USA: Land of Opportunities Collection

Nicole Kidman

Paul Bettany

John Hurt

Stellan Skarsgård

Philip Baker Hall

Patricia Clarkson

Ben Gazzara

Chloë Sevigny

Siobhan Fallon Hogan

James Caan

Blair Brown

Zeljko Ivanek

Jeremy Davies

Lauren Bacall

Harriet Andersson

Thom Hoffman

Jean-Marc Barr

John Randolph Jones

Udo Kier

Cleo King

Miles Purinton

Bill Raymond

Shauna Shim

Evelina Brinkemo

Anna Brobeck

Tilde Lindgren

Evelina Lundqvist

Helga Olofsson

Ulf Andersson

Jan Coster

Mattias Fredriksson

Andreas Galle

Barry Grant

László Hágó

Niklas Henriksson

Mikael Johansson

Hans Karlsson

Lee R. King

Oskar Kirkbakk

Ingvar Örner

Erich Silva

Kent Vikmo

Eric Voge

Ove Wolf

Kristian Eidnes Andersen

Jonas Frederiksen

Vibeke Windeløv

Simone Grau Roney

Lars von Trier

Avy Kaufman

Manon Rasmussen

Peter Aalbæk Jensen

Anthony Dod Mantle

Job Gosschalk

James Seddon

Peter Hjorth

Peter Grant

Robert McCann

Hans Gunnarson

Rolf Konow

Kerry Warn

Hummer Højmark

Turid Øversveen

Lene Nielsen

Molly Malene Stensgaard

Lars Jönsson

Tina Winholt

Lene Børglum

Marianne Slot

Peter Garde

Caroline Sascha Cogez

Tomas Eskilsson

Fabien Pascal

Maureen Whalen

Anders Hove

Bodil Kjærhauge

Joyce Nettles

Els Vandevorst

Bettina Brokemper

Michael Sterling

Anja Dahl

Pascale Bouquière

Dennis Knudsen

Marleen Holthuis

Tina Nordberg

Liisa Penttilä-Asikainen

Lena Ericsson

Gillian Berrie

Annelie Byström

Anja Grafers

Denise Thorsmyr

Mari Vaalasranta

Chris Sanger

Charlotte Pedersen

Pia Nielsen

Anders Refn

Xénia Maingot

Anders Barlebo

Iben Snebang

Martina Eriksdotter

Jeff Normann

Mikkel Rønne

Sebastian Naar

Mikael Kort Kristensen

Claus Rosenløv Jensen

Rickard Grönvall

Jakob Bonfils

Bente Christiansen

Åsa Broms

Pétur Einarsson

Joost van Heerden

Per Streit

Ilja Jon Bak Nielsen

Tine Nikali

Julien Naudin

Fredrik Magnusson

Erik Persson

Rikke Korfix

Stine Terp

Tony Grob

Jesper Lorents

Frank Zandhoff

Joachim Holbek

Sofie Kinngard

Kristin Johansson

Sophus Kirkeby Windeløv

Ian Bach

Marjatta Nissinen

Sandrine Lesénéchal

Jens Lind

Louise Drake af Hagelsrum

Åsa Frankenberg

Pontus Nordahl

Magdalena Nilsson

Christoffer Heie

Greg Rogers

Ad Stoop

Christian Bonde

Crime

Drama

Thriller

Dogville

Zentropa Entertainments

Isabella Films B.V.

Something Else B.V.

Memfis Film

Trollhättan Film

Pain Unlimited Filmproduktion

Sigma Films

Zoma Films

Slot Machine

Liberator Productions

Film i Väst

ARTE France Cinéma

France 3 Cinéma

WDR/Arte

Norsk TV2 AS

Edith Film

Spillefilmselskapet 4 1/2

Fjeldabe Films AS

Invicta Capital

TV 1000 Sverige

Denmark

Finland

France

Germany

Netherlands

Norway

Sweden

United Kingdom

Italy

Rapists and murders may be the victims according to you, but I, I call them dogs. And if they're lapping up their own vomit, the only way to stop them is with a lash. 

