Dear Wendy (2005)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Thomas Vinterberg

Writer:

Lars von Trier (writer)

Release Date:

23 September 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

One shot is all it takes.

Plot:

A young boy in a nameless, timeless American town establishes a gang of youthful misfits united in their love of guns and their code of honor.

Plot Keywords:

Gun | Mining Town | Pacifist | Pacifism | Weapon

Awards:

1 win & 5 nominations

Cast

Jamie Bell	...	Dick Dandelion
Bill Pullman	...	Krugsby
Michael Angarano	...	Freddie
Danso Gordon	...	Sebastian
Novella Nelson	...	Clarabelle
Chris Owen	...	Huey
Alison Pill	...	Susan
Mark Webber	...	Stevie
Trevor Cooper	...	Dick's Dad
Matthew Géczy	...	Young Officer
William Hootkins	...	Marshall Walker
Teddy Kempner	...	Mr. Salomon
Thomas Bo Larsen	...	Customer

Directed by
Thomas Vinterberg

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Lars von Trier		writer

Produced by
Gillian Berrie	....	co-producer: UK
Bettina Brokemper	....	co-executive producer
Bo Ehrhardt	....	executive producer
Marie Cecilie Gade	....	co-producer
Peter Garde	....	executive producer
Birgitte Hald	....	executive producer
Marianne Jul Hansen	....	line producer
Peter Aalbæk Jensen	....	executive producer
Sisse Graum Jørgensen	....	producer
Marianne Slot	....	co-executive producer
Juliane Thevissen	....	line producer: Germany
Vibeke Windeløv	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Benjamin Wallfisch

Cinematography by
Anthony Dod Mantle

Film Editing by
Mikkel E.G. Nielsen

Casting by
Avy Kaufman
Joyce Nettles

Production Design by
Karl Júlíusson
Jette Lehmann

Art Direction by
Jette Lehmann
Peter Menne

Costume Design by
Annie Périer

Makeup Department
Pascale Bouquière	....	makeup designer
Mai-Britt Haurholm	....	additional makeup artist
Dorte Jacobsen	....	additional makeup artist (as Dorthe Jacobsen)
Morten Jacobsen	....	special makeup effects artist
Susanne Søbye	....	key makeup artist

Production Management
Pia Nielsen	....	post-production supervisor
Carsten Sparwath	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Bill Kirk	....	first assistant director
William Westh-Lillesøe	....	third assistant director (as William Vest-Lillesøe)

Art Department
Sebastian Bacquaert	....	set props
Christine Bechameil	....	painter
Jean Roch Bechameil	....	painter
Uwe Belke	....	painter
Michael Böttger	....	set construction
Uwe Brauer	....	painter: Germany
Lotte Kryger Broe	....	assistant to the art director
Mieke Casal	....	painter
Frantz Dahl	....	set dresser
Lene Ejlersen	....	set props
Simon Empt	....	set dresser
Tom Forger	....	set construction
Tony Grob	....	property master: US
Karsten Holst	....	set dresser
Morten Isbrand	....	property master: Denmark
Søren Jochumsen	....	construction manager
Magnus Kasting	....	assistant property master
Daniel Kolarov	....	property master: Germany
Kajsa Kvaale	....	painter
Matthias Lerch	....	props
Matthew McLemore	....	painter
Peter Menne	....	art director: Germany
Liselotte Møller	....	painter
Lars Munck	....	artist
Rolf Rexhausen	....	set construction
Sune Saabye	....	property master: second unit
Benjamin Salomon	....	set dresser
Julia Schacky	....	art department crew
Vivian Bak Sørensen	....	painter
Uli Tegetmeier	....	set dresser
Rasmus Thjellesen	....	set designer
Anja Wessel	....	property assistant: second unit
Claus Zier	....	set designer

Sound Department
Kristian Eidnes Andersen	....	sound designer
Coll Anderson	....	sound effects recordist
Ray Beckett	....	sound mixer
Anne Jensen	....	foley editor
Per Dybdal Jensen	....	sound assistant (as Per Dybdal)
Vincent Maloumian	....	foley assistant
Peter Murphy	....	boom operator
Julien Naudin	....	foley artist
Eddie Simonsen	....	sound re-recording mixer
Brian Slack	....	adr mixer
Rasmus Winther	....	additional sound effects recordist (as Rasmus Winther Jensen)

