Together with Danish documentary film veteran Jørgen Leth, Lars von Trier enters the world of documentary filmmaking and takes on the task of challenging conventional ways of documentary and film production. In 1967 Jørgen Leth made a 13 min. short film called »The Perfect Human«, a document on human behaviour. In the year 2000, Trier challenged Leth to make five remakes of this film. Trier put forward obstructions, constraining Leth to re-think the story and the characters of the original film. Playing the naive anthropologist, Leth attempts to embrace the cunning challenges set forth by the devious and sneaky Trier and must deal with the limitations, commands and prohibitions. It is a game full of traps and vicious turns. »The Five Obstructions« is an investigative journey into the phenomenon of filmmaking.
World Premiere at Venezia Festival D'Arte Cinematografica 2003. Selected for special programme, IDFA Amsterdam; Toronto International Film Festival and Sundance Film Festival. Nominated for European Film Academy Awards and Oscar Foreign Language Film Award. Won Best Documentary at Durban International Film Festival; Gold Dok of the Year at Gulddok; Grand Prix at Odense International Film Festival and FIPRESCI Jury Prize at Zagreb Motovun Film Festival.
World Premiere at Venezia Festival D'Arte Cinematografica 2003. Selected for special programme, IDFA Amsterdam; Toronto International Film Festival and Sundance Film Festival. Nominated for European Film Academy Awards and Oscar Foreign Language Film Award. Won Best Documentary at Durban International Film Festival; Gold Dok of the Year at Gulddok; Grand Prix at Odense International Film Festival and FIPRESCI Jury Prize at Zagreb Motovun Film Festival.
| Original title | De fem benspænd |
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| Danish title | De fem benspænd |
| Other titles | De 5 benspænd |
| Keywords | Leth, Jørgen, Film Production, Trier, Lars von, Film Aesthetics, Film Directors |
| Director | Jørgen Leth, Lars von Trier |
| Screenplay | Jørgen Leth, Lars von Trier, Asger Leth |
| Based on | Baseret på filmen "Det perfekte menneske" fra 1968 af Jørgen Leth. |
| Producer | Carsten Holst |
| Director of Photography | Dan Holmberg |
| Editor | Camilla Skousen, Morten Højbjerg |
| Sound | Hans Møller |
| Appearance | Claus Nissen, Majken Algren Nielsen, Jørgen Leth, Lars von Trier |
| Production country | Denmark, Belgium, Switzerland, France |
| Domestic distribution | Nordisk Film Biografdistribution |
| International sales | TrustNordisk |
| Technical info | 2503 meter, 35 mm, color, Dolby SR |
| Danish festival release | 07.11.2003, Grand, vist som åbningsgalla (og i konkurrencen) ved CPH:DOX [Copenhagen International Documentary Festival] 2003 |
| Danish theatrical release | 21.11.2003 |
| Cinemas | Grand, Café Biografen (Odense), Cafe Biografen (Fakse), Øst for Paradis (Århus), Empire |
| Find more | Variety Vol CCCXCII, nr 6 (Sept 22, 2003); p 28 |
| DFI subsidy | Konsulentstøtte |
| Danish rating | Allowed for all |
Companies |
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| Production company | Zentropa Real, Wajnbrosse Productions, Almaz Film Productions, Panic Productions |
| Domestic distribution | Nordisk Film Biografdistribution |
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Direction |
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| Direction | Jørgen Leth |
| Direction | Lars von Trier |
| Animation director | Bob Sabiston |
| Assistant director | Asger Leth |
| Casting: The perfect human, Cuba | Magdalena Garcia |
| Casting: The perfect human, Cuba | Marianne Christensen |
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Script |
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| Script | Jørgen Leth |
| Script | Lars von Trier |
| Script | Asger Leth |
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Production |
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| Producer | Carsten Holst |
| Executive producer | Peter Aalbæk Jensen |
| Executive producer | Vibeke Windeløv |
| Co-executive producer | Marc-Henri Wajnberg |
| Co-executive producer | Gérald Morin |
| Co-executive producer | Nicole Mora |
| Line producer | Marianne Christensen |
| Producer's assistant | Signe Birket-Smith |
| P.A. to Carsten Holst | Nina Munch Petersen |
| Producer's assistant | Rasmus Christoffersen |
| Producer's assistant | Jordan Savel |
| Producer's assistant | Majken Bramstrup |
| Producer's assistant | Jesper Grüner |
| Production assistant: The perfect human, Cuba | Anders Jacobsen |
| Production manager: The perfect human, Cuba | Magdalena Garcia |
| Production coordinator: The perfect human, Cuba | Javier Gonzales |
| Production manager: The perfect human, Bombay | Amrit Gangar |
| Production coordinator: The perfect human, Bombay | Suhas Bhiwandkar |
| Production coordinator: The perfect human, Bombay | Floyd E. Casper |
| Production coordinator: The perfect human, Bombay | Deepak Rao |
