In a small patriarchal community on Scotland's rugged Atlantic coast Bess is considered a good but simple-minded girl, who should not really marry Jan, her foreign oil-rig machinist friend. When Jan is physically disabled in an accident, she succumbs to his wishes of maintaining her sexual relationship with him by proxy. Exposing herself to physical abuse, Bess somehow retains her innocence and closeness to God.
| Original title | Breaking the Waves |
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| Danish title | Breaking the Waves |
| Director | Lars von Trier |
| Screenplay | Lars von Trier, Peter Asmussen, David Pirie |
| Producer | Peter Aalbæk Jensen, Vibeke Windeløv |
| Director of Photography | Per Heegaard, Robby Müller, Jan Weincke |
| Editor | Anders Refn |
| Sound | Per Streit |
| Composer | Joachim Holbek |
| Production designer | Karl Juliusson |
| Casting | Joyce Nettles |
| Appearance | Emily Watson, Stellan Skarsgård, Katrin Cartlidge, Jean-Marc Barr |
| Production country | Denmark, Finland, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Germany |
| Dialogue language | English,Irish |
| Domestic distribution | Zentropa Entertainments |
| International sales | TrustNordisk |
| Technical info | 4300 meter, 35 mm, 2,35:1 Scope, Kodak, Dolby, SRD |
| Danish theatrical release | 05.07.1996 |
| Cinemas | Dagmar, Scala, Grand, Gladsaxe Bio, Værløse Bio, BioCity (Tåstrup) samt 10 biografer i provinsen |
| Danish rating | Allowed for children over the age of 12 |
Companies |
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| Production company | Zentropa Entertainments |
| Domestic distribution | Zentropa Entertainments |
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Direction |
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| Direction | Lars von Trier |
| 1st assistant director | Morten Arnfred |
| Director: 2. unit | Kristoffer Nyholm |
| Casting | Joyce Nettles |
| Casting: Denmark | Rie Hedegaard |
| Casting: extras, Scotland | Anne Campbell |
| Casting: additional | Ruth Tarko |
| Continuity | Tómas Gislason |
| Continuity | Linda Daae |
| Dialogue director | Elspeth Macnaughton |
| Dialogue coach | Elspeth Macnaughton |
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Script |
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| Screenplay | Lars von Trier |
| Screenplay | Peter Asmussen |
| Screenplay | David Pirie |
| Script consultant | Kirsten Bonnén Rask |
| Script consultant | Tómas Gislason |
| Script: translation | Jonathan Sydenham |
| Script supervisor | Tómas Gislason |
| Script supervisor | Kirsten Bonnén Rask |
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Production |
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| Producer | Peter Aalbæk Jensen |
| Producer | Vibeke Windeløv |
| Co-producer | Axel Helgeland |
| Co-producer | Rob Langestraat |
| Co-producer | Marianne Slot |
| Co-producer | Peter van Vogelpoel |
| Executive producer | Lars Jönsson |
| Production supervisor: post-production | Tove Jystrup |
| Production manager | Leif Mohlin |
| Production manager | Lene Nielsen |
| Production assistant: post-production | Tine Grew Pfeiffer |
| P.A. to Mr. Jönsson | Anna Anthony |
| P.A. to Joyce Nettles | Louise Cross |
| P.A. to Ray Williams | Peter Raeburn |
| Production assistant | Casper Holm |
| Production assistant | Nanna Mailand-Hansen |
| Production consultant: Scotland | Christine Maclean |
| Location manager | Morten Kleener |
| Location manager: Scotland | Janet Riddoch |
| Location scout: Scotland | Anthony Dod Mantle |
| Location scout: Scotland | Peter Ovig Knudson |
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Cinematography |
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| Cinematographer | Per Heegaard |
| Cinematographer | Robby Müller |
| Camera assistant | Thomas Holm |
| Video assistant | Steve Holtson |
| Video assistant | Fredrik Kihl |
| Video assistant | Morten Ziersen |
| Cinematographer: 2. unit | Eric Kress |
| Camera operator | Jean-Paul Meurisse |
| Camera assistant | Per Fredrik Skiöld |
| First assistant camera: 2. unit | Mads Thomsen |
| First assistant camera | Birger Bohm |
| Cinematographer | Jan Weincke |
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Stills |
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| Still photographer | Rolf Konow |
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Electrical dept. |
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| Gaffer | Leif Barney Fick |
| Gaffer | Christopher Porter |
| Best boy | Søren Johannes Meyer |
