... He has undertaken a project to film a so called 'American trilogy', the first of which is Dogville, a bleak and emotionally intense film starring Nicole Kidman, and also possibly one of the most thought provoking films I've seen.
To the strains of baroque music the unmistakable gentle ... Read review
Grace (Kidman), a beautiful fugitive on the run, hides in the isolated town of Dogville, ... more
where she goes to work in return for protection. But when the mob tracks her down, the town suddenly demands a better deal, and she learns the hard way that in Dog...
Production Year: 1989 - Drama - Director: Ken Cameron - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring: Nicole Kidman, Denholm Elliott, Hugo Weaving, Joy Smithers, Norman Kaye, Jerome Ehlers, Judy Morris
Production Year: 2004 - Drama - Director: Nick Cassavetes - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over, 12 years and over - Starring: Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Gena Rowlands
Production Year: 1993 - Drama - Director: Steven Spielberg - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Caroline Goodall, Embeth Davidtz, Ben Kingsley, Jonathan Sagalle
Advantages: Deeply though provoking. Disadvantages: Won't appeal to those who just want entertainment.
...beauty and mystery, decides that Dogville is the perfect place for her.
Over the course of what are presented as nine chapters, each introduced by the narrator, and amount to three hours of film we see how the relationship between Grace and the people of the town changes. Initially unfriendly and suspicious, they are won over by Tom's scheme that she spend her day helping out each of them in turn and soon they begin to find it impossible ... ...most immediately striking thing about Dogville is the manner in which it has been filmed. The set consists of a huge expanse of black upon which the chalk outlines of roads, houses, walls and bushes have been drawn. There are a few props, such as chairs and beds, the bell of the church and a series of receding tunnel supports to suggest the entrance of a mine, but for the most part the actors use mime to give the impression of their surroundings, ... more
Lars von Trier has established himself as one of the more interesting directors currently making films with the likes of Breaking the Waves and Dancer in the Dark, both films notable for their emotional intensity and bleak situations. He has undertaken a project to film a so called 'American trilogy', the first of which is Dogville, a bleak and emotionally intense film starring Nicole Kidman, and also possibly one of the most thought provoking films I've seen.
To the strains of baroque music the unmistakable gentle tones of narrator John Hurt introduce us to Dogville, a handful of rough houses clumped together around the terminus of a dead end road. We are up in the Rockies in 1930s depression-struck America, and times are hard. The most initially interesting of the inhabitants of this town is Tom Edison (Paul Bettany), an educated man who while failing to write a novel takes it upon himself to preach morality to his largely uncaring neighbours. One day he hears gunshots in the distance, and some time later a mysterious woman appears. This woman is Grace (Nicole Kidman), on the run from some gangsters though she claims to have done nothing wrong, and she needs somewhere to hide out. Tom, obviously struck by her beauty and mystery, decides that Dogville is the perfect place for her.
Over the course of what are presented as nine chapters, each introduced by the narrator, and amount to three hours of film we see how the relationship between Grace and the people of the town changes. Initially unfriendly and suspicious, they are won over by Tom's scheme that she spend her day helping out each of them in turn and soon they begin to find it impossible to manage without her. As the demands on her grow a police car visits the town for the first time in years and a poster listing Grace as a missing person is put up, giving the townsfolk extra leverage over her and starting a progression of events the consequences of which are far reaching and shocking. It would be wrong to say too much about the conclusion of the film, but it is unexpected and twists your attitude to what has gone before in a deeply profound way.
The most immediately striking thing about Dogville is the manner in which it has been filmed. The set consists of a huge expanse of black upon which the chalk outlines of roads, houses, walls and bushes have been drawn. There are a few props, such as chairs and beds, the bell of the church and a series of receding tunnel supports to suggest the entrance of a mine, but for the most part the actors use mime to give the impression of their surroundings, opening and shutting imaginary doors as they move around the town. This seems superficially theatrical but the flexibility of the camera, allowing overhead plan-view shots of the entire town or intimate close-ups, makes for an entirely cinematic experience. It takes some getting used to at first and seems almost gimmicky, but as the film progresses you become accustomed to the setting and eventually accept it completely. It allows the performances of the actors to come to the fore, forcing you to concentrate on the characters, and reinforces the feeling that you are looking into the heart of the homes of these people, the absence of walls means everything is always laid bare before you.
With such a setting, and given the extremity of events which occur, it would be easy for a film such as this to come across as forced and unnatural. It is to the credit of the actors concerned that it never does, you are instead drawn fully into their world. Nicole Kidman adds another excellent and extremely powerful performance to what is becoming an impressive list and the rest of the cast, which includes Paul Bettany, Lauren Bacall, Patricia Clarkson, Chloe Sevigny and Stellan Skarsgard, are never less than entirely convincing in their roles. John Hurt's narration is also deserving of mention, lending some welcome if extremely dry humour to proceedings with chapter introductions which give the whole film the air of a fable.
The story of Dogville has been extremely cleverly constructed. The three hours are used with care to develop the plot step by step, each change of situation seems entirely natural, even inevitable. You are aware at the back of your mind that what you are watching is some kind of allegory or fable, and the general direction seems familiar from von Trier's previous films. The final chapter blows away any expectations you may have formed and leaves you reeling with the ethnical and moral implications for the way in which the film has manipulated you into feeling, not to mention the parallels with Christianity.
