Dogville
Dogville
- DVD Details: Actors: Nicole Kidman, Harriet Andersson, Lauren Bacall, Jean-Marc Barr, Paul Bettany
- Directors: Lars von Trier
- Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC. Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only)
- Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1; Number of discs: 1; Studio: Lions Gate
- DVD Release Date: August 24, 2004; Run Time: 178 minutes
Nicole Kidman, Lauren Bacall, James Caan. A woman on the run from gangsters hides out in the small village of Dogville, but the welcoming townspeople soon discover her dangerous secret that threatens to unravel their idyllic landscape. 2003/color/177 min/NR/widescreen.The latest galvanizing and controversial film from Lars von Trier (Dancer in the Dark, Breaking the Waves, The Kingdom), Dogville uses ingenious theatricality to tell the Depression-era story of Grace (Nicole Kidman, The Others), a beautiful fugitive who stumbles onto a tiny town in the Rocky Mountains. Spurred on by Tom (Paul Bettany, Master and Commander), who fancies himself the town’s moral guide, the citizens of Dogville first resist Grace, then embrace her, then resent a
List Price: $ 14.98
Price: $ 1.77
LONG BUT WORTH IT (AND IT’S NOT ANTI-AMERICAN!),
Von Trier has never been to America and has been known to have said that he is afraid to visit the U.S. With this in mind, it seems a little audacious if not viciously self-indulgent to make a film about the ugliness of human nature set in an American village.
Critics have pounced on this feature of the movie, accusing von Trier of anti-Americanism. I feel such paranoid jibes completely miss the point: although Dogville is set in a fictional village in the Rockies during the Depression-era, it really could be any place, any time. It is anti-human-ugliness. The tagline reads “A quiet little town not far from here”, and the sparse stage set reinforces that point. The viewer’s imagination is meant to fill in the gaps, making Dogville their home town for nearly three hours.
The theme veers around Grace (Nicole Kidman) arrives, seeking shelter from pursuing gangsters, the natives are reluctant to help. With the assistance of a local ‘philosopher’ (played by Paul Bettany), she eventually persuades the inhabitants to relent, and they grant her a two week trial period. During the fortnight, she manages to win the villagers over by performing good deeds, but gradually they begin to take advantage of her kindness and the rot sets in.
This is an extremely long film, but it is definitely worth the effort. It is an allegory of staggering proportions, it deals with virtually every aspect of humanity and some of the most fundamental questions people can face, whilst maintaining a lightness of touch that makes the mental workout more than bearable. Did it have to be 3 hours? No. But nor did the Matrix or LOTR or the Titanic.
So empty the tank, order a pizza and coke, and settle down for 180 minutes of cinematic genius.
Was this review helpful to you?
|Disturbing and Brilliant…Most Unique Film I Have Ever Seen,
I’ve gone back and forth between thinking that this film is incredibly sick and incredibly brilliant. I still can’t make up my mind, so all I can say is that is the most unique film I have ever seen: a very sick and amazing film, showing the darkness of the human heart when there are no rules to protect its victim. It starts out very slow, but gets good after 30 minutes (it is nearly 3 hours long). The violence of this film surpasses Pulp Fiction, but in a much more subtle way (if I was to say any more I would give the whole film away). The symbolism is worthy of analysis…a film student could write for days about what they see in this film…and afterwards, your mind will be racing and trying to make sense of it all. This is, in my opinion, the best work Nicole Kidman has ever done.
Was this review helpful to you?
|Refreshingly Uncinematic,
I really admire love it or hate it movies. These projects may be just God-awful to some people, but I admire the bravado these films have in taking real risks where Hollywood is content to follow the Xerox copy formula.
Dogville represents a very theatrical point-of-view. Its style seems more at home on Masterpiece Theatre then the silver screen. This is what makes it all the more engaging to me. The stripped-bare quality lets you really become involved with the characters and the situation. If a real town would have been there, it would only serve to distract you from what von Trier knew all too well: a town is only the people who make it up. By removing the town walls, the characters are open to us at all times. Likewise, the barries they put to their souls are removed as well.
I didn’t find Dogville to be really anti-American. Instead I found a universal message which is unsettling as it is true. “It’s very easy for ordinary people to justify being horrific to other human beings.”
Dogville is not for anyone who feels they have to be pulled into a movie. It is very much for the people who engage themselves.
Was this review helpful to you?
|