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Breaking the Waves (1997)

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R | 2 hr 38 mins | Drama, Romance, Period | Released: 2/28/1997 |Box Office Total: $4.0M

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Synopsis:

A powerful story, set in a remote Scottish village in the early 1970s, about a unique young woman and her profound experience of love and devotion. Bess falls madly in love with Jan, an oil-rig worker, and against the wishes of the strict Calvinist elders of her community, she marries this outsider. Jan is captivated by the innocence radiated by his new bride and for a brief time they have an intensely happy, passionate life together. When Jan returns to the oil-rig, Bess misses him terribly and prays fervently to God to bring him home. Shortly thereafter, Jan is injured in an accident that leaves him paralyzed. Knowing that he will never walk again and devastated that his beautiful, young wife will never make love with him again, Jan misleads Bess by convincing her he can only survive if she takes a lover. Because she is so pure, Bess does what she believes she must in the hope of keeping him alive and soon finds herself in a complicated spiral of love, community and tragedy...

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Full Cast & Crew

Theatrical Release
2/28/1997

Studio	Credit
Det Danske Filmstudie	Studio studio
Director	Credit
Lars von Trier	Director
Kristoffer Nyholm	Director (2nd Unit)
Cast	Credit
Emily Watson	Bess
Stellan Skarsgard	Jan
Katrin Cartlidge	Dodo
Jean-Marc Barr	Terry
Udo Kier	Man on the Trawler
Adrian Rawlins	Doctor Richardson
Jonathan Hackett	The Minister
Sandra Voe	Bess' Mother
Mikkel Gaup	Pits
Roef Ragas	Pim
Phil McCall	Grandfather
Robert Robertson	Chairman
Desmond Reilly	An Elder
Sarah Grudgeon	Sybilla
Finlay Welsh	Coroner
David Gallacher	Glasgow Doctor
Ray Jeffries	Man on Bus
Owen Kavanagh	Man at Lighthouse
Bob Dogherty	Man on Boat
David Bateson	Young Sailor
Callum Cuthbertson	Radio Operator
Gavin Mitchell	Police Officer No 1
Brian Smith	Police Officer No 2
Iain Agnew	Praying Man No 1
Charles Kearney	Praying Man No 2
Steven Leach	Praying Man No 3
Dorte Romer	Nurse
Anthony O'Donnell	Boy No 1
John Wark	Boy No 2
Ronnie McKellaig	Precentor
Production Credits	Credit
Vibeke Windelov	Producer
Axel Helgeland	Co-Producer
Lars Jonsson	Executive Producer
Peter Aalbaek Jensen	Producer
Peter Van Vogelpoel	Co-Producer
Rob Langestraat	Co-Producer
DR TV	Producer - funding
Philippe Bober	Producer - funding
Marianne Slot	Co-Producer
Bengt Forslund	Co-Producer
Dag Alveberg	Co-Producer
Production Companies	Credit
Zentropa Entertainment	Production Company
Trust Film Sales	Production Company
Northern Lights A/S Productions	Production Company
Liberator2	Production Company
Argus Film Produktie	Production Company
La Sept Cinema	Production Company
Swedish Television Drama	Production Company
Media Investment Club	Production Company
Nordic Film & Television Fund	Production Company
VPRO Television	Production Company
Distribution Companies	Credit
October Films	Domestic Theatrical Distributor
FoxGuild	Video Distributor
Evergreen Entertainment	Domestic Video Distributor
Alternative Films	Foreign Theatrical Distributor
Argus Entertainment	Theatrical Distributor
Les Films du Losange	Foreign Theatrical Distributor
Triangle Entertainment	Theatrical Distributor
Pathé Films AG	Foreign Theatrical Distributor
Locations
Isle of Skye, Scotland, United Kingdom
Denmark
New Hebrides Islands
Writer	Credit
Lars von Trier	Screenplay
Peter Asmussen	Screenplay
David Pirie	Screenplay
Accounting	Credit
Ann Koj Slemming	Accountant - production accounts
Jens Georg Hansen	Production Insurance - insurance services provider
Ghita Norrekjaer	Accountant - production accounts
Ann Vognsen	Accountant - production accounts
Art Department	Credit
