dogville
so i don't know how long this post can be, i am rather pressed for time to get to school.
but i watched such an incredible film over the weekend, 'dogville'. this is a lars von trier film, and as such it totally abides to his dogme 95 rules -- no music, minimal sets. very brechtian in his theory. if you've ever seen the '90s classic, 'the celebration,' then you know all about dogme 95. but here von trier goes a little further -- this is set on a stage about as minimalist as possible. all you know of the town of dogville is drawn in chalk (except for some set pieces, such as frontispieces for houses in some cases, and some stuff in the store, etc). all the people respect the boundaries of the chalk however, and soon you can imagine the fictional town of dogville in all its glory. it's kinda like that thornton wilder play, 'our town' in this way. but in no other way!
the plot revolves around grace, played with grace (just like maria!) by nicole kidman. she winds up in dogville when a mobster car shows up in town and kicks her out, with little but the clothes she is wearing. the townspeople, who don't like intruders, are hesitant to let her 'hide out', as she requests, but eventually, innocent and hurt as she looks, they agree. as long as she does her share of work and keeps herself busy. they even start to become friendly to her.... you think they accept her. or do they?
well a lot's going on here, and i don't want to give anything away, except she does have a beau in the town, tom, played by philip micheal hall -- remember him from all those 80s films like 'breakfast club'? well happily he sure has matured and does a fine job in his role. all the other people -- chloe sevigny, james caan, etc. -- also perform extremely well, and you really get the idea of a close-minded loyal community here. just what von trier was trying to create.
when you do watch it, give yourselves lots of time because it runs 177 minutes. but it never drags or anything!
so check this out... soon. i've already ordered it from amazon, that's how much i liked it...
"Is there no room in this world for a man with the 105 IQ?" - Homer
posted by titivillus @ 6:48 AM
2 Comments:
I haven't seen Dogville. The whole Dogme 95 thing rather annoys me. I mean, I understand the concept, but it seems so pretentious, and one thing I love about the movies is their cinematicness. I guess there's still something very cinematic about chalk-drawn sets, though, now that I think about it. But I happen to like big scores and virtuoso handicam shots and all of that. I think I might watch Dogville, though, on your recommendation.
Have you ever seen The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari? It had some funky painted sets.
ah yes, a film major i've had to watch 'the cabinet....' many many times.
and i sometimes don't like dogme 95 films, i've seen a few i didn't care for. but this one is just damn good!
have you watched 'woman in the dunes' yet?
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