Three hours is a big investment to make in a film, especially this sort of a film, but Dogville makes it more than worth the effort for those willing to think about what they see.
Advantages: not American view Disadvantages: far too long film
...joy to everyone's life, while Dogville is happier than ever — but not for long, forever. We’re increasingly charmed by the people of Dogville, they’re simple and we like them. Yet, too simple for that to becomes suspicious. Town people soon enough realize that Grace has nowhere to go. She's left alone, at their mercy. Perhaps than, Grace can be persuaded to work a few more hours for a bit less pay. Maybe she’ll let one, then ... ...opposite direction. The sins of Dogville echoes slavery and capitalist society over the centuries, which could apply easily to all countries today that profits from exploited labor around the world, turning a blind eye to its own poverty. If those are only American sins, so be it. But there’re not, really. As the result, indifference isn't an option here. The movie is very symbolic; the symbolism is not sorted out until a key conversation in ...
barefoot777 01.05.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Dogville (DVD)
Advantages: Innovative film-making, top-quality acting, plot Disadvantages: Not for the passive viewer
Dogville - you know, you couldn't come up with a better name for this town if you tried. The name conjures up a place that is downtrodden, remote, battered and precisely the kind of place one would find at the end of a road to nowhere. The kind of place where the challenges of daily living are likely to result in a population fixed in its ideas and views, with little regard for the rest of the developing world outside.
The story is a simple one: ... ...in a town that happens to be the first place she stumbles across as she flees. Notwithstanding the danger the dwellers face in hiding this runaway, they agree to give Grace (Nicole Kidman) a chance. Grace spends the next 3 hours of our time paying a long, hard price, and ultimately questioning her own beliefs as to what humanity really is. Throughout what can be best described as her battle, Tom (Paul Bettany) seeks to guide her understanding of ...
chunkieuk 14.03.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Dogville (DVD)
Advantages: Powerful Story and Top Notch Acting Disadvantages: Graphic Scenes of Abuse
...dissappointed with his latest outing.
Dogville sees Grace - a fugitive from the mob - hiding out in a close-knit village in the mountains and having to earn the assistance and trust of the community by working hard and living by their rules.
As we progress through the almost three hours of film, we see how power and greed turn the community in to animals as they take advantage of poor wretched Grace.
The running time does seem daunting at the ...
REDF 05.03.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Dogville (DVD)
Advantages: Powerful thought-provoking story Disadvantages: Unusual cinematography makes film difficult to watch
A combination of setting the film on a stage and the narration, by John Hurt, does not make for an especially compelling start to the film. However this would be doing a grave disservice to this searing indictment on the mentality of small-town America [although it could just as easily be set in any country]. Nicole Kidman is excellant as the put-upon Grace, who eventually shows that she is'nt quite the victim that she seems, and the rest of the ...
chrisMheyes 24.08.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful Review of Dogville (DVD)
Grace is on the run from a bunch of gangsters and ends up in the remote town of Dogville. In return for working for the community the town agree to hide her. When the search gets into operation the town has second thoughts about the deal but Grace has a dangerous secret and the town could well live to regret having reservations about her...
Release details
DVD Region
DVD
Studio(s)
ICON HOME ENTERTAINMENT; MGM ENTERTAINMENT
Release date
02/08/2004
No of Discs
1
Catalogue No
10001240
Barcode
5050070022407
Narrator
John Hurt
Voice
John Hurt
Languages
Main Language
English
Technical information
Special Features
Featurette - 1. CONFESSIONS BOX: On-set diaries of cast & crew, Documentary - 1. VON TRIER, Original UK Theatrical Trailer
Sound
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
Dubbing Sound
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround English
DVD Description
Set in the 1930s during the Depression in the Rocky Mountains, DOGVILLE is Lars von Trier's comment on Americana and his uniquely perverse view of small town life. With period costumes, and flashes of THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER--which is being read by one of the characters--von Trier sets the scene. Using nothing more than a black floor on which white chalk lines and labels mark out houses and landmarks such as the mine and the store, the film is essentially a play. With only minimal props, the emphasis is on the script and the performances. Dogville is a tiny town consisting of just seven households and 15 adults in total. Tom Edison (Paul Bettany) is the resident philosopher, who plans to write a book about morality but has not yet begun. He also serves as the town mayor, holding community meetings in the local church. When a beautiful woman, Grace (Nicole Kidman), arrives in town claiming she is being chased by thugs, Dogville welcomes her and agrees to grant her safety--at cost. Grace must prove herself to Dogville's residents, first through physical labour, then through friendship, then through utterly astonishing sacrifices that, in classic von Trier style, go way beyond anything viewers might imagine. A bizarre and disturbing film, DOGVILLE features an all-star cast including Chloe Sevigny, Stellan Skarsgard, Ben Gazzara, James Caan, Harriet Andersson, Lauren Bacall, and narration by John Hurt.
![Dogville [DVD] [2004] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/69901175.jpg "Dogville [DVD] [2004] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]")
