Dogville DVD > Reviews

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 to manage ... Read review

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 ... Read review

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: ... Read review

Advantages: Powerful Story and Top Notch Acting
Disadvantages: Graphic Scenes of Abuse

To enter the world of Von Trier is to expect the unexpected and to be prepared for moving and powerful drama. With this in mind, you will not be 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 ... Read review

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 cast ... Read review