Björk Movies
The diminutive Icelandic pop star Björk is best known for her work with The Sugarcubes and her enormously successful solo career. Despite her foray into acting with Lars von Trier's musical tragedy Dancer in the Dark, that's exactly how she would like it. Born November 21, 1965, in Rekjavik, Iceland, Björk trained as a classical pianist and became a pop star as an 11-year-old when her teachers sent a tape of her singing to Iceland's Radio One. In 1987, after drifting in and out of several bands, forming the Sugarcubes, and birthing her son, Björk took her first cinematic role in The Juniper Tree, a tale of witchcraft and mysticism based upon a Brothers Grimm story.The bizarre fantasy hardly took the world by storm; although filmed in 1987, it never had a theatrical release in the United States and arrived on video only in 1996. Björk spent the next 13 years concentrating on her musical career, returning to acting in 2000 when she accepted the lead role as a Czech immigrant slowly going blind in Dancer, von Trier's paean to old American musicals. Tension grew between the director and his star, who also scored the film and set his lyrics to music. The shoot caused so much difficulty for Björk that she has gone on record saying that she will never make another movie. The international film community, however, felt quite differently, rewarding her with the Best Actress prize at the Cannes Film Festival for her performance. Further acclaim arrived in early 2001, when Björk and von Trier were nominated for a Best Song Oscar for "I've Seen It All," one of Dancer's standout tracks. ~ Stephanie M. Kuenn, All Movie Guide
Icelandic rock visionary Bjork has always made videos that are just as interesting as her music, and 14 of them are including on this DVD collection. Titles include "It's Oh So Quiet," "Human Behavior," "Big Time Sensuality," "Possibly Maybe," and "Hunter." ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
This stark black-and-white drama explores the vast territory of interpersonal pain in an unrelenting manner. It is a retelling of one of the stories from the "Grimm's Fairytales" about two sisters who have survived after their mother was burned as a witch. Told in a rigorous and challenging manner, the story focuses on the two sisters after their escape. The eldest sister has married a widowed man with a young son. The younger sister is a teenager and lives in the new household. The challenge of winning over her hostile young stepson eventually proves too much for the elder sister, and since the younger sister has been warning the boy that her sister is "a witch," it stands to reason that the whole situation quickly becomes very difficult indeed. Reviewers felt that this bleak story held rewards for the patient viewer because of the careful craftsmanship of the film though they warned that most casual viewers would find it immensely unappealing. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Björk, Bryndis Petra Bragadottir, (more)
Visionary pop musician Björk appeared on the well-respected British talk show The South Bank Show in 1998 to discuss her career and her music, in particular her album Homogenic, which had just been released. Björk: The South Bank Show features the entirety of Björk's appearance on the program, including her interview with host Melvyn Bragg and footage of Björk in the recording studio, performing several songs from her album. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Björk: Volumen Plus is a collection of the seven Björk music videos from 1998-2003, not included on the original Volumen video collection in 1999. "Alarm Call," "All Is Full of Love," "It's in Our Hands," and "Nature Is Ancient" are available in Dolby Digital Stereo. "Hidden Place," "Pagan Poetry," and "Cocoon" are also offered in Dolby Digital 5.1. Side one contains the NTSC version, side two contains the PAL version. The beautiful black-and-white packaging features art by Gabriella Fridriksdottir. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
