Skip to main content

Dogville (2003)

Friday, April 10, 2009

Dogville. Feature film. (2003, 177 mins) IMDB

...it'd be hard to point out another film that is this different...

A

play made into a film complete with a stage set except this film was never a play. It was written directly for film. Go figure.

From Lauren Becall to Patricia Clarkson to Nicole Kidman, there is a large, large cast with familiar faces. Too many to count.

All that and it's one of the strangest films I've ever seen without any question.

The film was shot in Sweden but it could have been shot in any country that has a large building with open spaces. Imagine a football field under a roof.

How this film was ever made with this cast amazes me.

I read Bettany didn't want to work in the film but changed his mind when his friend Stellan Skarsgård, who has worked with director Von Tier before, told him it would be fun. Half-way during the shooting, Bettany asked when the fun would begin. Skarsgård had lied to him in order to get him involved. I can relate. I read the DVD synopsis of this film without knowing anything more. I was duped as well.

I'm not sure what else to say about this film because it reminds me of a Beckett play with a plot yet the story line in this film is surreal and Beckett would have been a whole lot better. Maybe that's the point. The entire film seems surreal. From the one set used in this film (imagine a film, and three hours no less, with just one set) to a large cast who at the end of shooting wonder what to do that evening in Sweden.

See. I'm talking so much about things outside of the film I obviously didn't think much of it and I don't.

Hey. I lived and worked in Sweden. I've been to Denmark a number of times. I have nothing against them, but I didn't like this film. Baby Zeus, I tried.

Posted 2009/04/10 at 20h14ET in Movie Commentary.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

If Only We Could Agree

Monday, June 11, 2012 ... have you been accused of misspelling a word you know is correct ... S usanne O’Leary wrote an interesting article on her experience with the variations of the English language in different countries. You know the obvious ones like colour with or without a “u” but less obvious ones like travelled versus traveled. Growing up in Sweden she learnt English in school—the UK variation. In publishing her books, she read reviews where she was criticized for improper spelling. False accusations as it turns out. While I write tire and cozy, it’s not incorrect to write tyre or cosy. Same language. Both accepted. Just different. You can read her write-up here along with the numerous comments posted by readers. I found it interesting, but that’s me. As a Canadian I deal with this issue everyday. I feel her pain when she’s criticized for something based on ignorance. No fun. I was told by a boss that “data are” isn’t correct. It should be “data is.” Read...
2 comments
Read more

Day 109: Writing a Novel—The Deep Blue Hold

Sunday, March 6, 2017 Note: Unedited writings from my notebook for this novel. Square bracket items represent added comments. At 18:47 Office ... I barely remembered anything about this story ... H as it really been three months? I guess it has. I put it out of my mind [so much so] that I barely remembered anything about this story. Not even the title. [Unreal!!!!!!] I had the general premise and an ending—enough I thought for a novel. What I lacked was a determination and desire to want to write it. Why bother… I wasn’t enjoying the process and I had no reason to believe the result wouldn’t be anything more than what’s gone before—nothing. James Piper Kitchener, Ontario Post comments on facebook page. Follow me on twitter. Posted 2017/04/14 at 14h02ET in The Deep Blue Cage | Writing A Novel
Post a Comment
Read more

Words: BONE—GONE—LOAN—BOAN

Friday, March 31, 2017 You’d think BONE would rhyme with GONE but no. This is the English language after all. But BONE does rhyme with LOAN so we’ll spell it BOAN. It will take some time to update all the existing writings but it can be done. Meanwhile, if you smash up your car, the insurance company will allow you to get a LOANER and if you happen to meet the right person you may get a BOANER. boan Post comments on facebook page Posted 2017/03/31 at 17h28ET in Words .
Post a Comment
Read more