Dogville (2003)

A woman on the run from the mob is reluctantly accepted in a small Colorado town. In exchange, she agrees to work for them. As a search visits town, she finds out that their support has a price. Yet her dangerous secret is never far away...

Director:

Lars von Trier

Writer:

Lars von Trier

Stars:

Nicole Kidman, Harriet Andersson, Lauren Bacall

13 wins & 20 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Nicole Kidman	...	Grace Margaret Mulligan
Harriet Andersson	...	Gloria
Lauren Bacall	...	Ma Ginger
Jean-Marc Barr	...	The Man with the Big Hat
Paul Bettany	...	Tom Edison
Blair Brown	...	Mrs. Henson
James Caan	...	The Big Man
Patricia Clarkson	...	Vera
Jeremy Davies	...	Bill Henson
Ben Gazzara	...	Jack McKay
Philip Baker Hall	...	Tom Edison Sr.
Thom Hoffman	...	Gangster
Siobhan Fallon	...	Martha (as Siobhan Fallon Hogan)
John Hurt	...	Narrator (voice)
Zeljko Ivanek	...	Ben

Storyline

Late one night, a beautiful and well-dressed young woman, Grace, arrives in the mountainous old mining town of Dogville as a fugitive; following the sound of gunshots in the distance which have been heard by Tom, the self-appointed moral spokesman for the town. Persuaded by Tom, the town agree to hide Grace, and in return she freely helps the locals. However, when the Sheriff from a neighbouring town posts a Missing notice, advertising a reward for revealing her whereabouts, the townsfolk require a better deal from Grace, in return for their silence; and when the Sheriff returns some weeks later with a Wanted poster, even though the citizens know her to be innocent of the false charges against her, the town's sense of goodness takes a sinister turn and the price of Grace's freedom becomes a workload and treatment akin to that of a slave. But Grace has a deadly secret that the townsfolk will eventually encounter.

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Plot Keywords:

town | secret | fugitive | sheriff | gangster | 

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Taglines:

A quiet little town not far from here.

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence and sexual content

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [dk] Official site [es]

Country:

Denmark Sweden UK France Germany Netherlands Norway Finland Italy

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 May 2003 (France)

Also Known As:

The Film 'Dogville' as Told in Nine Chapters and a Prologue

Filming Locations:

Film i Väst, Nohab Industrial Estate, Trollhättan, Västra Götalands län, Sweden

Box Office

Budget:

DKK 83,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$88,855 (USA) (26 March 2004)

Gross:

$1,530,386 (USA) (11 June 2004)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Zentropa Entertainments, Isabella Films B.V., Something Else B.V.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

178 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Nicole Kidman reportedly vowed she would never work with Lars von Trier again after completion of the film.

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Goofs

Many continuity issues (hats on/off in alternating shots etc) are entirely deliberate. There are a large number of quick cuts throughout the film which serve to disorientate and confuse the viewer. The continuity in these cases is never precise and is as much a part of the final film as the script.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Narrator: This is the sad tale of the township of Dogville. Dogville was in the Rocky Mountains in the US of A, up here where the road came to its definitive end, near the entrance to the old abandoned silver mine. The residents of Dogville were good honest folks, and they liked their township. And while a sentimental soul from the East Coast had once dubbed their main street Elm Street, though no elm had ever cast its shadow in Dogville, they saw no reason to change anything. Most of the ...

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Crazy Credits

An official Danish, Swedish, British, French, German and Dutch co-production in accordance with the 1992 European Convention on Cinematographic Co-Production.

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Connections

Referenced in Do You Like Hitchcock? (2005)

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Soundtracks

"Young Americans"
Written and Performed by David Bowie
Courtesy of RZO Music, Inc.
Published by Chrysalis Music Limited / EMI Music Publishing Limited / RZO Music Limited

User Reviews

What I got myself into...an unbelievable film.

When I went into the movie theater to see this film I didn't really know what I was getting myself into. All I knew was that "Dogville" had Nicole Kidman in it- an actress I have always liked- and Lars von Trier, a director I have always respected. I was quickly surprised by what the film was. Set entirely on a stage/sound stage I couldn't believe my eyes. As a theatre actor it was exciting to see how this all was going to work out. Dogville did not disappoint. Lars von Trier clearly creates a town that may seen ordinary and odd into masterful. Nicole Kidman was excellent and the supporting cast was flawless. It was great to see Lauren Bacall and I enjoyed her performance. When I first saw Paul Beattany in the film all I could think of was the awful film "A Knight's Tale" that he is also in. However he proved me wrong in his well developed character. Patricia Clarkson was great in her role as Vera, she is a stunning actress. If she keeps getting these great roles an Oscar is sure to be in her future. The film on the whole is wonderful. My only complaint was the length. Around the 2 hour mark I was getting kind of antsy, but the film brought me back to finish the roller coaster ride that the film gave. Truly an original. Go see it.