'I'm Not Mel Gibson': Lars Von Trier Responds Again to Cannes Firestorm
Just because Lars von Trier has been dubbed "persona non grata" by Cannes Film Festival organizers doesn't mean he's left the French Riviera. The Melancholia director is still doing the press rounds at Cannes, and he addressed his controversial comments about Adolph Hitler by doing what one does in situations like this: throw Mel Gibson under the bus.
"I'm known for provocations," the embattled director told reporters, "but I like provocations when they have a purpose. And this had no purpose whatsoever. Because I'm not Mel Gibson. I'm definitely not Mel Gibson."
(It should be noted that The Beaver star -- himself no stranger to anti-Semitic comments -- received what amounted to a hero's welcome at Cannes earlier this week.)
Continued Von Trier, with another one of his provocations: "I think the Holocaust is the worst crime against humanity that I can remember. I believe that it's an especially delicate subject down here, because the French have a history of being extremely cruel to the Jews."
As for his current status as Cannes Film Festival Public Enemy No. 1, Von Trier is quite pleased with that particular aspect of this controversy.
"I'm very proud of being persona non grata," he said. "I've never been that before in my life, and that suits me extremely well. I should be carried around in a little cage with something in my mouth and shown to the press."
Check back to Movieline for more from Von Trier and Cannes, and watch video of his original press conference below.
· Cannes Film Festival 2011: Lars von Trier responds to being banned by the festival [TimeOut/Chicago via Wrap]
[Photo: AFP/Getty Images]
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And then he added, "You know the best comedian around these days? Gilbert Gottfried. That guy's a riot. And a Jew! See! I love the Jews!"
I think all of us have make comments in jest among our friends that others, or most might find offensive or might otherwise flout current politically correct social norms. After like 13 Jägerbombs your most liberal, sensitive friend might make a midget joke or something, stumbling back to somebody's house to sleep off the rest of the night. But those comments are made when drunk, in private, not sober, at a press conference.
I dunno...it's just damned depressing, this whole thing. I have no special love for LVT or the dogma kids, just kind of a bummer that the conversation is now about jackass comments and backpedaling instead of about the movie, all because of LVT's stupid sense of humor. Blerg.
I'm trying to imagine who would win in a Hunger Games-style battle royale for the title of "World's Most Annoying Person Addicted to Press Coverage": Von Trier, Spencer Pratt, Gloria Alred, Harvey Levin, Sarah Palin or Piers Morgan.
No .... you certainly aren't Mel Gibson. He wasn't tacky enough to try and blame someone else for remarks he made while drunk. And you were stone cold sober ....
This whole affair is so so so ridiculous it's unbelievable.
This is Dunst's best work in years.
Maybe he can get everyone to forget about his comments by referring to Kirsten as "Sugar Tits"?
I am personally loving every single quote of it!
This entire situation is the funniest to come around in quite some time.
well he made thre reference to Mel gibson himself. Maybe he was trying to see if he could win an oscar for best antisemite while non jew, and then blame it on Mle Gibson..
Its very interesting, cause now what are journalists going to say to Mel gibson when they interview him, and about him in thier articles,
They certianly can no longer quote him about his DUI arrst, 6 years ago, and his drunken short phrase, aledgedly atributed to him, with no prove what so ever, but the pseudo report published on the totaly unrelibale TMZ who was like 1000 times worse back then than it is now.. and by a jewish officer who had a load of contentious with his superiors and was seeking revenge. Which make it very suspicious in all aspects but none the less hitted the headliens of all media withot a shred of suspicion nor any good old fashion research.
Now if a journalist ask Mel Gibson about his so call "antisemitic "tirade" (jews are the cause of all wars) at a time when israel had started a war agaisnt linbanon so mel could as well have said "the jews started this war" and we will never know it, as that james Mee hatged Mel gibson, for being a pal withthe sherif.. so Mel Gibson can answer them "I am not Lars Von triers, ya know"..
But its interesting to note that nobody had called yet Lars von tirers for an antisemite, nor even used 1/1000 of the bashing htey used on Mle ginbson for far less than that..
and none of them had clal what LV>T said for antisemitic.
and about the excues von triers came with, no dude, nobody in denmark call a germna for a nazi, they call them for svin, swein. and Triers know that perfectly.
He seems very genuate when stating that he love hitler and understand him and have symåathy for him. His rocambolesque atempts to save hsi face by refering to germans romantisme ehem, scuse me he made it far worse.
Nobody askd himto make confessions, he came wiht it on his own probably cause he thought he is higher than others and that fame had got into his head.
Now he is put back in place and his attempt to refer on Mle gibson only make matter worse for him cause Mle gibson is not an antisemtie and wil never say he understand hitler as Mle gibson hate hitler and allw aht hitler stand for.
oh and the ld myth to refer to mel gibson's father as antisemitre and holocauste denier also flal flat on their face, as the man never denied it and tlak of 3 to 6 millions victims whihc was entirely corect at that time, while now its wrong, as the real number of jewish viitms in concentration camps is 1,3 million, with 3 million non jews, mostly chrisitans, who died there. But no memory stone or monuments made for them, not evne mentioned anywhere as victims of nazism.
