Epidemic (1987)

Country of Origin: Denmark
Year of Production: 1987
Running Times: 106 mins
Length:
Format: 16mm/35mm
Colour Format: black and white
Ratio:
Sound:

CREDITS

PRODUCTION
Production Companies: Elementfilm A/S in collaboration with Danske Filminstitut
Copyright: © Elementfilm 1987
Produced by: Jacob Eriksen
Producer for Danske Filminstitut: Claes Kastholm Hansen
Production Manager (35mm): Per Årman

SCRIPT
Screenplay: Lars von Trier, Niels Vørsel

DIRECTION
Directed by: Lars von Trier
Assistant (35mm): Thomas Gammeltoft

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography (35mm): Henning Bendtsen
Photography (16mm): Kristoffer Nyholm, Lars von Trier, Niels Vørsel, Cæcilia Holbek, Susanne Ottensen
Assistant Camera (35mm): Jesper Find
Gaffer: Leif Barney Fick, Søren Danielsen
Lighting Assistant: Thomas Gammeltoft
Key Grip: Leif Barney Fick, Søren Danielsen
Grips: Søren Danielsen, Leif Barney Fick
Lab: Johan Ankerstjerne A/S

EDITING AND POST PRODUCTION
Editors: Lars von Trier, Thomas Krag
Colour Timer: Michael Frank Nielsen

MUSIC
Music: Peter Bach
Orchestra: Aske Jacoby, Frank Strangerup, Klaus Menzer, Jens Haack
Music Recorded at: Finn Bjerre Studio

SONGS AND ADDITIONAL MUSIC
"Tannhäuser"
Written by Richard Wagner

SOUND
Post Production Sound: Peter Engleson, Thomas Krag, Niels Vørsel
Sound Mixing: Easy Film

MAKE UP AND COSTUMES
Extras Costumes (35mm): Manon Rasmussen
Make Up Artists: Bibbi Bergholdt, Søren Hedegaard

SPECIAL EFFECTS
Special Effects: Søren Gam Henriksen

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Production Designer: Søren G. Henriksen (real name: Søren Gam)
Art Director (35mm): Peter Grant

MISCELLANEOUS
Stage Manager: Peter Grant

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The Producers Would Like to Thank: City Foto Sats; Danske Filmstudie; Fogdal Biler; Københavns Kommunehospital; Ame du Vin; Leif Magnusson; Rigsarkivet; Rigshospitalet

CAST
Susanne Ottesen (Susanne)
Allan De Wall
Ole Ernst
Michael Gelting
Colin Gilder
Svend Ali Hamann (himself. hypnotist)
Ib Hansen
Anja Hemmingsen
Kirsten Hemmingsen
Cæcilia Holbek
Gert Holbek
Udo Kier (Udo)
Jørgen Christian Krüff
Jan Kornum Larsen
Claes Kastholm Hansen (Claes)
Joergen Christian Krueff)
Gitte Lind (Gitte)
Leif Magnusson
Gunner Ottesen
Lennart Pasborg
Leif Sabro
Tony Shine
Michael Simpson (cabbie/priest)
Mik Skov
Thorkild Toennesen
Olaf Ussing
Niels Vørsel (himself)
Lars von Trier (himself/Dr Mesmer)

PLOT SUMMARY

A film director and scriptwriter are working on a script about an epidemic that is destroying the world, oblivious to the fact that the events of their story really are actually happening to the world outside.

AVAILABILITY

Australia
DVD Distributors: Accent Film Entertainment

Denmark
Theatrical Distributors: Angel Films
DVD Distributors: Electric Parc

Finland
DVD Distributors: Electric Parc

France
DVD Distributors: A-Film Distribution

Germany
DVD Distributors: Legend Films International

Netherlands
DVD Distributors: A-Film Distribution

Norway
DVD Distributors: Electric Parc

Romania
DVD Distributors: IMV

Sweden
DVD Distributors: Electric Parc

UK
DVD Distributors: Tartan Video Ltd

USA
DVD Distributors: HVE

CENSORSHIP HISTORY

Australia
Rating: M

Germany
Rating: 12

Hungary
Rating: 18

UK
Rating: 15

AWARDS

1988
Fantasporto, Portugal (International Fantasy Film Award)
Best Film (Lars von Trier) - nominated

TIMELINE

1987
September
11: Denmark - theatrical release

1988
February
Day Unknown: Portugal - shown at the Fantasporto Film Festival

1994
March
13: Finland - television broadcast

2000
September
1: Sweden - theatrical release

2004
February
20: Greece - theatrical release

September
21: USA - DVD release (Homevision)

2005
May
12: Germany - theatrical release

ALTERNATIVE TITLES

Epidemia - Finnish title

LINKS

SEQUEL TO
Forbrydelsens element (1984)

SEQUEL
Europa (1991)

FOOTAGE INCLUDED IN
Anecdotes from Epidemic (2005)
From Dreyer to von Trier: An Interview with Cinematographer Henning Bendtsen (2005)
I Lars von Triers rige (1999)
Lars von Trier Anecdotes (2005)
The Making of Europa (1991)
Portræt af: Lars von Trier (1991)
Tranceformer - A Portrait of Lars von Trier (1997)
Triers element (1991)

REFERENCES

MAGAZINES

Empire no.187 (January 2005) p.196
dvd review (Region 1: Round-up)

Empire no.195 (September 2005) p.154 (UK)
illustrated dvd review (RWD: Lars von Trier's E-Trilogy by Damon Wise)

Film Comment vol.31 no.6 (November/December 1995) pp.40-47 (USA)
illustrated review (Wetlands: The kingdom of Lars von Trier by Howard Hampton)

Film International vol.4 no.1 (2006 p.11 (UK)
illustrated dvd review (A fistful of DVDs: Trier versus Trier by Michael Tapper)

Positif no.334 (December 1988) pp.29-32 (France)
illustrated article/interview (Lars Von Trier by Françoise Audé, Michel Ciment and Philippe Rouyer)

Première December 1988 p.19 (France)
review (by Thierry Decourcelle)

Scandinavian Film News vol.6 no.2 (May 1986) p.4 (Sweden)
credits

Sight and Sound vol.15 no.11 (November 2005) p.86 (UK)
illustrated dvd review (DVD of the month: Lars von Trier's E-Trilogy by Matthew Leyland)

Variety 29 April 1987 p.20 (USA)
note

NEWSPAPER

Svenska Dagbladet 1 September 2000 (Sweden)
review (En pusselbit för cineasten by Astrid Söderbergh Widding)

KEYWORDS

film within a film, morgues, plagues

Last Updated: 15 October, 2008