Artivels
Undescribable Perfection
Protraph
Lack of good storyline.
Phonearl
Good start, but then it gets ruined
WubsTheFadger
Short and Simple Review by WubsTheFadgerLars Von Trier's experimental drama is an amazing feat of film making. The story is full of brutal, saddening, and heartwarming moments. The story is told in chapters, much like a book, with little scenery. The film elegantly puts forward some very deep questions about innocence, ignorance, and morality. The ending is brutal and left me stunned.The acting is amazing. Nicole Kidman performs flawlessly. She plays an innocence girl on the run who wants to begin a new life. Paul Bettany also performs very well. John Hurt narrates the story. His voice perfectly blends into the film as he describes the characters, their thoughts, and the story.The pacing is slow but I enjoyed how Trier takes his time in setting up the characters, the environment, and the story. The runtime can be overlong for nonmovie fans, but once you get into the film it goes by like the wind.Pros: An amazing experimental film, a powerful story, great characters, amazing acting, great questions asked by Trier, and slow pacing that develops the story and charactersCons: The pacing can seem slow to nonmovie goers and the runtime is a little long at almost three hoursOverall Rating: 9.2P.S. I would highly recommend this amazing film. The story, characters, acting, and the amazing and stunning ending is what makes this film a must see.
classicsoncall
It probably won't dawn on you what the film maker is trying to say in "Dogville" until well into the picture, and even then I think there's a wide range of interpretation possible. For me, it began to click when the town citizens began doubling their demands of Grace (Nicole Kidman) to do more work for less pay. But the 'taking advantage' didn't stop there, as most of Dogville's men folk began extracting their pound of flesh from her, in a manner of speaking. Perhaps the one person who violated Grace the most however, at least in my estimation, was Vera (Patricia Clarkson), who destroyed the only physical possessions Grace held dear while making her watch and challenging her not to cry. The symbolism of the chain is glaring, as Grace becomes a prisoner to the whims of Dogville's citizens with no hope of escape unless an outside force should intrude to coerce them into facing their inhumanity. The idea that the scenario presented was all a test designed by Grace and her father (James Caan - the unnamed Big Man) was something I thought about as the Big Man's thugs were given the go ahead to destroy the town. At last willing to face the truth about society's inhumanity, Grace participates in it's demise by personally shooting Tom (Paul Bettany), while asserting that "Some things you have to do yourself".I wasn't quite sure how to take this film when it started out. For a while my disappointment with the excessive voice over narration and minimalist sets began to get real irritating. But after some time, the story took on the quality of a slow motion car wreck that one just has to take a good long look at to be sure nothing's missed. It's not the kind of movie I'd think of recommending to anyone though; much of the dialog is dense and even though there's a lot going on, it feels at times like things are standing still. And except for Nicole Kidman's character, almost all the rest seem static in their devotion to themselves. This is definitely not a picture for everyone, and something I just thought about that's kind of funny, for many viewers a good alternate title for the movie might have been 'A Nightmare on Elm Street'.
andrew_james10
Nothing more than a play that was filmed. All the "action" on one set with cardboard walls to show where each building was. Although the actors had to pretend to open any doors. I didn't learn anything but, in the future, to stop watching this type of crap and not carry on because it is that odd perhaps it must get better. Predictable enough that I worked out the ending with around two hours to go, I guess I kept on watching the see if I was right. Unless you are a cinema geek who needs the arty stuff I wouldn't waste your time on this one.
spamfritter-44132
I never expected to like this film and thought the stylised setting of an empty warehouse with chalk markings for buildings wouldn't work and i'd give up. Not so, i was hooked within the first 10 minutes. The story is set in a small Depression era town. Grace, played by Nicole Kidman, enters Dogville to escape gangsters. The town, led by Tom agree to let her stay. Grace earns her keep by doing chores for the townsfolk and for a while this is agreeable to all. This changes with the arrival of police looking for Grace and a few incidents between Grace and the townsfolk. As a result, Tom decides Grace needs to perform more chores in less time to repay the community's 'kindness'. The darker side of the town emerges as Grace is treated as a physical and sexual slave, her voice and her autonomy is removed. Retribution becomes inevitable. This film is an acutely observed insight into the darker side of human nature. It isn't an easy film to watch for this reason. How can an act of charity lead to such depraved behaviour? The key ingredients of vulnerability and lack of self awareness enable the downward spiral into extreme forms of cruelty. A very powerful film.
