Dogville

Product Description

Grace arrives in the isolated town of Dogville, on the run from gangsters. The townspeople agree to hide her. However. When outsiders start looking for the fugitive, the locals make demands start looking for the fugitive, the locals make demands of grace in exchange for the risk of harboring her. But Grace has a secret and it is a dangerous one. Dogville may regret it ever decided to bare its teeth

System Requirements:

Running Time 177 Min

Format: DVD MOVIE

Amazon.com

The latest galvanizing and controversial film from Lars von Trier (Dancer in the Dark, Breaking the Waves, The Kingdom), Dogville uses ingenious theatricality to tell the Depression-era story of Grace (Nicole Kidman, The Others), a beautiful fugitive who stumbles onto a tiny town in the Rocky Mountains. Spurred on by Tom (Paul Bettany, Master and Commander), who fancies himself the town's moral guide, the citizens of Dogville first resist Grace, then embrace her, then resent and torment her--little realizing they will pay a price for their selfish brutality. The town is indicated by fragments of building and chalk outlines on a soundstage floor, stylishly pointing to the movie's roots in classic plays (particularly Thornton Wilder's Our Town and Friedrich Durrenmatt's The Visit). Several critics have stridently attacked Dogville as anti-American, but the movie's dark, compelling view applies as easily to Rwanda, Bosnia, the Middle East, or pretty much anywhere in the world. Also featuring Lauren Bacall, Patricia Clarkson, Jeremy Davies, Stellan Skarsgârd, Chloe Sevigny, and many more. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews:

Dogville.......2007-07-19

Filmed on a minimal soundstage with chalk lines and partial building facades, Von Trier's disturbing, provocative allegory of hypocrisy at the heart of the American soul is undeniably long at just under three hours, but still fascinating to watch. As the aptly named Grace, Kidman is sweet and above reproach, so we feel her pain at the hands of Dogville's putatively upstanding citizens, who reveal themselves to be closet sadists. Von Trier's direction is razor sharp, aided by a fantastic ensemble cast including Phillip Baker Hall, Chloe Sevigny, Stellan Skarsgaard, Lauren Bacall, Ben Gazzara, and the wonderful John Hurt, whose impeccable voiceover edges this dark parable into the realm of classic fairy tale.

provocative.......2007-07-14

Makes you think... it could have done with less display in the rape scenes, but the visual does drive the point stronger... either we are more repulsed by it, take part in it, or both. That's how twisted we can be.

I was so angry at the hypocrisy and unfairness that I thought Grace should have been more cruel, but that almost makes her one of them.

Maybe its not what the director intended, but Grace makes a good metaphor for Jesus, except when she turns out to be just human, like all of us and chooses justice over mercy. I can't imagine choosing otherwise.

We have all betrayed, used, and abused Him (directly and indirectly) and others in some way (what we do to others, we do to Him). Don't get me wrong, God is patient and forgiving in ways that humans can't be, but justice will be served eventually, but God is hoping we will change before it is too late, before we bring the day of judgment on ourselves.

For those of you asking "if God's almighty, why is there evil..." - God is not the one committing the crimes, people are. God is the one begging us to stop, but he does not chain us down, he has given us free will. There will come a time when everyone's thirst for justice will be satisfied, no matter how much they have suffered.

I even wonder if there will come a time in heaven when those that have suffered from others will realize that the punishment for their oppressors has been sufficient, and at their request God may gladly set them free...

Class War propaganda for artsy types.......2007-07-04

The Moral of the story appears to be that the world would be a better place if all the poor people were exterminated. It is not so much anti-american as anti-poor and really the poor have no nationality.

Its easy to write a story in which characters appear to be worthless and worthy of destruction by the end. But the story is of course still fiction. Such a story, although crafty, is still all within the rules of decency and propriety. However the closing credits were presented over still shots of actual nonfictional poor people from the depression era up to the present. The suggestion is unmistakable: the real poor people in the photographs are like the fake poor people portrayed by the actors on the stage. We know nothing of the people in the photos only that they are poor however the implication is that they are just like the characters in the dog-eat-Kidman world of Dogville.

