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"Hiding From
Interracial Harmony..." |
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Directed by Lars von
Trier - Written by Lars
von Trier
Starring Bryce Dallas
Howard, Lauren Bacall,
Willem Dafoe, Jean-Marc
Barr
Jeremy Davies, Isaach De
Bankole, Danny Glover,
Udo Kier
Chloë Sevigny, Stellan
Skarsgård, Zeljko Ivanek
Distributed by IFC -
2006 - 139m - Rated R |
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"There is no reason to be grateful for anything as natural as your
freedom." |
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I wrote of Lars von
Trier's "Dogville" that it was a veiled exposé of American morality
and all of the inequities in its relatively short history. It told
the story of a young woman named Grace, who enters an isolated
community so supremely cut off from the rest of the world that it
almost has its own set of laws and moralities.
"Manderlay" is the second in a planned trilogy ("Wasington" will
conclude the story in 2007/8) revolving around young Grace, and each
with a different perspective on American culture -- historically and
present-day. Nicole Kidman superbly handled the duties of the lead
role in "Dogville". The supremely talented Bryce Dallas Howard ("The
Village") takes over the reins here.
In this production, Grace has left Dogville with her father and the
gangsters. In a beautiful opening sequence, in which the camera
zooms in from an overhead shot of a black & white American map, with
dotted lines outlining the states, we see the convoy of four cars
slow to a halt in Alabama. Manderlay is a slave plantation, run by a
dying woman, many years after the supposed abolition.
Grace arrives there as a whipping is about to take place. She
intervenes and prevents the brutality. On the same night, the old
lady passes away, leaving the slaves without masters. Grace is
naive, believing that she has done a wonderful deed. It is her
father who laughs at her naiveté, suggesting that she has just made
things worse for them.
It is in these early scenes that Von Trier treats us to hints of his
message. It won't be until later that his intentions and opinions
become more clear.
The famed director employs the same starkly original techniques
found in the 2004 masterpiece. The set is one large soundstage, with
chalk outlines delineating houses, bushes and roads. There are
gates, a few walls and an occasional piece of furniture dotting the
stage. Night and day are signified by white or black backdrops. The
cumulative effect of this is much the same as a black and white
photograph -- details are easier to spot & the simplicity of the
visual allows for more concentration and focus on the intended
message.
Once again, there is a glorious narration by John Hurt and some
delightful classical music to break up the chapters.
Grace is surprised at the reaction to her well-intentioned deed.
Instead of happy relief, she is greeted by the notion that she is "a
society lady who spends her time rescuing wretched niggers".
The years of abuse and indoctrination have deluded these slaves into
thinking that they deserve their lot in life. One of the women
actually calls her own race "vile by nature". All of this, of
course, is the cleverly subversive comparison that Von Trier is
attempting to make to American culture today -- that we are
accepting of our masters, unable to survive contently without their
rule and unaware that it even exists.
So Grace has upended the plantation, attempting to give the slaves
freedom and setting the remaining whites to work on menial tasks.
A government is set up in order to vote on every aspect of life --
from small matters, like who is the owner of a rake, to large ones,
like whether or not a old lady should be punished for stealing a
dying child's food.
The film brilliantly examines the natural human tendency toward
corruption and hypocrisy. There are chapters of betrayal and taboo
lust and denial and self-loathing. "Manderlay" discusses these
weighty issues with metaphor and implication. Like its predecessor,
this is not an easy film to watch -- it requires the ability to
contemplate and compare in great depth. It is a film for
intellectuals who are willing to self-analyze with brutal honesty.
It is said that television is a producer's medium, film a director's
medium and theatre an actor's medium. This Von Trier series feels
more like a play than anything else, thus becoming an acting
display... one of immense skill.
There are many characters here, but the one that dominates the
landscape is the lead role of Grace. Nicole Kidman deserved an Oscar
nomination for her work in 2004. She didn't get one because the film
had such small target audience. The same is true of Bryce Dallas
Howard's effort. It is magnificent in every way, fully matching
Kidman's mastery, perhaps surpassing it. She is joined by Danny
Glover, whose subtle role as the wise old Wilhelm is one of the
finest he has ever delivered. Isaach De Bankolé and Willem Dafoe are
both memorable too. The entire cast handles this delicate material
with the utmost care.
These types of films are not made to generate entertainment or
enjoyment. There is a far loftier and more difficult to attain goal
here. However, I am riveted by the bravery and originality displayed
by the artists involved. These stories are endlessly fascinating and
debatable. These stories are so far removed from the standard
cinematic fare... And I am grateful for that. It feels like a sip of
fine wine in a vast sea of Kool Aid.
Lars Von Trier is certainly not for everyone's tastes... nor would
he want to be. He asks the viewers to be a little disgusted at the
lack of humanity in this world, especially in the United States.
Perhaps he is a tad unfair with his criticisms because of his
refusal to even visit the USA? I would agree with that notion if I
thought he was being incorrect with his depictions -- unfortunately,
he is not. He is deadly accurate.
"Voluntary slavery...
only entered into by those ignorant of real freedom or those who
have no choice."
"Living proof of the
devastating power of oppression -- No child wants to see the rod
with which it has been beaten." |
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© Written by TC Candler -
Email Me! |
Richard
Propes' Comment
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Hall's Comment
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