The Telegraph [UK]
12 May 2018
By Robbie Collin, Film Critic
Back in the Nineties, a rumour went around that Lars
von Trier always carried a length of rope, in case he ever had to climb out of
a window.
Among the Danish filmmaker’s many neuroses,
claustrophobia is a big one. It’s why he wasn’t in Cannes for the 1996 premiere
of Breaking the Waves: after boarding his train at Copenhagen Central, he
noticed the carriage windows were sealed shut, so promptly disembarked and went
back home.
Hence the apocryphal cord, which allegedly travelled
with him to even the mildest business engagements, just in case one turned into
a blazing death trap. […]
