Filming Locations: Hilden, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Technical Specs
Runtime:|
(uncut)
Did You Know?
Trivia:
Originally, this movie and Nymphomaniac: Vol. II (2013) were shot as one movie and were originally intended to be released as one cut. Due to its length it was split into two movies. See more »
Goofs:
The train carriage where the two girls pick up strangers is German, but the ticket collector is wearing a British Railways uniform from the 1970s. See more »
Quotes:
User Review
Author:
Rating: 8/10
To be honest, I had my doubts when I went to see this film. After all
the buzz, I more or less expected a provocative, pretentious,
incomprehensible film. I thought 'Nyphomaniac' would be a shallow
artistic excuse to show lots of explicit sex in an attempt to shock the
audience and create controversy.
Well, I was wrong.
Is it provocative? In some ways, yes. I think choosing nymphomania as a
subject for a film is already some sort of provocation. And there are
some scenes that might be considered tasteless or mildly shocking. But
if I would have to describe the film in one word, I wouldn't use
'provocative'. Instead, I would use 'imaginative'.
Because that is what this film is: imaginative. It's so full of ideas,
full of creativity and full of cinematographic exuberance that it's
hard not be impressed. The nice thing is that Lars Von Trier never
takes himself too seriously. In a way, it's a pity that the film is
about sex. So much attention is being given to the number of penises
shown (many, in a very funny way) and the number of vagina close-ups
(none, in fact, at least in part 1) that it overshadows everything
else, including the creative way the film is made.
'Nyphomaniac' is a classic frame story. A sex-obsessed woman named Joe
tells her life to a man called Seligman who found her bleeding in a
back alley. Seligman in turn tells her about things in his own life,
like fly fishing, Fibonacci numbers or organ music. Their conversation
is the backbone of the film - the side stories about Joe's sex
adventures and Seligman's hobbies are divided into chapters. Von Trier
uses lots of different film styles: he throws in animations, split
screens, cross cutting, black & white, and at one point even a fast
succession of snapshots. This makes for a very quirky film, that keeps
on surprising.
One wonderful example of this creative approach is the final chapter,
where Joe sees a similarity between her complicated love life and
Seligman's favourite piece of polyphonic organ music. She compares her
lovers to the three different melodic tunes in the music. The way Von
Triers visualizes this, with the screen split in three to show cross
cuttings of the organ and the lovers, is original and funny at the same
time.
So, in spite of all the indications to the contrary, this film is about
as far removed from porn as Woody Allen is from Mickey Mouse.
'Nymphomaniac' deserves to be remembered for more than just sex.
0