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

When Chuck takes the scarf from Grace's neck it shows up two shots later, then is gone again in next shot.

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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 The Cinema Snob Movie (2012)

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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

A film which is stunning in its simplicity.

I did not know what to expect when I first sat down to view this film. Initially I thought the stage-like set up was a mere gimmick I did not expect that the entire movie would be shot with this set up, with all the action taking place on one large plot. Once i got used to this however it turned out to be a real asset for the film. There are no special effects nor camera tricks and make-up is kept to a bare minimum, which allows us to focus purely on the story and the quality of the acting and both it must be said are exemplary. Nicole Kidman is amazing as usual bringing a wonderful vulnerability and frailty to her character which conceals an underlying ruthlessness and brutality. Ample support comes from co-star Betthany and Chloe Sevigny excels also. In truth the whole cast is frighteningly convincing.

The story is simple a young girl who it appears is on the run from the mob seeks refuge in a small town known as Dogville. The residents who are initially wary of her soon warm to her and welcome her into their midst. This however comes with a price she must do small favours in return for refuge. Inevitably greed, desire and mistrust take over the residents which corrupts them and has devastating consequences for all involved.

The dramatic shift in the mentality of the townspeople is so well handled and expertly crafted by Von Trier, that it makes the emotional payoff which one receives at the end of this film even greater. It is utterly compelling and has universal themes. This is a film which may serve as a cautionary tale for all self proclaimed 'civillised' societies.