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Editing |
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| Editor | Anders Refn |
| Assistant editor | Anders Johannes Bukh |
| Negative cutting | Marianne Jerris |
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Music |
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| Composer | Joachim Holbek |
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Production design |
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| Production designer | Karl Juliusson |
| Set dresser | Peter Grant |
| Assistant set dresser | Jonas Alexander Arnby |
| Assistant set dresser | Rasmus With |
| Set dresser | Simone Grau Roney |
| Additional props: Scotland | John Mark Knight |
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Wardrobe |
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| Costume designer | Manon Rasmussen |
| Seamstress | Nini Mandal |
| Seamstress | Nini Mandal |
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Makeup |
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| Makeup artist | Sanne Gravfort |
| Makeup artist | Jennifer Jorfald |
| SFX makeup | Morten Jacobsen |
| Makeup assistant | Dorota Horonska |
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Sound |
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| Sound designer | Per Streit |
| Supervising sound editor | Kristian Selin Eidnes Andersen |
| Recording engineer: 2. unit | Klas Baggström |
| Recording engineer: "Siciliana" | Lars A. Christensen |
| Dialogue editor | Hans Møller |
| Foley artist | Julien Naudin |
| Sound effect editor | Peter Schultz |
| Boom operator | Ad Stoop |
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Special effects |
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| SFX | Lars Kolding Andersen |
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Visual effects |
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| Graphic design | Morten Constantineanu Bak |
| Title design | Henrik Jongdahl |
| Title sequence | Henrik Jongdahl |
| Color timing | Olivier Fontenay |
| Color timing | Patrick Dreyfus |
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Stunt |
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| Stunt coordinator | Terry Forestal |
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Other credits |
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| Expert: folk dance | Else Hartzberg |
| Expert: churches | Christina Mackay |
| Medical consultant | Grethe Wejlgaard |
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Appearance |
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| Bess | Emily Watson |
| Jan | Stellan Skarsgård |
| Dodo | Katrin Cartlidge |
| Terry | Jean-Marc Barr |
| Manden på trawleren | Udo Kier |
| Dr. Richardson | Adrian Rawlins |
| Præsten | Jonathan Hackett |
| Moderen | Sandra Voe |
| William | Phil McCall |
| Pits | Mikkel Gaup |
| Pim | Roef Ragas |
| Sybilla | Sarah Gudgon |
| Ordføreren | Robert Robertson |
| Den ældste | Desmond Reilly |
| Bedende mand 1 | Iain Agnew |
| Bedende mand 2 | Charles Kearney |
| Bedende mand 3 | Steven Leach |
| Bedende mand 4 | Ronald Simon |
| Ung sømand | David Bateson |
| Mand, motorbåden | Bob Docherty |
| Mand, fyret | Owen Kavanagh |
| Mand, bussen | Ray Jefferies |
| Radiooperatør | Callum Cuthbertson |
| Dommer | Finlay Welsh |
| Politibetjent | Gavin Mitchell |
| Doktor, Glasgow | David Gallacher |
| Sygeplejerske | Dorte Rømer |
| Dreng 1 | Anthony O'Donnel |
| Dreng 2 | John Wark |
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| Music | Year | Composer |
|---|---|---|
| Breaking the Waves [Score] | 1996 | Joachim Holbek |
| All the way from Memphis | 1996 | Ian Hunter |
| Blowin' in the wind | 1996 | Bob Dylan |
| Pipe major Donald Maclean | 1996 | Peter Roderick Macleod |
| In a broken dream | 1996 | |
| Cross eyed Mary | 1996 | Ian Anderson |
| I did what I did for Maria | 1996 | Mitch Murray |
| Virginia plain | 1996 | Bryan Ferry |
| A whiter shade of pale | 1996 | Gary Brooker |
| Hot love | 1996 | Marc Bolan |
| Suzanne | 1996 | Leonard Cohen |
| Love lies bleeding | 1996 | Elton John |
| Goodbye yellow brick road | 1996 | Elton John |
| Whisky in the jar | 1996 | Ubekendt |
| Child in time | 1996 | |
| Life on Mars | 1996 | David Bowie |
| Sonate for fløjte, e-dur, BVW 1031 | 1996 | Johann Sebastian Bach |
| Happy landing | 1996 | P. Harmann |
| Gay Gordons | 1996 | James Scott Skinner |
| Scotland the brave | 1996 | Harry Lauder |
| Barren rock of Aden | 1996 | Ubekendt |
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