Before the back-to-basics approach of the
Dogma 95
manifesto, director Lars Von Trier was enamored by the tricks of filmmaking. His first feature,
The Element of Crime
, is an amber-soaked visual feast. With its distinctive color scheme, previous transfers of the film have been a muddy mess, making for a less than satisfying home-viewing experience. With this release from The Criterion Collection, the images have been restored splendidly. The film is presented in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio and is 16 x 9 enhanced. The soundtrack is in its original mono, so some of the dialogue competes with the rain-soaked sets, but much of that problem can be abated by enabling the English subtitles. The disc also features color bars, a theatrical trailer, and a documentary on the filmmaker. Entitled "
Transformer: A Portrait of Lars Von Trier
, it is a candid examination of his career consisting of numerous on-camera interviews with Von Trier and those who have worked on his films, as well as on-set footage of his breakthrough film
Breaking the Waves
. Though short on supplemental features, the print quality makes this disc another flawless presentation from Criterion.