Hey folks, Harry here with another of the several reviews that Capone sent in today. He's seen the latest from Lars Von Trier, that very talented consummate filmmaker that likes to shake things up cinematically speaking. Here ya go with his look at MANDERLAY!
Hey, everyone. Capone in Chicago here.
Manderlay
Director-provocateur Lars von Trier doesn’t want you to like him. In fact,
I’m convinced that he’d rather have you hate him, especially if you’re an
American. Considering he is devoting a trilogy of lengthy films (Dogville
was the first, this film, and Wasington, set for release in 2007) opens
criticizing American values and practices, I’d say he’s not booking an
cruises stateside for quite some time. In fact, Von Trier has (proudly)
never been to the United States and says he’ll never come. His latest,
Manderlay, appears on the surface to be a film that attacks the practice of
slavery, but it becomes something even darker than that (if that’s
possible). Using the same minimal staging practices he did with Dogville (no
sets, just chalk lines on a black floor indicating streets, homes,
landmarks, etc.; minimal props) and many of the same actors, Von Trier has
crafted a work that is at times naïve, poignant, frustrating, and
manipulative. Thank goodness there is at least one filmmaker out there
making films like this, even if they don’t always hit the mark.
Bryce Dallas Howard (The Village) picks up the Grace role Nicole Kidman had
in Dogville. She and her father (Willem Dafoe) are traveling through the
south when they stumble upon a plantation (run by Lauren Bacall) where
slavery is still very much in effect. Grace informs the slaves that they no
longer have to serve for no pay, as she takes on the role of their great
emancipator. Von Trier dares to ask the question (whether he’s serious or
not, is anybody’s guess), are African-American’s better off as slaves in
America? Danny Glover’s Wilhelm is the emotional focal point of the former
slaves and the film, and it’s great to see him back in top form. Because of
their isolation from the outside world, these slaves have a tough time
understanding their rights as well as their rightful place in society.
Grace’s attempts at acclimating never quite play out how she thinks they
will, especially with the rebellious Timothy (Isaach De Bankolé).
If all of this sounds more like a thesis than a film, you’re not far off.
Von Trier’s American trilogy is filled with as much theory and philosophy as
they are plot and characters. In fact, his characters seem more like icons
than human beings, and it’s on this level that frustration sets in. Still,
he has more challenging and thought-provoking ideas running around his pesky
little films than just about any other filmmaker working today. Sometimes
dead-on, sometimes ignorant, Von Trier is a writer-director that simply
should not be ignored. After watching one of his films, my natural
inclination is always to confront him, and once I feel that way, I know that
Von Trier has gotten under my skin once again. Does he hate women, as he’s
shown us evidence of in Dancer in the Dark and Breaking the Waves? Probably.
Does he despise certain American values? Most definitely. Does that make his
works any less worthy of being seen. No. Manderlay is not the best he’s
given us, but it’s still challenging and well worth investigating.
Bryce Howard... MARRY ME! Wait, Let Me Become Mormon First!
CAPONE