Grace (Nicole Kidman) is a mobster's daughter and obviously not poor but the people of Dogville, who, (according to the story) enslave, rape and chain up "Grace" are poor. Their are no mobsters in the photographs at the end only poor people and Nixon thrown in for a laugh. Nixon may have been thrown in to appear to be coming from a left-wing perspective. However, I hesitate to call the movie either right or left-wing. It almost seems like a bid for population control; for the extermination of what Russel called the "useless eaters" and I that project is on a level quite removed from the rather ridiculous right vs. left farce the media perpetuates.

I liked the minimalist setting. It was pretty classy. And if the story didn't stink so much I would have liked the movie as a whole but good lord the movie stank of propaganda by the end. If you don't smell it you better get your nose checked. Its a typical propaganda technique. Believable characters are presented which the audience sympathizes and even identifies with (Tom for example) and then these characters are made to do terrible things and finally these characters are killed. Thus, those who identified with said characters are also metaphorically put to death. Anyone who has seen more than a few movies has experienced the effects of this technique whether they are aware of it or not.

The audience tries to escape the psychological murder by abandoning the corrupted or dead characters and identifying with some other character. In this case the only character left is Grace and perhaps her rich mobster father, who descends upon Dogville like a Zeus from his rich gangster Mount Olympus. Most people will identify with Grace and even search through their life history for times when they have been abused or taken advantage of like Grace is in the movie and eventually nod in approval of Grace's final vengeful triumph. Some of course will identify with Grace's father with the old "I knew it all along" attitude. All who identify with these murderers will feel that confident arrogance of the self-deluded and self-righteous. There are of course thousands of films like this with various murderers and victims. See Shakespeare and the Bible for older examples.

As an example of propaganda, it is worth a skeptical viewing.

As an antidote for the moral weaklings who get brainwashed by this film I recommend Camus' The Plague...and please think twice before you go out and beat up any homeless people.

Interesting experiment that doesn't go too wrong........2007-05-27

Dogville (Lars von Trier, 2003)

Lars von Trier has always been, if nothing else, ambitious in the breadth and scope of his films. A quick look at The Kingdom should show that. And Dogville is nothing if not ambitious--a movie whose entire set is a huge chalkboard with lines delineating buildings, a small scattering of props, and a small, controlled stable of top-notch actors. How much can you do with such a minimal setup? Enough to fill a three-hour movie, apparently. And while Dogville isn't the best movie I've seen this year-- hell, it's not the best movie I've seen this week (that honor would have to go to Neil Jordan's fantastic The Butcher Boy)-- but it does its job, and it does it very, very well.

Grace (Nicole Kidman) is a woman on the run from gangsters who stumbles into the ramshackle town of Dogville, Colorado. She is found by Tom Edison (Paul Bettany), the town thinker, and he decides to invite her into the close-knot town. After a town meeting, the others decide to give her two weeks, and see if she fits in. She goes to work for them, helping each family in town for an hour a day. As time goes on, however, their demands get stranger and more perverse, and Grace begins to realize that this town, who originally weren't sure if they wanted anything to do with her at all, is now unwilling to let her go...

von Trier's set design, which has absolute zero in the way of eye candy, distances the viewer and forces him to concentrate on the actors and their relationships. At times, this can be, well, not the blessing it initially sounds, as all the ugliness at the heart of the town comes out. Because of this, there are parts of the movie than will probably be difficult to watch for those who lack strong stomachs. On the other hand, there's nothing to distract from the caliber of the performances; with a cast that includes Stellan Skarsgard, Patricia Clarkson, James Caan, Ben Gazzara, Udo Kier, Lauren Bacall, and, of course, Kidman and Bettany (and I'm just touching the tip of the iceberg), you can see how such an approach certainly has its upside as well.

A great deal has been made of the anti-American sentiment in the film, but I tend to agree with those critics who see the underlying morality of Dogville in a more universal sense; of course it applies to current-day America (and, distressingly, it applies more now than it did at the time of the film's release), but to jump from that to assuming it applies only to America would be a grave mistake. People with the mindset of those in Dogville can be found anywhere, and in any time period; von Trier may not have set out to make a universal film (though for all I know, that's exactly what he intended), but that's how it came out.

