Dogville
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Movie Reviews of Dogville
Movie Review: Dogged by Shadows in Human Nature
Summary: 5 Stars
I tend to pick through new releases in movies much as I do books in bookstores: I avoid the ones in great, showy piles with titles we've all heard ad nauseum and take a more careful look at those with single copies, perhaps at the back of the shelf, perhaps to find buried treasure. That was how I found "Dogville."
The solid cast hinted at quality: Nicole Kidman, Lauren Bacall, Paul Bettany, Ben Gazzara, James Caan, and many others. Director Lars Von Trier has put together this innovative and unusual, if challenging, movie about a woman named Grace (Kidman), running from gangsters, who takes refuge in a small town called Dogville sometime during the 1930s.
Acting, as it turns out, is what this film relies upon exclusively. The scene unfolds on a basic black stage--black floor with chalk lines designating streets, squares and rectangles that serve as houses and shops and town halls. Nothing, but nothing, detracts from the actors and their exchanges with each other, their movements across this black expanse.
Grace slips into town, hiding where she can, as gangsters pursue her for not quite explained reasons. We are not meant to know... yet. She is found by Tom Edison, a young man with a pale, wincing, if philosophical manner. He takes her and her cause to the town hall meeting, where her dilemma is discussed. She needs a place to hide from her pursuers, and the town inhabitants decide, with some misgivings, to offer it to her.
What unfolds next is our increasingly uncomfortable watch over the gradual ethical and moral decay of this (any?) town. Grace seeks work to earn her keep. Initially, no one seems to have any for her. There is an unspoken, but polite resistance to her presence. Little by little, however, people open their homes and businesses to her, and as they learn how well she works, they give her ever more to do. Since she does not resist increased labor, she is given more. And more. And more to do. A sped up sequence in the film has us watching from above, rather God-like, as Grace zips through town, from one house to the next, from one store to the next, doing her duties and accepting more duties, and this at decreasing pay.
It appears the lesson here is that excellence never goes unpunished, and when we do nothing to express our personal boundaries of what kind of treatment we will accept, we are inevitably, eventually, taken for granted, inviting our own abuse.
But the lesson grows far more harsh. Grace is an attractive woman. She is sweet. She is pleasant and eager to please. She is helpful, kind, forgiving, accepting, nice nice nice. Men in Dogville take notice. Their hunger begins to show. Their hunger turns into the ugliest forms of lust, and Grace is raped by the keeper of the town apple orchard. We feel a mix of horror and sympathy for the ever suffering Grace at this scene of violence.
And still, this woman has no boundaries. Still, she does nothing to stop the downslide of the town's morals, allowing herself to become also the town prostitute, the town slave, the town joke. Even the children turn against her. Only Tom Edison declares in a simpering voice that, oh, he loves her. Yet he quietly stands by as she is debased to the point of having an iron collar bolted around her neck and then to an iron chain, fastened to a heavy wheel that she must then drag behind her. Indeed, he expects gratitude from her. Even... reciprocated love.
The movie ends with a fascinating twist that asks a question each viewer must then answer for him or herself: is it saintliness or is it arrogance to accept and forgive the transgressions of others endlessly, without limit? Is it a kindness to play the victim and the martyr? Or is it nothing other than giving permission, even invitation, for those around us to debase us as far as we allow it? In short, did God really mean for us to be doormats?
Suffice it to say, I was completely nailed by this movie. To the spot. It has me feeling, thinking, wondering, questioning and understanding. What more can a good movie do?
Movie Review: Stunning, Experimental Filmmaking
Summary: 5 Stars
Lars von Trier's "Dogville" is one of the best films of the year. It is also sometimes very difficult to watch because of its subject matter and three hour running time. However, it is an extremely great movie, worth every second you put into it. Trier's direction and screenplay are superb, and the acting by the ensemble of sixteen actors is uniformly excellent.
