In 1984, Danish filmmaker Lars von Trier (Melancholia, Dogville) began his directorial career with The Element of Crime, his first feature film.
In short, The Element of Crime is an art house film. A detective undergoes hypnosis to recollect his final murder case in a surreal expressionist Europe, his memories drenched in rusted sepia. With quizzical dialogue and lengthy, picturesque compositions, The Element of Crime is a fascinating exploration of the post-war human psyche.
But upon closer examination, one realizes that this film shares an uncanny resemblance to Alien 3! Furthermore, this was a production eight years prior to David Fincher's directorial debut!
In an interview, the film's director, Lars von Trier, spoke of the similarities.
Of course it would be nice if somebody would use some of these little things that I've been experimenting with. But I'm sure film changes rather quickly. You know I saw Alien 3 recently and it looked exactly like "The Element of Crime" - the locations whatever exactly the same. And I don't know how much ten years or so between. So you know everything changes all the time. And yeah, it would be fine if they used it in changing things.
From industrial landscapes to characters falling from great heights, one must ask if David Fincher watched The Element of Crime. But what exactly motivated him to imitate so much of the film's imagery?
In the comments below, please express your thoughts on the matter!
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