Lars Von Trier, Hitler, Nazis, Cannes

Well, poor Lars Von Trier. The people of Cannes got their panties in a bunch just because he made an odd, rambling statement which included something about him being a Nazi. He was just kidding. He obviously isn't one.

What is the appropriate response when someone who you know is not a Nazi tells you, as a joke, that he is a Nazi and that he sympathized with Hitler? I wouldn't see the humor in it. But...I don't know if I could see shunning the person as if he were an actual Nazi when you know full well he isn't one.

His statement:

The only thing I can tell is that I thought I was a Jew for a long time and I was very happy being a Jew. Then, later on, came Susanne Bier and I wasn't so happy about being a Jew. Oh, that was a joke, sorry. But it turned out I was not a Jew and, if I was a Jew, I would be a second-rate Jew because there is a kind of hierarchy. Anyway, I really wanted to be a Jew and then I found out I was really a Nazi, you know ... because my family was German - Hartmann - ... which also gave me some pleasure. So I'm kind of ... [Here a journalist interrupts: "Sir?", but Von Trier does not respond.] I ... what can I say? I understand Hitler. ... I think he did some wrong things, yes absolutely. But I can see him sitting in his bunker in the end. [Here Kirsten Dunst interrupts him, saying to someone else, "Oh my God, this is terrible!" Von Trier turns to her and reassures her: "But there will come a point at the end of this." Then he turns to the press again.] No, I'm just saying that I think I understood the man. He's not what you would call a good guy, but I ... yeah, I understand much about him and I sympathize with him a little bit, yes. But come on, I'm not for the Second World War! And I'm not against Jews - Suzanne Bier! - no, not even Susanne Bier. That was also a joke. I'm of course very much for Jews - no, not too much because Israel is a pain in the ass. But still, how can I get out of this sentence? [Here a journalist interrupts: "By another question! Here's your salvation." But Von Trier continues:] No, I just want to say, about the art of the ... I'm very much for Speer. Speer I liked. Albert Speer I liked. He was also maybe [not?] one of God's best children, but he had some talent that was kind of ... possible for him to use during ... [sighs] OK, I'm a Nazi!"

He had spent his life thinking that his Jewish stepfather was his father. His mother told him who his father was on her deathbed. It was a German Catholic guy.

Von Trier mentions Susanne Bier who is a Zionist Danish movie director whose movies have little artistic merit.

An odd rambling comment. It wasn't funny but it was nothing to get upset about.

Years ago, the movie critic Judith Crist wrote that she ran into a screenwriter she knew. He said he was writing a script for a World War Two movie. But he said it would be different from the others---in his movie, the Nazis would be bad! I think Hollywood finally got over it, but back then, in the '60's and '70's, they tried to be even handed in the way they portrayed the Nazis.

There was the movie The Eagle has Landed where we see the Nazi commandos save a Jewish girl. In A Bridge Too Far, they show a brave Nazi sacrifice his life trying to save some other Nazis during a battle. I can't think of the movies, but it seems like I've seen more than one where we see Nazi officers say that they hate Hitler and are fighting only for their country.

I've also seen critics attack Soviet war movies for portraying Nazis negatively. Since much of the Soviet population lived under German occupation, I would imagine their portrayal of the Nazis was pretty accurate, otherwise Soviet audiences wouldn't have accepted them.

So why are these people attacking poor Lars Von Trier? He blurted out something stupid, then tried to talk his way out, but it was like quicksand and struggling didn't help. At least he's not making war movies where Nazi officers are portrayed as hapless victims.