Oilman Jan is paralyzed in an accident. His wife, who prayed for his return, feels guilty; even more, when Jan urges her to have sex with another.Oilman Jan is paralyzed in an accident. His wife, who prayed for his return, feels guilty; even more, when Jan urges her to have sex with another.Oilman Jan is paralyzed in an accident. His wife, who prayed for his return, feels guilty; even more, when Jan urges her to have sex with another.
- Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 44 wins & 28 nominations total
Finlay Welsh
- Coroner
- (as Finley Welsh)
- Director
- Writers
- Lars von Trier
- Peter Asmussen
- David Pirie(uncredited)
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaTheatrical film debut of Emily Watson. She received an Oscar nomination and was expelled from the School of Economic Science (the alleged cult she was brought up in) for her role in this film.
- GoofsWhen Jan leaves to go to the rig, one of the crew men gives Bess a flask of liquor. When she takes a sip, she's holding the flask with both hands and its opening is on the left side. There's a quick cut, and in the next shot the opening is shown to be on the right side of the flask.
- Quotes
Dodo McNeill: Not one of you has the right to consign Bess to hell!
- Alternate versionsThe director's cut of the film, featuring explicit shots removed from the U.S. version for ratings purposes, is available on Criterion laserdisc.
Featured review
Outstanding film of complicated, unsettling ideas
The first time I saw Breaking the Waves, I was astonished that Emily Watson had not acted for the cinema before her turn as Bess McNeill. What she brings to the role of the naive Scottish girl offers a clinic on superlative acting that could humble veterans with ten times the experience. Another thing that makes this film so special is that it never backs away from its vivid and mature examination of love, commitment, and aspects of the metaphysical. I easily class this work as one of the top films of the 1990s. Director Lars von Trier is a true visionary, and the (largely hand-held) cinematography by Robby Muller perfectly defines the tone of the film -- in fact, the theatre where I saw Breaking the Waves posted a disclaimer that warned anyone who suffers from motion or sea-sickness to see the film at their own peril!
helpful•4516
- pooch-8
- Jan 7, 1999
Details
Box office
- Budget
- DKK 42,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $3,803,298
- Gross worldwide
- $3,831,182
- Runtime2 hours 39 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
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