That too is interesting. How themedia made faulse stories that everybody bought wihtout even doubting it and even use as arguemnt even CNN and other chanles in so call documentary with no research waht so evwr behind it.
whic is the top oif unprofessionalism when a documentary fail to do research!
Betwen this and arold shwartzeneger recent blow up, its a gift form heaven for Mle Gibson who make him come out smelling like a rose..
I mean Mle gibsons divorce and recent turmoil wiht a goldigger, make him loks like the victim here compare to Arnolds huge scandal iof housing his mistress imn his family home and even attending to a child born out of wedlock festivitis and anniversaries and alos cheating with other women at the same time.
thats the top of hypocrrisy and imoralirty and hit rock botom in ethical considerations.
oh and the detail tha the alos made love several tiems a week with his housekeeper in themarital bed, right after the wife had gone to drive the kids ot school, that top anything i have evr heard.. and like that for about 16 years!! woaw!!
Mel Gibson comes out as a saint. and all this affair is so laughable i cant beleive it could even happen.
What Mle Gibson was accused of there was no prove of it, yet he was bashed and judge in advance everywehre, and still is, thus its been proven to be faulse. Lke the sugar tits thing, porven faulse sionce february 2009, as it was what this arresting officer was claign all female workers at the station everyday!! but as we all can witness in this coment section, people still dont know that fact and msot journalists to, and they stil refer to Mle gibson as the guy who said sugar tits to a female officer when he never did, and use it to prove that he is mysogine!!
its so inrteal how the media control people and decide what wil be told to the people and what will be kpet hidden.
the simple fact that his officer wrote sugar tits in his report as something mel gibson said when he didnt, bt whenits proven it was a typical expression used by this officer, porve that his entire report was a fake, something he made up to can nail mel gibson as antisemite and get mel gibson and hsi station inot trouble.
little thing for im, but osmething mel Gibson had to pay fro fro 6 years now, and made his life miserable, and poisoned allhis interviews.
It is scandalous.
What are the jjournalists waiting for now? why dont htey unveil those lawyers in this case when they are always so weager to ask mel gibson about that DUI arrt aka antisemitc rants+
there was no tape of it and the alone video we ahve is mel gibson arriving at te station, low profile, sayig helo to a female officer and that was it.
Not at all coresponding to the description tha tthe aresting officer made of him in his report stating that mel was angry belligerent screaming and so on when he was not!
Why did the media chose to believe what an officer wiht very bad records, said aboutmelk gibson, and not the facts as that video and why they never even ask if there was any video?
Why this rage and pleasuer at bashing Mle gibson in all medias? what did they get form it? an adrenaline rise? or an income rise?
Maybe both..
This mistake also mean that for the case to be cleared it wil crave that officer james mee stand up and state that he lied and that Mle gibson never said those tings during his arest. But it will also mena that he wil be arested himslef and tha this case agaisn tthe state of CA for being an antisemitic state (oh mine!! in hollywood!!) will fail.
maybe his wife wil talk after all harvey levi made several phone calls to james mees home and ot his celphone to for severla days before that fake dui report shoed up on TMZ, smakng it sound like osmethign they made up together.
Sory for the extention but i thought it was right to bring things back together and see how people are treated differently by the media, when its 2 director who are famous, and ask why.
"I believe that it’s an especially delicate subject down here, because the French have a history of being extremely cruel to the Jews.”
wow talkig of threading in the spinach! oh my God! how coudl he say such a thing??
a history of being cruel t the jews?? what?
there was no concentration camps n France dude oyu are mixing up wiht Poland..
The frnach saved a lot of jews during the war, and only thre french created the resistance to the nazi regime.
France is the first country ion Europe to have synagogues, and is the kingdom of the Rotchild and the Rockfeller.
Like the restuarant Lars von trier was baned form, on top of the Festivals building, "Mouton Cadet" who is owned by the Rotcjhold family.
and form where lars was baned form and his actrs Dunst as well.
I foudn very heterocvlite that he could say that, since most french ministers are jews, and since one of them was poniatocvsky and another one was a woman who became a prime miister in israel.
and also weird since it is France, who under Miterrand, builded israel entire nuclear power station as well as their nuclear defense power.
The entire place was builded by french engeneers.
maybe von triers would like to revise his coments and take a class in history and modern history.
France is the paradise for israeliena and jews allover the world, and if you thought USA was it, well go visit France.
This line form Lars Von triers, sound vdery much as a hatress call form him to the poele who baned him form the Cannes festival.
and wasnt very wise to do.
you dont make an excuse and then bash poeple in the same sentence. LVT excuses are not heartfelt he is simply faking it to redime himself so he can sel his movie.
this guy is an hypocrite.
he visited auswitz when he stil thoght he was a jew i supose.. wihc says it all..
and i do not like the jounralists reference to mel gibson in that articel, thats higly misplaced and offending.
like if that journalist was also trying to blame it on gibson or tried to refer to gibson to dampen the pressure on Lars von triers and distract the reader from the main fact that lars von triers is guilty here of antisemitisme.