A sparse soundstage is stylishly utilized to create a minimalist small-town setting in which a mysterious woman named Grace (Nicole Kidman) hides from the criminals who pursue her. The town locals at first decide to shield Grace, and in return she openly works labour tasks for them to work off her gratitude. It's not long, however, before the residents of Dogville begin to show their true teeth...

One thing is an absolute, Lars Von Trier knows how to push the buttons of critics and movie lovers alike. Dogville proved to be a case in point, a film that saw some high profile film critics renounce the director as anti American - even anti human, while others lauded the "Great Dane" as a visionary and a director of bravura panache. The point is, and it's a fact, there is no guarantee that Dogville will hit the spot of every first time viewer venturing in for the challenge.

As it happens, I'm very much in the plus camp here, to me it's not only brave in style of production, but also it's narratively as caustic as anything so called "anti human" directors like Kubrick, Godard etc ever produced. The bareness of the sound stage setting, where we can see the workings of all residents of Dogville going about their respective business, very much shows there is no hiding place, all the bile strewn movements/ignorance is laid bare for all to see, we are all complicit.

There's an outstanding cast assembled, fronted by Kidman (never more beautiful and never better as an actress), with support coming from Paul Bettany, Stellan Skarsgård, Lauren Bacall, Ben Gazzara, Patricia Clarkson, James Caan, Philip Baker Hall and others who give their all for their director. It's often charged that Trier is a misogynist, personally I don't see it that way, more so as Dogville reaches its crushing climax. This easily could have been shaved of 20 minutes from the run time, but it has to be said that Von Trier doesn't waste a single frame here.

Roll your dice and take your chance, you will either love it or hate it, or admire or admonish, what isn't in doubt is that you will never ever forget watching Dogville. 9/10

CinemaSerf

I reckon this is my favourite Lars Von Trier film. Set amidst some eerily basic staging purporting to be an hick American town, we see the arrival of "Grace" (Nicole Kidman). Now she is attired in furs and lace and is clearly on the run from something, or someone. Shortly after, some hoods turn up in the town and leave a card in case she ever shows up... The townsfolk are ostensibly nice enough - if rather an eclectic mix, and local "Tom" (Paul Bettany) takes a bit of a shine to her. Can she stay? Initially they can find nothing for her to do, but gradually they seem to embrace her and she becomes an integral - almost enthralled - member of their society. Some rather odd manipulation from the young "Jason" (Miles Purinton) causes things to start to take a darker turn, though, and she and her as yet unfulfilled beau decide that it might be time for her to go. Will she be permitted? This story is darkly brutal at times, the harshness of her increasingly inhumane treatment is exemplified by the presence of a cast that features an almost menacing Lauren Bacall, as well as effective contributions from Blair Brown, Ben Gazzara and Philip Baker Hall who all demonstrate clearly just how fake the facade in this town is. Kidman is superb, probably the best I have seen her on screen. She has a potent chemistry with the on-form Bettany and the stage lighting, paucity of settings and the overall simplicity of the production works really well before an ending that I feared might not deliver as I wanted - but boy, it does! This is well worth a watch. It illustrates the best and worst in human nature - but with the emphasis very much more on the latter!

SPOILERS

On my second watch of this film, I am now convinced that Von Trier is the Ingmar Bergman of the 20th century. No other director today digs so profoundly into the human soul, or in such a creative way. And no other director has been so daring with visual translation.

On this watching of Dogville, it finally hit me that this story is the life story of a woman in an abusive relationship. Maybe inspired in part by Polly's "Seeräuberjenny" from Threepenny Opera, or not. Nonetheless, the film script is the same as what might be experienced by a woman drawn into a relationship by a seemingly enchanting man(town). Eventually, as it turns exploitive and finally abusive, she becomes numb and resigned. Some women never escape that stage. Some women are able to escape and most of those are murdered by the abuser. And a few actually murder the abuser. Perhaps the latter is the only way out.