Steinbeck By Way Of
Denmark
DOGVILLE
RATING: A-
Starring: Nicole
Kidman, Paul Bettany, Stellan Skarsgard, Chloe Sevigny, Patricia
Clarkson, Blair Brown, Lauren Bacall, Jeremy Davies, Ben Gazzarra,
Phili Baker Hall with James Caan and John Hurt. Costumes Designed
by Manin Rasmussen, Production Designer Peter Grant, Edited by
Molly Malene Stensgaard, Director of Photography Anthony Dod Mantle,
Produced by Vibeke Windelov, Written and Directed by Lars Von
Trier.
Rated R, Running Time 177 mins. 2.40:1 Anamorphic Scope Aspect
Ratio.
Lars Von Trier directed my favorite film of 2000, the critically
praised but unfairly dismissed "Dancer In The Dark."
As the co-founder of the Dogme 95 film movement, he created a
wonderfully innovative piece of entertainment, that's unfortunately
best remembered for its star Bjork wearing a swan dress to the
Oscars. "Dogville" is also an innovative piece of entertainment,
one that will surely raise a few eyebrows due to its running time
and unconventional storytelling. Narrated by John Hurt, "Dogville"
is the story and name of a small Depression era Rocky Mountain
town. Struggling since the nearby silver mine was abandoned, the
residents are good, honest people and chief amongst them is Tom
Edison (Paul Bettany). Tom considers himself a writer, but too
lazy too actually put a pen to paper, divides his time between
calling unnecessary town meetings and humiliating his slow-witted
friend Bill (Jeremy Davies) at checkers.
 While
strolling home one night Tom hears gunshots in the valley below
and spots a young richly dressed woman hiding near the edge of
the mountain. Her name is Grace (Nicole Kidman) and sensing she's
in trouble, Tom tells her to hide in the nearby mine just as a
carload of armed men arrive. An individual in the car questions
Tom, who denies he's seen anyone and offers him his business card
if he ever encounters someone out of the ordinary. Tom calls for
a town meeting and even though they are apprehensive towards harboring
a "fugitive" they agree to allow Grace to stay for a
two-week trial period, putting her to work by providing aid to
anyone in town who may need a helping hand. Grace's dedication
to earning her keep impresses the townsfolk of Dogville and after
her trial period ends they agree to allow her to stay.
As time passes and Grace becomes a member of the community, the
season’s change and Spring blossoms into Summer. However,
having hardly ever set foot in their remote town, the police arrive
in "Dogville" with a wanted poster with a handsome reward
for Grace. Were the carload of gunmen pursing Grace businessmen,
the law or gangsters and if so, how did they fix the law to have
charges stick? Gradually the townsfolk begin to feel the are taking
considerable risk for harboring Grace and the apprehension towards
her begins. Although most said in the beginning that they didn't
have much work for Grace to do, it seems that now they all can't
function without her. She travels from one chore to another, job
to job, helping out Ma Ginger (Lauren Bacall) at her store, Bill
and his sister Liz (Chloe Sevigny) at the glass shop, reading
to the blind Jack McKay (Ben Gazzara) or picking fruit in the
orchard with Chuck (Stellan Skarsgard), who can't seem to resist
forcing himself on her. Soon, the entire town is taking advantage
of a young woman who they said they never really needed help from
and Grace discovers that maybe what she was running away from
wasn't so bad as what she's run into.
 "Dogville"
plays as part comedy, part drama and a wonderful examination of
American life. This should again prove controversial for Von Trier,
having never set foot in America. He seems to have captured the
essence of people living in the Dust Bowl era, their raggedness,
their desperation and the extremes that normally decent people
wouldn't resort to. The black and white US government photographs
seen in the closing credits were clearly an inspiration and many
scenes from the film seem to have sprung to life out of them.
It’s not a literal interpretation, but an artistic one.
Grace's harsh treatment is just an example of how poor conditions
can cause good people to do bad deeds. Von Trier conveys all of
this with a top-notch cast. Its interesting to feel warm towards
characters played by veterans such as Bacall, Gazzara and Phillip
Baker Hall only to have your jaw drop when they begin to change
and eventually commit unthinkable acts. Bettany's Tom gives you
the impression that he may be the hero of the piece, coming to
Grace's defense and exclaiming his love for her. Only when the
town begins to unravel do we realize he's a lazy boy living with
his father (Hall), a spineless coward who eventually will call
the number on the gangster's business card.
In what's starting to become a standard for most films she appears
in, much credit goes to Kidman for another bravura performance.
No matter what harsh cruelty is inflicted upon her character Grace,
(whether it be rape or forced to wear a dog collar welded to an
iron wheel to prevent her escape) she remains unchanged for most
of the picture and refuses to look down upon the people that took
her in. It's ironic that someone who obviously comes from a wealthy
lifestyle is able to identify with people who are scratching to
survive in such a dark time in American history. Witnessing the
evolution of her character is such an interesting process and
the inevitable outcome is so appropriate that you can't help but
smile. Only Kidman can pull something off like that and her scene
with the enigmatic leader of the gunman (you'll laugh when you
see who he is and how they're connected) is the best conversation
of the film. I'm only sad that she won't be able to participate
in Von Trier's sequel "Manderlay." I don't want to see
another actress as the character.
 Another
note of controversy is probably the fact that "Dogville"
was shot entirely on a soundstage in Denmark. The entire town,
businesses, church and homes that it consists of are nothing more
than chalk outlines on a stage floor. Situated on an elevated
platform with a hill for actual automobiles to drive down, the
"town" is illuminated by white all around to simulate
day and black to depict night. Pieces of furniture are left for
the performers to interact with, but practically everything else,
including the town dog, doesn't exist in physical form. That is
where the power of the film lays, its ability to force the audience
to use their imagination. Its not so hard, we do it every time
we see a film, which is nothing more than an illusion itself.
You will find it easy to look past the fact that the film was
shot on video and transferred to anamorphic film. A fraction of
additional brainpower or imagination is not gonna kill us as long
as we have a good story with talented performers which "Dogville"
delivers.
"Dogville" played with much acclaim at the Cannes and
New York film festivals, but disturbing to me is the rumor than
an hour may be cut from its three hour running time when it hits
the States this spring. Yes, an hour is indeed a lot of time to
invest in a film, especially one as unconventional as this, but
to cut one third of it would compromise the story. Amidst all
of the three hour plus war movies of late, (Lord of the Rings,
Last Samurai, Cold Mountain) you may find it surprising that "Dogville"
plays so well it doesn't seem as long. The chapters or vignettes
that divide the film along with John Hurt's superb narration keep
the pacing smooth and tight. The fact that the film is a bit of
a black comedy is probably why its never dull, but a truncated
version would be an insult not just to the film, but the audience
as well. Besides, you gotta love a film that turns a major character
into an angel of death and closes out to the tune of Bowie's "Young
American."
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