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Directed by: Lars von Trier Starring: Bryce Dallas Howard, Danny Glover, Willem Dafoe I find myself in shock that Lars von Trier has sole writing credits for this film. I've not seen such a realistic and compelling depiction of issues of race in the USA since Charles Burnett's film 'Killer of Sheep'. How is it that a foreigner could pen such a gripping and deeply philosophical meditation on race relations, yet Americans in this country are for the most part racially clueless? With that aside, this film is of the utmost quality and has instantly become part of my "Essential Viewing" list, of which there are only 10-11 films. This is part 2 of the Dogville saga, otherwise known as "USA - Land of Opportunities". Von Trier filmed this in the same styling as Dogville which starred Nicole Kidman (for those who don't know). I have to first admit my reservations about the film. I was not sure how much I would "buy" anyone's take on 1930s USA in regards to race - but von Trier clearly has done his homework. This "homework" exists far outside of the bounds of the usual white-washed, officially sanctioned bullshit that has pervaded most scholarship on race relations and slavery. I'm deeply proud of the job von Trier did. The film itself is a poignant story of yet another innocent women, caught in the mess that is the USA. The road to hell is paved with good intentions and Manderlay shows this quite clearly. A young woman, daughter of a gangster, takes it upon herself to try to liberate a group of persons who are sharecropping. Her good intentions however, seem to be futile against the backdrop of several centuries of racial discrimination and oppression. This movie asks: Is the work of one person enough to turn the tides of racism? One can clearly surmise the answer. Yet, we are made to admire most of the characters who are especially well acted. Bryce Dallas Howard's (daughter of Ron 'Opie' Howard) performance is sterling and in my opinion is oscar-worthy. I'll be very upset when this film is shut out, but I recommend it all highly. If you want to begin to understand race relations in the USA, I feel Manderlay is an essential starting point. RATING: 5.5 PROS: Great acting, philosophically profound discussion of Race in an age lacking such discussion, great directing CONS: The 'Dogville' Set...ick Ambiguous ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0342735/
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Dec 18, 2005 17:11
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| # ? Apr 20, 2024 05:50 |
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Good movie, but I thought it was a more of a thinly veiled attack on the situation in Iraq, with an ending revolving around race relations in America merely tacked on to keep with von Trier’s “(anti?) American trilogy”. Was anyone else expecting Pictures of Hurricane Katrina victims, e.g huddled masses in the Superdome, during the credits? It would've kept with the rest of the montage. Rating: 4 dumbmrblah fucked around with this message at 06:13 on Dec 22, 2005 |
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Dec 22, 2005 06:04
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