Special Effects by
Kim Blidorf	....	special effects technician
Søren Skov Haraldsted	....	special effects assistant
Hummer Høimark	....	special effects supervisor
Søren Hvam	....	special effects technician
Christian Kitter	....	special effects technician
Ilja Jonbak Nielsen	....	special effects technician (as Ilja Nielsen)

Visual Effects by
Stefan Ciupek	....	digital colorist
Niels Valentin Dal	....	digital matte painting
Sune Elskær	....	storyboard artist

Stunts
Stig Günther	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Peter Alsted	....	clapper loader: second unit
Torben Borup Madsen	....	best boy
Felix Buchholz	....	additional electrician
Alexander Damaschke	....	additional electrician
Thue Garde	....	clapper loader
Felix Keuck	....	electrician
Jeppe Lassen	....	grip assistant
Aslak Lytthans	....	electrician
Maike Maier	....	grip assistant
Thomas Neivelt	....	gaffer
Jens Nolte	....	video operator
Mogens Otte	....	lighting technician
John Frimann Rasmussen	....	focus puller
Claus Rosenløv Jensen	....	focus puller: second unit
Michael Rosenløv Jensen	....	focus puller: second unit
Roman Schauerte	....	clapper loader
Jens Schlosser	....	director of photography: second unit
Markus Wiebecke	....	best boy
Astrid Wirth	....	still photographer

Casting Department
Cody P. Beke	....	casting assistant
Constance Demontoy	....	casting: France
Elizabeth Greenberg	....	casting associate

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Sandrine Bernard	....	costumer
Lotte Dandanell	....	wardrobe assistant
Grith Deleuran	....	wardrobe: second unit
Anne-Dorthe Eskildsen	....	key costumer (as Anne Dorthe Eskildsen)

Editorial Department
Sune F. Andersen	....	assistant editor
Stefan Ciupek	....	digital colorist
Carsten Dyhr	....	assistant editor: avid
Peter Harry	....	assistant editor: avid
Julie Klitgaard	....	post-production assistant: second unit
Charlotte Mazzinghi	....	intermediate color grader
Nicolaj Monberg	....	assistant editor: second unit
Nanna Rosenstock	....	post-production coordinator: second unit
Cecilie Rui	....	post-production assistant: second unit
Ludivine Saes	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Mikael Carlsson	....	executive soundtrack producer
Mikkel Maltha	....	music coordinator
Tony Stanton	....	music copyist
Paul Talkington	....	musical director
Anders Valbro	....	music coordinator
Benjamin Wallfisch	....	conductor
Nick Wollage	....	score recordist
Alison Wright	....	music score coordinator

Other crew
Svend Abrahamsen	....	consultant: Nordisk Film- & TV-Fond
Samanou Acheche	....	assistant to producer
Lina Bach Christensen	....	production coordinator
Morten Bundgaard	....	production assistant: director
Andrea F. Cannistraci	....	legal services
Thomas Caspersen	....	digital preparation
Stefan Ciupek	....	technical supervisor
Mikael Colville-Andersen	....	script translator
Carrie Comerford	....	production executive: UK
Kerstin Dick	....	production accountant
Anna Duffield	....	assistant to producer: UK
Laura Einmahl	....	production coordinator
Lillian Rype Fokdal	....	continuity: second unit
Morten Grunwald	....	consultant: Danish Film Institute
Camilla Hammerich	....	consultant: TV 2/Danmark
Jarl Axel Hansen	....	production assistant
Caspar Heider	....	production assistant
Anders Jacobsen	....	production coordinator
Anders Thomas Jensen	....	script consultant
Mikkel Kastberg	....	assistant to producer
Matthias Krause	....	assistant to producer: Germany
Anders Lexne	....	armorer
Dan Loghin	....	high definition operator
Hans Lönnerheden	....	completion bond
Xénia Maingot	....	assistant to producer: France
Zoe Morgan	....	script supervisor
Emma Murphy	....	post production assistant
Mikael Olsen	....	script editor
Levke Palm	....	set manager
Adam Price	....	consultant: TV 2/Danmark
Howard Samuelsohn	....	dialect coach
Sofie Saxild	....	production assistant: Denmark
Valérie Sieye	....	accountant
Charlotte Vinther	....	production controller
Ann Vognsen	....	key accountant
Sarah Wells	....	accountant
Walter Wißmann	....	weapons coordinator

Production Companies

• Lucky Punch
• Nimbus Film Productions
• Zentropa Entertainments
• TV2 Danmark (co-production)

