Does Lars von Trier’s ‘vomitive’ new film spell the end for provocative cinema?

There was a mass walkout at the Cannes premiere of von Trier’s The House that Jack Built.

From A Clockwork Orange to Driller Killer, cinema has always courted controversy – but could we be entering a more cautious age?There is a stampede to get into The House That Jack Built and then, not long after, there is a stampede to get out.

At the morning screening of the new Lars von Trier film at Cannes, I try to keep tabs on the number of mass walkouts.

The first occurs when Matt Dillon’s bug-eyed psychopath sticks a kitchen knife in a breastbone; the second when a serene little boy cuts the leg off a duckling.

I think the third might take place during the shooting at a picnic, although, by this point, I confess I am slightly losing track.

On screen, Dillon’s character embarks on a lengthy discourse about wine – and,

Read full article