With its optical mixing of black-and-white and jarring instances of color set against the bombed out desolation of postwar Germany, von Trier’s third feature is nothing less than a visual masterpiece. However, for all its technical and aesthetic brilliance, whether it be the gliding camera movements or the impressive use of front and rear projection to create a deeply layered, almost surreal image, the film remains rather cold and distant, with its mixture of noir despair and Kafkaesque absurdity constantly keeping you at arm’s length. (DVD)