dogma 95, he made the movement's most controversial film, The Idiots (1998), and has played a leading role in the recent resurgence of Danish cinema. Yet despite his success and notoriety, von Trier remains something of an enigma. Famous for not playing the game, he has been hailed as the new Godard by some and an attention-seeking charlatan by others.

Jack Stevenson uncovers the manic genius of Lars von Trier, assessing his life, work, and critical reception. The book follows von Trier from his early life as a troubled son of "cultural radical" parents through to his student days at the Danish Film School, diligently spent making films that were as innovative and disturbing as his later features have proved to be.

Author Biography: Jack Stevenson is the author or editor of several books including Tod Browning's Freaks (1997), Addicted: The Myth and Menace of Drugs in Film (2000), and Fleshpot: Cinema's Sexual Myth Makers and Taboo Breakers (2000).