by Rowlandwithaw

Created on: November 08, 2011

DOGVILLE

Written and directed by Lars von Trier

Before you write a film review of ‘Dogville’, you have to first decide whether it is a film! Of course, it is a film but not in the conventional sense :- it is closer to a recording of a theatrical production but a very serious, well performed theatrical production. It opens with a bird’s eye view of the town of Dogville – each home/building is marked out by white lines and this is the set for the drama. The set is minimalist in the extreme – no walls, a shop window, the odd bed, and very few doors (though we always hear the sound of them closing) – it is very different from a conventional film!

The story revolves around Tom, an aspiring writer, though he doesn’t actually seem to write very much - if at all. However, he has a philosophy, a humanist philosophy which is put to the practical test with the arrival of Grace (Nicole Kidman) –– an enigmatic intrusion into the town’s life. Grace arrives- a well dressed elegant woman but also apparently a fugitive. This is an assumption based on the sound of distant gunshots which have been heard by Tom, also the self-appointed moral spokesman for the town. Tom persuades the town’s folk to shelter Grace, but it is not an easy task.

The story tracks the relationship between Grace and the residents of Dogville. Tom is philosophical and altruistic throughout the various stages of the situation that develops between Grace and the residents. Of course, Grace’s unknown past has an impact on how she reacts and how the townspeople react to her. Is she starting afresh from …. well, we don’t know ….. or is this simply an ‘interlude’ before she inevitably returns to her roots …. whatever they are.

Did I enjoy it? It’s not a film to enjoy per se. Worth seeing? Yes. It’s quite a long film (nearly three hours) and the minimalist set means that as in a theatrical production, the audience/viewer is confronted with dialogue and situation rather than action and spectacle. The cast is excellent. Kidman as the confused Grace is very good, and Paul Bettany as Tom plays the idealist perfectly. Ben Gazzara and James Caan are both excellent though Caan’s is virtually a cameo role. Lauren Bacall is also very credible. A film which is worth seeing and I suspect one that will stay with you for a lot longer than the average $60,000,000 spectacle. . . .

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