| Producer: The perfect human, Brussels | Marc-Henri Wajnberg |
| Production manager: The perfect human, Brussels | Tom Heene |
| Production assistant: The perfect human, Brussels | Marie-Aude Goddard |
| Production assistant: The perfect human, Brussels | Mairead O'Leary |
| Production assistant: The perfect human, Brussels | Rogier van Eck |
| Production assistant: The perfect human, Brussels | Manka Sierakowski |
| Production assistant: The perfect human, Brussels | Isabelle Corlier |
| Production coordinator: The perfect human, Brussels | Johanne Stainer |
| Location manager: The perfect human, Brussels | Delphine Coterel |
| Runner: The perfect human, Brussels | Stefan Maenen |
| Producer: The perfect human, cartoon | Marc-Henri Wajnberg |
| P.A. to Lars von Trier | Thomas Schindel |
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Cinematography |
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| Director of Photography | Dan Holmberg |
| Camera assistant | Adam Philp |
| Cinematographer: 2. unit | Asger Leth |
| Camera assistant: "The perfect human": Brussels | Manuel Dacosse |
| Cinematographer: "The perfect human", 1968 | Ole John |
| Cinematographer: "The perfect human", 1968 | Henning Camre |
| Cinematographer: 3. unit, The conversations | Jakob Bonfils |
| Cinematographer: 3. unit, The conversations | Kim Hattesen |
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Electrical dept. |
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| Gaffer: The perfect human: Brussels | François Zeegers |
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Editing |
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| Editing | Camilla Skousen |
| Editing | Morten Højbjerg |
| Editor: The Perfect Human, 1968 | Knud Hauge |
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Music |
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| Composer: Det perfekte menneske, 1968 | Henning Christiansen |
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Wardrobe |
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| Stylist: The perfect human, Brussels | Elisabeth Houtart |
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Makeup |
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| Makeup artist: ("The perfect human: Cuba") | Magdalena Coamano |
| Makeup artist: ("The perfect human: Cuba") | Lisa Schonker |
| Hairdresser | Juan Pacifico |
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Sound |
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| Sound designer | Hans Møller |
| Sound technician: The perfect human: Cuba | Martin Saabye Andersen |
| Sound technician: The perfect human: Bombay | Jan Juhler |
| Sound technician: The perfect human: Brussels | Paul Heymans |
| Sound technician:The perfect human: cartoon | Tom Koester |
| Sound technician:The perfect human: cartoon | Paul Heymans |
| Sound technician: "The obervations" | Morten Bøttzauw |
| Sound technician: "The obervations" | Jens de Place Bjørn |
| Sound technician: "The obervations" | Kasper Munck-Hansen |
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Animation |
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| Animation ("The perfect human": Cartoon) | Randy Cole |
| Animation ("The perfect human": Cartoon) | Jennifer Drummond |
| Animation ("The perfect human": Cartoon) | Holly Fisher |
| Animation ("The perfect human": Cartoon) | Michael Layne |
| Animation ("The perfect human": Cartoon) | Katy O'Connor |
| Animation ("The perfect human": Cartoon) | Bob Sabiston |
| Animation ("The perfect human": Cartoon) | Susan Sabiston |
| Animation ("The perfect human": Cartoon) | Patrick Thornton |
| Animation consultant: The perfect human: Cartoon | Asger Leth |
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Appearance |
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| The Man ("Det perfekte menneske", 1968) | Claus Nissen |
| The Woman ("Det perfekte menneske",1968) | Majken Algren Nielsen |
| Himself - Director | Jørgen Leth |
| Himself - Obstructor | Lars von Trier |
| The Perfect Man ("Obstruction #1") | Daniel Hernández Rodríguez |
| The Perfect Woman ("Obstruction #1") | Jacqueline Arenal |
| The Perfect Man (Obstruction #3") | Patrick Bauchau |
| The Perfect Woman (Obstruction #3") | Alexandra Vandernoot |
| The Maid ("Obstruction #3") | Marie Dejaer |
| Body Double ("Obstruction #3") | Melanie Munt |
| Couple - Man ("Obstruction #3") | Pascal Perez |
| Couple - Woman ("Obstruction #3") | Meschell Perez |
| The Gangster ("Obstruction #4") | Bent Christensen |
| The Naked Man ("Obstruction #4") | Anders Hove |
| The Naked Woman ("Obstruction #4") | Charlotte Sieling |
| The Man with Jacket ("Obstruction #4") | Jan Nowicki |
| The Woman with Money ("Obstruction #4") | Stina Ekblad |
| Appearance | Vivian Rosa |
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Reviews and articles
On the library you can find these articles and revies and other material about the film.
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