Dancer in the Dark (2000)

An east European girl goes to America with her young son, expecting it to be like a Hollywood film.

Director:

Lars von Trier (as Lars Von Trier)

Writer:

Lars von Trier (as Lars Von Trier)

Stars:

Björk, Catherine Deneuve, David Morse

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 33 wins & 46 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Björk	...	Selma Jezkova
Catherine Deneuve	...	Kathy
David Morse	...	Bill Houston
Peter Stormare	...	Jeff
Joel Grey	...	Oldrich Novy
Cara Seymour	...	Linda Houston
Vladica Kostic	...	Gene Jezkova
Jean-Marc Barr	...	Norman
Vincent Paterson	...	Samuel
Siobhan Fallon Hogan	...	Brenda (as Siobhan Fallon)
Zeljko Ivanek	...	District Attorney
Udo Kier	...	Dr. Porkorny
Jens Albinus	...	Morty
Reathel Bean	...	Judge
Mette Berggreen	...	Receptionist

Storyline

1964 in small town Washington state. Selma Jezková, a Czechoslovakian immigrant, and her preteen son Gene live in a rented trailer owned by and on the property of married Bill and Linda Houston, he the town sheriff. Beyond Bill and Linda, Selma has a small group of friends who look out for her, including her primary confidante, Kathy, with who she works, and Jeff who wants to be her boyfriend. Jeff regularly waits outside Selma's workplace long before the end of her shift to drive her home, despite she always refusing in not wanting to lead him on. Her primary job is working on the Anderson Tool factory assembly line, but she does whatever she can to earn money. What only Kathy knows among Selma's friends is that she is slowly going blind, her medical condition being genetic. Selma is barely able to see, just enough to do her job. Her primary reason for moving to the US and for working all the time is to earn enough money for an operation for Gene when he turns thirteen, he who ...

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Plot Keywords:

czech immigrant | tragedy | singing | daydream | dancing | 

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Taglines:

In a world of shadows, she found the light of life.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Musical

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some violence

Details

Country:

Denmark Germany Netherlands Italy USA UK France Sweden Finland Iceland Norway

Language:

English German Czech

Release Date:

6 October 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

Bailando en la oscuridad

Filming Locations:

Arlington, Washington, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$12,800,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$103,102 (Denmark), 10 September 2000, Limited Release

Opening Weekend USA:

$91,612, 24 September 2000, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$4,184,036, 22 December 2000

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$40,031,879, 18 July 2001

Company Credits

Production Co:

Zentropa Entertainments,Trust Film Svenska,Film i Väst

Technical Specs

Runtime:

140 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Lars von Trier has said that each morning before filming, Björk would say "Mr. von Trier, I despise you," and spit at him.

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Goofs

When Selma knocks on the door and her foreman answers it, the door opens from the wrong direction, and they are clearly not in the same factory building.

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Quotes

Selma: [singing] Forgive me. I am so sorry. I just did what I had to do, I just did what I had to do, I just did what I had to do, I just did what I had to do.

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Connections

Spoofed in My Big Fat Independent Movie (2005)

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Soundtracks

My Favourite Things
Written by Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein II
Williamson Music
Performed by Björk, Vincent Paterson and Catherine Deneuve

User Reviews

Experimental, jarring, beautiful

Dancer in the Dark haunted me. This film was an amazing view into the human mind as well as a tragic story of hopeless hope, betrayal by others, and still remaining true to yourself. Bjork produces an inspirational performance, of which one would never think she is not primarily an actress. Some of her moments in this film bring you to tears with their absolute honesty. The ensemble cast are a godsend as well. Peter Stormare, Catherine Denevue, and David Morse in particular. Morse, playing the most varied and difficult character, succeeds with apparent ease. The only complaint I had of the film is that it was slightly drawn out and slow paced. However, it is still spiked with moments of surprise that knock you so hard, you are pulled back in immediately. With an incredible closeness to these people, Dancer in the Dark will make you think and stretch your emotions to the limit.