Karl Juliusson	Art Director
Casting	Credit
Joyce Nettles	Casting
Anne Campbell	Extras Casting
Ruth Tarko	Casting
Rie Hedegaard	Casting
Craft Services	Credit
Charlotte Giannetta	Catering
Film Camera	Credit
Olivier Fontenay	Color - colorgrading on film
Johan Ankersjerne	Film Lab - laboratory
Rolf Konow	Photography - stills photographer
Robby Muller	Director of Photography
Jean-Paul Meurice	Camera Operator
Per Fredrik Skiold	Camera Assistant
Morten Ziersen	Video Assist/Playback - video assist
Thomas Helm	Camera Assistant
Steve Holtson	Video Assist/Playback - video assist
Per Heegaard	Photography - photographer/Rigshosputalet
Patrick Dreyfus	Color - colorgrading on video
Henrik Jongdal	Photography - photographer
Frederik Kihl	Video Assist/Playback - video assist
Eric Kress	Photography - photographer (2nd Unit)
Jan Weincke	Photography - photographer
Film Sales Financing	Credit
Dutch CoBo Fund	Film Financier
Christa Saredi World Sales	Foreign Distribution Sales
Music	Credit
Bob Dylan	Song
Tom Harboe	Song Performer - song performer and arranger
Ian Hunter	Composer - music composer
Joachim Holbek	Music Arranger - music arranger and orchestrater
Christian Steenstrup	Trumpet
Ray Williams	Music Producer - executive music producer
Mark Warrick	Music Producer
Joachim Holbek	Music Arranger
Tom Harboe	Song Performer
Peter Roderick MacLeod	Song
Elton John	Composer - song composer
Mott the Hoople	Song Performer
Python Lee Jackson	Song
Bernie Taupin	Composer - song composer
Phil Lynott	Composer - song composer
Jan Harboe	Song Performer - song performer and arranger
Ian Anderson	Song
Eric Bell	Composer - song composer
Jan Harboe	Song Performer
Keith Reid	Song
Gary Brooker	Song
Ulrik Corlin	Song Performer - song performer and arranger
Brian Downey	Composer - song composer
Ulrik Corlin	Song Performer
Marc Bolan	Song
Jon Lord	Composer - song composer
Peter Roderick MacLeod	Song Performer
Ritchie Blackmore	Composer - song composer
Ian Gillan	Composer - song composer
Python Lee Jackson	Song Performer
Roger Glover	Composer - song composer
Rod Stewart	Song Performer
Ian Paice	Composer - song composer
Jethro Tull	Song Performer
Roxy Music	Song Performer
David Bowie	Composer - song composer
Procol Harum	Song Performer
Johann Sebastian Bach	Composer - music composer
T Rex	Song Performer
P Harmann	Composer - song composer
Leonard Cohen	Song Performer
Elton John	Song Performer
Thin Lizzy	Song Performer
Deep Purple	Song Performer
David Bowie	Song Performer
Physical Effects	Credit
Terry Forrestal	Stunt Coordinator
Production Management	Credit
Tove Jystrup	Post-Production Supervisor
Lene Nielsen	Unit Production Manager
Leif Mohlin	Production Manager
Morten Kleener	Location Manager
Linda Daae	Continuity
Morten Arnfred	Assistant Director
Anthony Dod Mantle	Location Scout - location scouting
Peter Ovig Knudsen	Location Scout - location scouting
Janet Riddoch	Location Manager
Publicity	Credit
Nynne Selin	Publicity - public relations assistant
Sound	Credit
Klas Baggstrom	Sound - sound recording (2nd Unit)
Kristian Eidnes Andersen	Sound Editor
Peter Bensted	Post-Production Sound - post syncing
Per Streit	Sound Designer - sound designer and recording mixer
Ad Stoop	Boom Operator
Julien Nardin	Foley Artist
Simon Towler Jorfald	Post-Production Sound - post syncing
Lars Christensen	Sound - recording engineer
Visual Effects	Credit
Henrik Jongdal	Titles - title sequence
Per Kirkeby	Visual Effects - visual digital artist
Lars Kolding Andersen	Special Effects
Morten Constantineanu Bak	Graphic Designer
Wardrobe Hair Makeup	Credit
Dorota Boroska	Makeup Assistant - make-up assistant
Manon Rasmussen	Costume Designer
Jennifer Jorfald	Makeup
Anne-Maris Gudnitz	Costumes - costume assistant
Binkie Darling	Costumes - costumer
Sanne Gravfort	Makeup
Morten Jacobsen	Makeup - special makeup & surgical effects

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