Lars Von Trier Under Hitler Rant Charges, Withdraws From Public Statements

COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Danish film director Lars von Trier says he's facing charges of violating a French law against justification of war crimes over statements he made about Adolf Hitler and Jews during the film festival in Cannes.

Von Trier addressed the investigation in a brief statement Wednesday that he said would be his last, ever.

"Due to these serious accusations I have realized that I do not possess the skills to express myself unequivocally and I have therefore decided from this day forth to refrain from all public statements and interviews," von Trier said.

The director said he was questioned by police in North Zealand, Denmark, in connection with charges made by the prosecution of Grasse in France.

Von Trier was ejected from the Cannes Film Festival in May after expressing sympathy for Hitler at a news conference for his film "Melancholia."

In a rambling speech, the filmmaker spoke about his German heritage, saying his ancestry made him "sympathize with (Hitler) a little bit." He added that he supports Jews. The director said afterward he had been joking and later issued an apology.

He later retracted the apology, telling GQ magazine that he wasn't sorry, but wished he had made clear that he was joking.

Peter Aalbaek Jensen, co-founder with von Trier of the Zentropa film company, said he had talked to the director Wednesday, and confirmed he did not wish to speak to the media ever again.

"He has decided today to muzzle himself. He takes this extremely seriously," Aalbaek Jensen said.

"He is a colorful and entertaining person and he has never had the intention or wish to offend anyone," Jensen said. "He has now spent five months explaining himself. He is a self-declared socialist and humanist and speaks up for the little people. It would be absurd if he started to praise them (Nazis)."

Von Trier's comments ignited shock from the moment they spilled out of his mouth, causing Kirsten Dunst, an actress in his film "Melancholia," to lean over and whisper to von Trier, "Oh my God, this is terrible."

"What can I say? I understand Hitler, but I think he did some wrong things, yes, absolutely. But I can see him sitting in his bunker in the end," von Trier said at the time. "He's not what you would call a good guy, but I understand much about him, and I sympathize with him a little bit. But come on, I'm not for the Second World War, and I'm not against Jews. ...

"I am very much for Jews. No, not too much, because Israel is a pain in the ass."

North Zealand police spokesman Henrik Suhr didn't return calls seeking a comment and the police officer on duty declined to comment on the case.

___

Malin Rising in Stockholm contributed to this report.

Comments

[European1919]

06:27 AM on 10/13/2011

Nothing at all wrong with his original Cannes utterance. At least not to anybody with more than a rubber band between his ears. But the pc-infested times we live in dictate, that a brilliant career must be attacked/destroyed by the obtuse who are utterly incapable of abstract thought or intellectual pull-ups.
I wish Mr. V. Trier all the best and I sincerely hope his self-imposed silence will be confined only to his mouth and will not include film making.

[americaisracist]

07:00 PM on 10/06/2011

Political Correctness Fascism. The elite holy land people are being abusive with their powers.

[trweste144]

09:53 AM on 10/06/2011

If they silence you so you silence yourself, don't the terrorists win?

[Sol76]

08:34 AM on 10/06/2011

The original comments got blown out of proportion. I can see what he was getting at, with his childish misconceptions about being a Jew then realising that he was German. He was musing on how polarised our sense of self can be from one day to the next. Unfortunately, even at a pretentious festival for high-brow films, the subtlety of his message was lost amongst the confusion and then indignation of the media looking for controversy.

[westreal]

02:24 AM on 10/06/2011

This is re-gawd-damm-dikulus

[noorilhuda]

01:54 AM on 10/06/2011

I think creative people have a right to express themselves any which way they want. This guy came out with a movie that was on it's way to getting Palme d'Or and was left biting the dust in the aftermath of that whole statement, which looking at that ill-fated press conference was random, unclear and silly - and should have been left as such. So the fuss over it is inexplicable. It's interesting how Polanski has been allowed to milk the tragedies of his family for his 'invisible persecution complex' but this guy has been denied a fair opportunity to explain and move on! All in France!

[The JillyBean]

12:28 AM on 10/06/2011

The french are backward and still trying to make up for their acquiescence to Hitler's agenda.

There is no credibility for a nation who lets an admitted child molester (Roman Polanski) and a sexual predator (Dominique Strauss-Khan) roam free.

France's new motto:
Non! Freedom of speech. Mais Oui! sexual assault against women.

[moroccantreasures]

12:28 AM on 10/06/2011

He would make a cute garden knome

[The Mighty Cynic]

10:43 PM on 10/05/2011

THOUGHT POLICE COMING AFTER YOU!

Who is afraid of discussion? Afraid someone will find out that factually speaking, there is ZERO ACTUAL EVIDENCE of a final solution? Afraid someone will find out that the Nuremberg Trials volumes only contains literally 20 minutes of shaky testimony? Afraid that someone will find out there was no plan to kill Jews specifically, but that all minorities, gays, anyone opposed to the Nazi ideology was put into horrible prison camps where millions, including Jews, suffered and died from typhoid, typhus and starvation? Afraid to find out that much of this biological suffering was caused by the Allies total war campaigns that blockaded off the Germans as well as anyone in their territories? (The Prisoners). Afraid to find out that, while prisoners were shot, there was no such thing as babies being thrown into ovens, gas chambers (the type of gas used does NOT go through pipes and the supposed gas chamber myth has been long done away with by historical scholars)? Afraid to find out that survivors exaggerated what happened to them? Afraid to find out that the Allies helped uphold the final solution myth as a means of transferring their own evils to the people they conquered? Afraid to find out the allies were responsible for the willful starvation of over one million innocent Germans?

WHO'S AFRAID OF DISCUSSION? People more interested in making you scared to find out the truth. They'll put you behind bars if you dare.

[Conk]

09:24 AM on 10/06/2011

Bravo! Stand up and cheer for this comment. Very true, why can a person be jailed or threatened by simple expressing an opinion?!?!

Those who will not discuss a subject are afraid of something, perhaps the truth?

[django707]

10:33 PM on 10/05/2011

This is great news. Now, if he'll only stop making those dishonest films.

[Jerry Bourbon]

08:16 PM on 10/05/2011

What is it with Europeans and their terror of WORDS?

[Gronkie]

12:13 PM on 10/06/2011

I agree with you, but I also understand them. WWII is still pretty raw over there. We've got nothing to even remotely compare it to in America.

[angrymanspokane]

07:23 PM on 10/05/2011

Stupid comes in all nationalities

[el patone]

07:09 PM on 10/05/2011

When words unmask one's soul it's often not pretty but always helpful.

[lillahhassan]

05:58 PM on 10/05/2011

Can't you say what you like?

[Cynth]

07:00 PM on 10/05/2011

Not in many other countries. (Or even in the U.S.)

[glockman]

07:29 PM on 10/05/2011

Nowhere, really.

[PickOneTwoThree]

05:14 PM on 10/05/2011

He says something offensive, the apologizes, he retracts his apology. I think the smartest thing he's done is to 'muzzle himself' - should have done it before he said anything at all.