I admit, once I realized the entire film was going to be shot on the same set as the prologue, I despaired at my ability to stare at chalk outlines for three hours, but I ended up far more impressed than I expected to be. It's a hard film, but a powerful one nonetheless. *** ½

Kidman's best.......2007-05-12

I know I could get plenty of arguments about this, but I feel this is Kidman's best performance on film. She holds her own, and excels, in very distinguished company.
It's long.....but intense enough to prevent boredom. It is also quite a disturbing film. So pick a time when you have a few hours to spare to watch it right through, and then some time to digest the fare.

Average customer rating:

Brilliant and Cracking your nerve for truth.
Lars Von Trier's Masterpiece
More Than Great
excellent film
Dogville...one big dog-pile!

Dogville [Region 2]
Starring: Nicole Kidman , Harriet Andersson , Lauren Bacall , Jean-Marc Barr , and Paul Bettany
Director: Lars von Trier
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Thrillers | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

( D ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: B00029QXAK

Customer Reviews:

Brilliant and Cracking your nerve for truth........2007-06-10

It is not an ordinary film; it's very odd in the expression of what would be a 'movie' or film setting because it's so simple and cubic for the set. But it actually fits well as long as the viewers really concentrate on seeing each twist and turn. It makes sense to 'see pass what a simple surface, like those extremely simplified house units, to see what's inside whether it's a house or a person' Those characters (those appeared to be 'normal & boring persons') first even became friends with Grace (by Nicole Kidman), then they all ended up manipulating her, betrayed her, and even went so far to abuse her in many ways other than just rape. It's about revealing human natures in its darkest sides and worst deeds to another who's at the very convenience to become a slave, or a victim, or simply a 'useful multi-functional yet so humiliated person' to other humans who were truly not so human-kind. I also further applaud for directing and illustrating such violent & disturbing scenes without those cheesy 'in-your-face' kind of nudity. No matter what, a viewer knows what's going on and the actress did not have to reveal obvious body parts to make a point. ---That's call story-telling, directing, and acting with just clever plays.
I think the plot is brilliant. For the 1st hour I almost wanted to give up watching, but guess what, the twist and turn kept me shocked and my blood boiled in anger and sadness when those men raped Garce and they went on to behave 'normally' as usual . I wanted to see how Grace survived all this till the end. And you'll have to see it yourself to really find the meaning of 'DogVille'.
Overall, the film is worth watching and not to mention Nicole Kidman did more than a wonderful acting to penetrate deep into the character and carried out the story so well. I shed tears for Grace and it was so heart-breaking to feel her suffering and watch her miserable path.
Regular movie Joes wouldn't like this at all. Serious film-studying enthusiastic must watch and collect this masterpiece.

Lars Von Trier's Masterpiece.......2006-08-03

Danish Director Lars Von Trier is a very unique film maker and has a very interesting view on the world. Dogville is a masterpiece that was kept under wraps until it's release. Dogville stars Nicole Kidman, in one of her best roles yet, as one of the leading characters Grace. Paul Bettany is excellent as Tom, who is an aspiring writer, who's plans are to get the towns people together to talk about the town plans. The film is told in nine chapters and is narrated by English actor John Hurt(Alien, 1984). The film was all shot in High-Definition hand held camera in a studio in Sweden. This film had been kept very secretive by Lars Von Trier and the rest of the cast and crew. Before it's release, there was no clips of the film, no pics, no plot synopsis, you would have had to actually go see the film to find out what it's actually about. Dogville was actually in competition for the prestigous Palme d'Or award for best picture at the Cannes Film Festival.

Dogville is part one in Von Trier's USA trilogy, with Manderlay and Wasington as the follow ups. Dogville is a small town in the rocky mountains where it is filled with innocent hard working American citizens and have very forgivable problems about them. They are all viewed through Tom's eyes who is a man who enjoy's his quiet little town. Soon a young woman arrives that goes by the name of Grace, she's on the run from gangsters who she claims are after her. Tom feels he can't just give her into these gangsters and decides to hide her and give her shelter. The gangsters come by and ask the towns folk if they've seen her anywhere and tell them to contact them if they do. Tom decides to call a town meeting and introduce them to Grace, he tells them her dilema and asks them if she can work and live in the town if they don't go on to tell the gangsters. Throughout the film we see how society take advantage of blackmailing and how they take advantage of her problem and start to show betrayel and hatred.

