There probably isn't a lot I can say about Dogville that hasn't already been said, but I'll give it a shot, anyway.
To begin with, there's the plot; Dogville is set in depression-era America. The plot concerns a young woman, Grace Mulligan (Nicole Kidman) who is fleeing from gangsters, and arrives in a small Colorado backwater town. She asks to take refuge in the town, but the townsfolk are reluctant to take Grace in,but Grave eventually wins them over by offering to do chores for them. All is well until the local police start asking around about Grace. The inhabitants of Dogville demand more work as compensation from Grace, seeing as her continued presence in the town is putting them at risk. It is not long before the "good" people of Dogville begin to show their true colours to Grace and eventually enslave her completely. As well as being made to work like a slave, the menfolk have their wicked way with Grace. Grace is also made the town "scapegoat" Entually, the townsfolk decide that Grace is becoming too much of a liability to the town, so the local intellectual, Tom Edison Jr. (Paul Bettany) who brought Grace to Dogville in the first place, convinces them to turn Grace over to the gangsters who were looking for her.
The stage is set for a shocking ending..............
I was absolutely startled by the "minimalist" look of the Dogville set, but as the film progressed, I was so engrossed by the story and the acting, that it soon became irrelevant. In spite of the stagy aesthetics, I could still imagine the set looking like a typical small American town of the period-like the kind you'd most likely see in old black-and-white photographs. This is aided by the inclusion of certain visual cues, such as the bell-tower, various windows and furniture.
The performances from the cast were great all round. They actually came across as real small-town residents. The only performance I had any problem with was that of Paul Bettany. His acting was good, but for some reason, I just can't get his character in "Gangster No. 1" (2000), his first major role out of my head. Kidman imbued her character with the right amount of vulnerability-right up until the end.
Special mention should go to John Hurt, as the narrator, who was very articulate and well-spoken in his performance. He sounded like some superior deity looking down on humanity as though they were mere insects. The only outright despicable characters were Chuck (Stellan Skarsgaard) and Vera (Patricia Clarkson).
I got so involved with this film, three three-hour duration absolutely sailed by for me. The director, Lars Von Trier, racks up the tension to screaming pitch, beautifully in the last 10 minutes, that I just knew something big is about to happen. The horrific ending is, ironically, quite satisfying. As much as I loved to hate her, I couldn't help but feel sorry for Vera when she was forced to watch her children being murdered by the gangsters. As satisfying as it was to see the people of Dogville get what was coming to them, I was forced to question whether Grace made the right decision in ordering the complete destruction of Dogville and its inhabitants, who were "bad" people, but were human like Grace.
The song, "Young Americans" by David Bowie, which plays during the end credits, feels out of place. This, too, adds to the "staginess" of Dogville.
Ignore the rants of "anti-Americanism". Dogville is a powerful, if unpleasant morality play. Definitely required viewing.
To begin with, there's the plot; Dogville is set in depression-era America. The plot concerns a young woman, Grace Mulligan (Nicole Kidman) who is fleeing from gangsters, and arrives in a small Colorado backwater town. She asks to take refuge in the town, but the townsfolk are reluctant to take Grace in,but Grave eventually wins them over by offering to do chores for them. All is well until the local police start asking around about Grace. The inhabitants of Dogville demand more work as compensation from Grace, seeing as her continued presence in the town is putting them at risk. It is not long before the "good" people of Dogville begin to show their true colours to Grace and eventually enslave her completely. As well as being made to work like a slave, the menfolk have their wicked way with Grace. Grace is also made the town "scapegoat" Entually, the townsfolk decide that Grace is becoming too much of a liability to the town, so the local intellectual, Tom Edison Jr. (Paul Bettany) who brought Grace to Dogville in the first place, convinces them to turn Grace over to the gangsters who were looking for her.
The stage is set for a shocking ending..............
I was absolutely startled by the "minimalist" look of the Dogville set, but as the film progressed, I was so engrossed by the story and the acting, that it soon became irrelevant. In spite of the stagy aesthetics, I could still imagine the set looking like a typical small American town of the period-like the kind you'd most likely see in old black-and-white photographs. This is aided by the inclusion of certain visual cues, such as the bell-tower, various windows and furniture.
The performances from the cast were great all round. They actually came across as real small-town residents. The only performance I had any problem with was that of Paul Bettany. His acting was good, but for some reason, I just can't get his character in "Gangster No. 1" (2000), his first major role out of my head. Kidman imbued her character with the right amount of vulnerability-right up until the end.
Special mention should go to John Hurt, as the narrator, who was very articulate and well-spoken in his performance. He sounded like some superior deity looking down on humanity as though they were mere insects. The only outright despicable characters were Chuck (Stellan Skarsgaard) and Vera (Patricia Clarkson).
I got so involved with this film, three three-hour duration absolutely sailed by for me. The director, Lars Von Trier, racks up the tension to screaming pitch, beautifully in the last 10 minutes, that I just knew something big is about to happen. The horrific ending is, ironically, quite satisfying. As much as I loved to hate her, I couldn't help but feel sorry for Vera when she was forced to watch her children being murdered by the gangsters. As satisfying as it was to see the people of Dogville get what was coming to them, I was forced to question whether Grace made the right decision in ordering the complete destruction of Dogville and its inhabitants, who were "bad" people, but were human like Grace.
The song, "Young Americans" by David Bowie, which plays during the end credits, feels out of place. This, too, adds to the "staginess" of Dogville.
Ignore the rants of "anti-Americanism". Dogville is a powerful, if unpleasant morality play. Definitely required viewing.
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