| Posted by: A.E. Jabbour at May 12, 2004, 1:26 am | | Topic: UK's GCHQ Whistle-blower case also impacts Greenpeace protes Forum: groupsrv | | DKWilliams wrote: Quote:Dogville works on several levels. One I have not read about yet struck me as obvious: Dogville as a Christian parable. Humans are offered Grace. They reject Grace for their most base instincts and pettiness. By rejecting Grace they face damnation. Caan is God. Grace is his child. Humans reject God's child and subject her to horrible treatment. Humans die for their rejection. At one point, Grace is compared to an overripe apple by the narrator. Rather obvious Garden of Eden reference. Tom Jr betrays Grace, like Judas betrayed Jesus. Judas professed his love to Jesus, like Tom did to Grace. As far as I know Von Trier is an atheist, but the similarities between the Christ story and Dogville exist. Yes, that's clearly one of the themes in DOGVILLE. And it is a departure for von Trier, moving from his heroine as martyr and sacrificed figure (BREAKING THE WAVES, DANCING IN THE DARK) to avenging, wrathful figure, a la the Old Testament. And it works, too. What I think is interesting is that while all the flap over the supposed anti-Americanism (whatever that is; and clearly loved by von Trier, provacateur par excellence) basically stole the headlines, the whole idea of a far more dark and grim misanthropy was pushed to the side. I was hooked from minute one, and I left that theatre exhilerated. The performances were nearly all excellent. Kidman was, as is often the case, stellar. All of the elements of the film worked for me, and I was suprised by the ending (although, in retrospect, I shouldn't have been). Actually, thinking more about it, I am not sure that I don't take Grace's line "If there's any town the world would be better off without, it's Dogville" (paraphrased, I don't quite remember the exact line) at face value. Hmm ... more to think about. Anyhow, Lars had made his masterpiece. Truly. -- A.E. Jabbour "Dancer in the Dark" is one of the most sadistic films I've ever seen, but it also raises the possibility that sadism might be, in spite of itself, a species of love." - A.O. Scott |
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