Dogville is stunning in every aspect. It has everything a theater and and an art-house cinema fan loves. First of all, this is Lars Von Trier, an absolute dynamite at storytelling and writing. I'm not just saying this because my dad's Danish and Von Trier is, I'm saying this because it's absolutely true. His previous stunners like Dancer In The Dark, Breaking The Waves and The Idiots are sparkling examples of why he's a genius, and this is one of them. Dogvile's uniqueness lies in the sets, acting, cinematography, and ofcourse the storytelling. The film is shot on a stage in Sweden, and has a very small production cost, the sets are very simple but effective and something that has never been done before. The buildings for example are simple lines of chalk, the doors and everything are drawn in chalk, so you can see everything that the people are doing, the characters obviously can't though. The camerawork is very much the same as Dancer In The Dark and has a very arty and independant feel to it. The acting is marvelous, it's pretty much like stage acting, they have alot of dialogue, they have detailed characters and are most certainly in character here. The musical score is very beautiful in this picture and keeps you more and more involved in the movie.

Overall this film is nearly perfect but can't reccomend to the average movie goer/watcher. Dogville is nearly 3 hours long and has alot of dialogue, the average joe will find this boring, but the cinema fanatic who truly knows what is good and bad should have a go at this. As I said before the film is bassicly a filmed play, and will most likely not appeal to the average person, but the patient avid film fanatic should love every minute. This is truly an exhilarating experience and the finale proves to be a brilliant sign off to a truly magnificent film.

The extra features on the region 2 disc aren't very impressive, it only has a trailer(it's actually quite good), the confessional box is a very good feature, it was a box confessional they had on the set where the actors could talk to the outside world so they didn't feel so alienated, and then there's a documentary about the film being shown at the Cannes Film Festival. Either way, you're getting the film, not the extra features. The film: 5/5, the extras: 3/5.

More Than Great.......2006-07-15

you don't need a huge budget to the locations and customs to make a great movie
the story the act the movie is more than great

( see it till the end , its the best part )

excellent film.......2006-07-04

i have to say i think this film is simply excellent. the whole movie takes place on a stage as if it were a theater, but it's not like watching it from an audience point of view. The camera acts as a normal camera would, coming from all different angles, but there is no backdrop. it's not filmed in the streets of a small town, but a blacked out soundstage with markings on the floor which designate the name of building the people are in. It may take a few minutes to adjust, but i think if you give it time it blossoms into a wonderful format for storytelling. I have to say though, that the movie does display harsh subject matter.

I feel obligated to reveal a piece of the plot so as a viewer you're prepared for what you're in for. if you're a strict movie viewer than skip the next paragraph, though i dont believe it is too revealing of the story or plot.

In the story the character played by nicole kidman is raped by several of the male actors, no one gets nude, but it is a rather graphic scene portrayed, so this is DEFINITELY not a movie to watch with the whole family.

With that said, the movie is strong but i believe absolutely worth the watch. nicole kidman is a wonderful actress in most of the films she participates in, and i believe this to be no exception. The story is pieced together beautifully, and i am infatuated with the way they film it as if it was a staged theater and not a fake scene. I don't know how else to explain, but this movie is absolutely worth the money.

Dogville...one big dog-pile!.......2006-05-23

Absolutely the worst film I have ever seen! I remember thinking while I viewed this dog...well, maybe it'll get better--something will happen...To save you time (coz I'll never get mine back), nothing does happen! I also thought that maybe, just maybe, someone had slipped some bad acid in my soda when I wasn't looking...everything seemed vague and disjointed, and time...it seemed like this movie was over 7 hours long! See it if you must, but don't say you weren't warned! Oh, the one star rating...I would have picked zero--but it wasn't an option.

Dogville [NTSC/REGION 1 & 4 DVD. Import-Latin America]

Average customer rating:

Dogville [NTSC/REGION 1 & 4 DVD. Import-Latin America]
Director: Lars Von Trier
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

DVD:

DVD

DVD