that be the first thing that spring to mind a i watch the closing credit to europa make there be across the screen and never in my entire life have i see a film of such technical genius and the visuals of europa be so impressive that any film i watch in it wake will only pale in comparison and forget your michael bay and ridley scott slick hollywood cinematography and europa have more ethereal beauty than anything those two could conjure up in a million year . now i would be the first to hail lars von trier a genius just off the back of his film break the wave and dancer in the dark and but this be stupid and the fact that europa have go un notice by film expert for so long be a crime against cinema and whilst overrate rubbish like crouch tiger and hidden dragon and life be beautiful clean up at the academy award ( but what do the know ) europa have be hide away and absent form video store and ( until recently ) any british tv channel . the visuals in europa be not mtv gloss while it not a case of style over substance and it more a case of substance dictate style . much like his first film the element of crime and von trier use the perspective of the main character to draw u into his world and and much like element and the film begin with the main character ( or in the case of europa and we the audience ) be hypnotize . a we move down the track and the voice of the narrator ( max von sydow ) count u down into a deep sleep and until we awake in europa . this allow von trier and his three cinematographer to pay with the convention of time and imagery and there be many scene in europa when a character in the background and who be in black and white and will interact with a person in the foreground who will be colour and von trier be try to show u how much precedence the coloured item or person have over the plot and for instance and it no surprise that the first shot of leopold kessler ( jean marc barr ) be in colour and since he be the only character who action have superiority over the film . the performance be good and they may not be on par with performance in later von trier film and but that just because the image be sometimes so distract that you do not really pick up on them the first time round . but i would like to point out the fantastic performance of jean marc barr in the lead role and whose blind idealism be slowly warn down by the two oppose side and until he erupt in the film final act . again and muck like the element of crime and the film end with our hero unable to wake up from his nightmare state and leave in this terrible place and with only the continue narration of von sydow to seal his fate . europa be a tremendous film and and i cant help think what a shame that von trier have abandon this way of filming and since he be clearly one of the most talented visual director work at that time and europa and much like the rest of his cinematic cannon be fill with a wealth of iconic scene . his dedication to composition and mise en scene be unrivalled and not to mention his use of sound and production design . but since his no frill melodramas turn out to be break the wave and dancer in the dark then who can argue and but it do seem like a waste of an imaginative talent . positive .