"Dogville" tells the story of Grace (Nicole Kidman), a woman who is on the run from her mobster father. She makes her way to Dogville, a small, forgotten town of only fifteen residents and a dog. Grace meets Tom Edison Jr. (Paul Bettany), a young would-be writer who tries to understand the human condition. The residents of Dogville give Grace two weeks to endear herself to them. Grace does this by performing small chores for the residents: babysitting the children of Vera (Patricia Clarkson), helping Chuck (Stellan Skarsgaard) in his apple orchard, working at Ma Ginger's (Lauren Bacall) general store, and being a companion for an old blind man (Ben Gazzara). The town allows her to stay, and for a while Grace is very happy there. To Grace, Dogville is a place "where people have hopes and dreams." She and Tom slowly begin to fall in love, but there are subtle clues that something ominous is on the way. Soon Dogville turns against Grace, chaining her up like an animal, making her into a virtual slave. She is also subjected to nightly rape by the men of the town. When Grace's father returns, she decides to exercise violent retribution against the citizens of Dogville.
The experimental way in which "Dogville" was shot is fascinating and arresting. The town is represented by chalk outlines on a large soundstage, with the actors miming the opening and closing of doors. There are some fragments of set pieces, like a desk, bed, or bench, but for the most part the stage is blank. This allows you to see what all the characters are doing all of the time, and forces you to focus on the people and the acting. "Dogville" works so well because it takes the time to define all of its inhabitants. Paul Bettany is great as Tom, and Patricia Clarkson is positively brilliant as the cruel and fragile Vera. Other standouts are Lauren Bacall, Ben Gazzara, Stellan Skarsgaard, and Chloe Sevigny. John Hurt is also noteworthy as the film's acidic narrator. But as Grace, Nicole Kidman delivers an emotionally naked performance that stands proudly alongside her revelatory work in "The Hours." Her Grace is a good, trusting, forgiving woman who opens her heart to Dogville, which in turn tries to destroy her. Kidman is utterly amazing to watch, and Trier puts her through immense pain and suffering. It's no surprise that Kidman backed out of the second film in this trilogy. Her intense work on "Dogville" was probably not something she could endure again. But we are left with a raw and stunning performance from the best actress of her generation.
At three hours, "Dogville" does run a little long, but every scene is essential. Because you spend so much time with this town and its people, you become deeply involved in what happens. "Dogville" is also a very disturbing movie to watch, with the inhuman cruelty visited on Grace and the violent, shocking denoument. It has been said that the film is anti-American, and I would have to agree. With one of the central themes being the destructiveness of arrogance and an ending credits sequence that shows pictures of the homeless to the tune of David Bowie's "Young Americans," it is obvious where Trier's sympathies lie. But so what if the movie is anti-American? It is a brave, brilliant film that dares to show the darkness of human nature, which is completely universal. Anyone interested in challenging filmmaking should see it.
"Dogville" is not solely about Grace's transformation from a good and trusting woman into a cold killer. It's more complex than that. In the end, when Grave is as cruel and inhumane to Dogville as it was to her, Trier shows a shot of her face. It is covered with tears.
Movie Review: The fourth paragraph of this will spoil the film, so skip it if you havnt seen it yet
Summary: 5 Stars
You have probably already noticed this but I'll put it in anyway. All great movies take their time. All the great Stanley Kubrick movies are as long as Dogville. And now look at him, hes considered one of the greatest directors of all time. Obviously just because its long doesnt make it good, but dont say making it long makes it bad, because brilliance takes it time. Remember, the longest film ever to win a Best Picture Oscar (Gone With The Wind, 1939), runs for 3 hours and 44 minutes and is the highest grossing film of all time ($5.6 billion).*
Now, back to Dogville. When I put on this video, I hardly expected the result I recieved. At first I was a bit put off by the very original set, but I was also very intrigued by it. I am automatically attracted to things that are different from the herds, but this absolutly struck me off guard. I was not expecting this at all, as the only thing I had read about this film was the blurb once a day or two earlier, and some reviews on here a few weeks earlier, and I did not remember a whole lot about it except that Lars Von Trier was a unique film maker. So the only thing that made me want to watch it was the faint memory of this, and the fact that Nicole Kidman is amazingly beautiful.
