City Desk: Dis-Orientation

As if that weren’t enough, the locals are putting on an amateur production of The Sound of Music, in which Selma’s near-blindness forces her to relinquish the role of Maria. But never mind: She has numerous fantasies, right up to the gallows, to beautify her life. They consist of would-be infectious Busby Berkeleyish musical numbers, even more ineptly staged than the rest of the film. Catherine Deneuve is absurdly cast as a drab factory worker, and the lyrics to Björk’s songs, co-written by Trier, are inept. My favorite one accompanies Selma on the 107 steps from the deathrow cell to the gallows. The lyrics are the numbers 1 to 107. NR

The Crime Drop in America Alfred Blumstein and Joel WalIman, Editors

About the Author

Richard Brookhiser

Historian Richard Brookhiser is a senior editor of National Review and a senior fellow at the National Review Institute.

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As if that weren’t enough, the locals are putting on an amateur production of The Sound of Music, in which Selma’s near-blindness forces her to relinquish the role of Maria. But never mind: She has numerous fantasies, right up to the gallows, to beautify her life. They consist of would-be infectious Busby Berkeleyish musical numbers, even more ineptly staged than the rest of the film. Catherine Deneuve is absurdly cast as a drab factory worker, and the lyrics to Björk’s songs, co-written by Trier, are inept. My favorite one accompanies Selma on the 107 steps from the deathrow cell to the gallows. The lyrics are the numbers 1 to 107. NR

The Crime Drop in America Alfred Blumstein and Joel WalIman, Editors