Distributors

• A-Film Distribution (2005) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Bazuca Films (2007) (Chile) (theatrical)
• Cinequanon (2006) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Distribution Company (2006) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Golem Distribución (2005) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Les Films du Losange (2005) (France) (theatrical)
• Monopole-Pathé (2005) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Neue Visionen Filmverleih (2005) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Nordisk Film Biografdistribution (2005) (Denmark) (theatrical)
• SPI International (2005) (Czech Republic) (theatrical)
• SPI International (2006) (Slovakia) (theatrical)
• Eagle Pictures (2004) (Italy) (all media)
• Gateno Films (2006) (Peru) (all media)
• Legend Films International (2005) (Germany) (all media) (rights)
• Nordisk Film Video (2005) (Denmark) (DVD)
• Nordisk Film (2006) (Finland) (DVD)
• SPI International (2006) (Czech Republic) (DVD)
• Sir Film (2005) (Turkey) (all media)
• Trust Film Sales (2005) (worldwide) (all media) (sales)
• Universum Film (UFA) (2006) (Germany) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (Switzerland) (DVD)
• Wellspring Media (2005) (USA) (all media)
• Wise Policy (Japan)
• With Cinema (Korea)

Special Effects

• Dansk Speciel Effekt Service (special effects: Denmark)
• Flash Art GmbH (special effects: Germany)

Other Companies

• Det Danske Filminstitut  financing
• Digital Film Lab  HDTV to 35 mm transfer
• EF Rental  equipment
• Eurimages  financing
• Jeremy Walker + Associates  publicity
• Malde & Co.  auditor
• MovieScore Media  soundtrack
• Nordisk Film Biografdistribution  financing
• Nordisk Film- & TV-Fond  financing
• Sound One  adr studio
• Widget Post Production  sound post-production

Runtime:

105 min | Argentina:102 min (Mar del Plata Film Festival)

Country:

Denmark | France | Germany | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Germany:18 | Philippines:R-13 | USA:Unrated | Brazil:18 | Finland:K-15 | Hong Kong:IIB | Hungary:16 | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Portugal:M/16 | Czech Republic:12 | Singapore:NC-16 | Argentina:13 | Denmark:15 | Netherlands:12 | UK:15 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | Ireland:16 | Australia:MA

Filming Locations:

Copenhagen, Denmark

Company:

Lucky Punch

Trivia:

Director Nicolas Winding Refn stated in an interview with Mads Brügger on "Den 11. time" (2007), that Lars von Trier offered him the chance to direct this film, but he declined (6th September, 2007).

Quotes:

[Huey has just shot Marshall Walker in the head]
Huey: Officer d-d-down, I'm afraid!

Movie Connections:

References A Clockwork Orange (1971)

Soundtrack:

Indication

Too smart for it's own good?

Dear Wendy, you're the second Lars von Trier film I saw. At first you were so hard to understand now all is at peace.

Dear Wendy is another take on American culture from the outside. There are a lot of traits and references that most won't notice, and the biggest being the use of guns in this film.

I didn't know what to expect and at the end was upset. I was missing something. So I gave it another chance. If you're caught up into guns, or watch movies to be entertained easily this movie will confuse you.

Not so unlike Dogville, everything is shot like it were on stage. I had a hard time with this movie because I didn't understand the layout and lack of city and tried to keep in mind his other film.

The story itself is clever. Dick is a good-boy living in an American town somewhere in the South (he has a Austin, Texas style to him though) He has a father he hates who works in the town mine, a hard but sweet care-taker, and no friends. He gets a job at a store, buys a toy-gun, and falls into an obsessive world and recruits others to form a group called the Dandies.

This movie continue to take us into a fantasy world where reason starts to drift away. Weapons are personified by the children and they take it upon themselves to protect and serve. They end of meeting the police head on and mellow-drama ensues.

Talking to a friend, I found out the writer isn't a big fan of Americans. This movie doesn't show us in a horrible light but to me really pointed out how isolated and far away from reason these Children and police seem to be, not so unlike our real world.

The cast is fantastic. Visually it is easy to watch but you feel this town is awfully small. Some of the cartoon visuals started to bug me but they fit well in the world that the children seem to have created for themselves.

This isn't Mimi Vice, DejaVu, or Stealth. To enjoy this movie you can't try to have the movie spell it out to you or amaze you with action. Follow the story with an open-mind and heart and you'll feel and experience all the characters. It may take a second time to watch.

It's a love-hate kind of movie I suppose.