There is no point explaining the plot as it has already been done countless times by earlier reviewers. So that brings me to the films budget. I have absolutly no idea why its so high, seeing as though the movie is a bunch of people walking around a room with chalk drawn on the floor, I cant think of anything to spend it on besides a hell of a lot of green screen.
This film explores many themes, all of which deal with human nature. I think while there is a definitive "message" in all good filmsor art for that matter, but the one that you get out of it is always stronger, no matter how close it is to the artists desired one. That being said, what I was thinking while viewing this is is the arrogant selfishness of human nature. No way is Dogville anti-American, that thought didnt even enter my mind while watching it. Dogville represents the selfish side of every person on earth. No matter how much pain and suffering the people of Dogville cause Grace, they couldnt care less how she feels about it, and they pretend to them selves that they are doing it for her sake, when they are just taking advantage of her good nature. They just keep pushing their lies until they believe it themselves. Anybody can do this given the circumstances, everybody is capable of doing anything given the right circumstances. It is not specific to any race, hence the tag line, "A little place not far from here".
Now, I absolutly love this film. This is the only Lars Von Trier film I have seen, but I will be watching the other two of his films I own at earliest convenience. I truly believe Lars will go down in history as a great director. The only people who are really recognised and remembered for their work, not only in film making, are the ones who are original and innovative and bring something new to their chosen field. And Dogville is mighty original. Also a lot of things that are now considered brilliant, upon first release were not. Take artists for example, they only became famous after their deaths, and the Beach Boys "Pet Sounds" album was shunned upon original release, now the editors of Rolling Stone magazine voted it second best album ever made. Nevermind all of this, Dogville is still one of the best movies I've ever seen, no matter what the future holds.
And no one can tell the future, but I predict great things for Mr Von Trier.
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* Gone With The Wind is the highest grossing film if you account for inflation. Becasue it was made so long ago, and inflation keeps going up obvioulsy its going to keep changing. The current record holder with the current inflation rate is Titanic ($1.5 billion), but I doubt in 50 years that it will still be Titanic.
Movie Review: Sometimes the hardest words to hear are the ones we need to hear the most...
Summary: 5 Stars
`Dogville' is one of those films that you really have to see multiple times to really appreciate. Maybe that is the case with all good films, for no film can really be considered a masterpiece after one solitary viewing (or can they?). I've seen `Dogville' a number of times, and even though I was quick to laud it after one viewing alone, it has really settled with me as one of the most important and most controversially monumental films of the past decade, maybe even forever, the more I see it.
With each frame, director Lars von Trier has captured something so organic and so human it is the epitome of brilliance.
Now, I totally understand why people may hate this film, or find it pretentious and `artsy' (I really hate that label). For me, this is BY FAR von Trier's finest film. It is visual impacting, morally aggressive and seemingly conflicted in its direction. The films final moment (where everything comes to a brutal and shocking conclusion) is one of the most visually and mentally exhausting sequences in film this past decade (maybe even forever) and it is for that reason that I feel this film could be labeled confusing or even pointless. It is far from pointless, but I can see why some may draw that conclusion. The films pacing and the way in which the film is painted (the stale, almost vacant visual surroundings) can be off-putting to some, especially those belonging to the A.D.D. generation spawned by overindulgence in Michael Bay cinema. That addressed, it is the pacing and seemingly plain surroundings that add so much depth to the production. The chalk outlined template used as the basis for the films unraveling has so much meaning and carries with it so much weight. Sure, it is definitely `artsy', but it is art with a direct and poignant message.
Let me just say, labeling a film `artsy' in an attempt to discredit it as `trying to hard' or not really being `entertainment' is a joke when you consider the fact that cinema is an art form used as a way to express the opinions and concerns of the writer/director/actors.
`Dogville' tells the story of Grace, a beautiful stranger fleeing gangsters who winds up in the small town of Dogville seeking some sort of solace. Tom, the towns moral guide, persuades the townsfolk to give Grace a chance, and while they are at once skeptical, they let their guard down and welcome Grace into their lives. She performs various odd-jobs for the townsfolk and garners their respect and friendship, until they label her costly and decide to take full advantage of her in order to make up for what she `could' cost them in the end. They eventually turn to tormenting her (in brutal and rather grotesque ways) which leads to one of the most heartbreaking and gut-wrenching conclusions in cinematic history.
The coldness is haunting.
The film is a brilliantly conceived piece of filmmaking that really develops and portrays a consistent and powerful line of thinking. Von Trier understands how to create a deeply compelling story with very little at his disposal. The fact that the film is not tied down or overstuffed with any visual grandeur also helps keep our focus on the unraveling plot, which dissects the morality of human frailty magnificently.
To say that understanding `Dogville' means that we understand the darkest parts of our very being would not be an overstatement.
With sublime acting on all fronts (Patricia Clarkson is at her brutal best and deserves to be singled out here) and a steady and capable man sitting in the director's chair, `Dogivlle' is a masterpiece. Few films address such poignant and controversial subjects with the blunt honesty needed to make the audience truly listen to what is being spoken. Sure, it can be aggressive and distasteful to some, but maybe that is because this film says something we don't want to hear.
But maybe we need to hear it.
Movie Review: Oh, I think you have plenty to offer Dogville.
Summary: 5 Stars
Wow. While I am normally a man of words with these reviews, all I can say about this film is "Wow". After a very fast three hours, I was surprised, shocked, amazed, and excited about what I just witnessed. Film God (if you don't mind me calling him that) Lars von Trier has done it again. With each film of his that you watch, you can only be more and more impressed with the level of intelligence and passion that he has for his films. Breaking the Waves was Trier's first film I ever saw, and I still think his story of unbounded love is gut wrenching. It will make any grown man or woman tear up. He successfully redefined the musical with Dancer in the Dark giving a platform for singer Bjork to show her talents. Now, he has come full circle and directed a film that touches such a variety of different topics. When you watch this film you will see images of women's rights, rape, slavery, depression, poverty, hatred, and justice.
For those of you weak of heart, Trier does not sugar coat anything. He gives us such a powerful stage to watch these actors do their trade that we cannot help but get caught up in everything that they do. Dogville is a cross between "Our Town" and The Godfather with a twist of Trier's other films. It gives us the story of a woman, passionately played by Nicole Kidman, who chooses to live in a town of corruption because she believes in the human spirit. The human element is stronger than any evil. Kidman, literally, gives the performance of her career proving yet again that she is not afraid to tackle any female role. Her work has continually proved that women can be a dominant force in cinema. This film is no different. Add to the mix a powerhouse of independent players like Patricia Clarkson, Chloe Sevigny, John Hurt, James Caan, Lauren Bacall, Jeremy Davies, and Ben Gazzara and Trier's stage-like film is easily transformed into the cinematic event of the decade.
To add to the superb acting, you also have the most creative eye in Hollywood today. The silver screen could not be what it is today without the work of Lars von Trier. His talent far exceeds anyone else in Hollywood. If I could time capsule any film in cinema for others to find later, I think it would be Dogville. From the delicious opening scene to the ending credits which will literally blow your mind and make you see true images of this nation, Trier does not hide anything. If there is one director on the planet that I would like to meet, it would be him. I hear he is such an ogre when making these films, yet the finished product is always nothing short of a masterpiece. I still have those images and song ringing through my mind when the final credits rolled. It was a completely different atmosphere than the rest of the film, but yet it worked and completely blew my mind. Trier is the Picasso of the film world. His art will challenge and destroy any preconceived notions while all the same making you look inside of yourself.
This was the best movie made in 2003 with no further doubts in my mind. To have a canvas that not only allows independent thought, yet covers a topic that is feared is a feat not taken enough in Hollywood. The acting was phenomenal, the direction was crisp and focused, and the story was disturbing and powerful. This film broke all other film boundaries. While I still have trouble understanding every issue brought forth in this film, I cannot wait to watch it again and experience small town America.
Bravo to everyone involved with this film.
Bravo, Lars von Trier, Bravo!!!
Grade: ***** out of ***** (The best film of 2003!)