Lars Von Trier's Dogville

"The film 'Dogville' as told in nine chapters and a prologue". This is the preliminary title that is shown in advance of the introduction of the town of Dogville in Lars von Trier's Dogville (2003). And it suggests a different type of viewing for the audience; one that is less concerned about the events that occur on screen and the characters' motivations than the motivations of the filmmakers who created this world in the first place. The film's strict structure, where inter-titles and a narrator remove any alternate interpretations of any motivations involving the events that follow, and of each character, creates a pre-determined world where the audience is a component of the directors' vision. The film was created both for and about the audience because it is concerned with how the viewer perceives the world that Lars von Trier has conceived, and what he perceives about how the viewer comprehends that world. It exploits the voyeuristic tendencies of all humans by using camera tricks and revolutionary production design for a film, while simultaneously depicting what we are capable of as humans when put in primitive and restrictive environments.

The film, as it relates to alternative cinema, is rather clear. The almost bare production design, use of a sound stage, use of practical and special effects, and its peculiar setup using inter-titles and extensive narration all defy the conventions of mainstream filmmaking. Many of these are used to create a certain amount of realism in order for the viewer to use their imagination to believe that this could actually be a small town in the Rocky Mountains during the great depression. For example, von Trier often uses realistic sound effects in place of an actual physical object to develop a sense of place and time for the audience. A dog that we cannot see barks periodically, we hear knobs turn and doors open, we hear sand and gravel move about as the town's resident's walk up and down the streets that we only see as the black wood floor of a sound stage. The camera movements are another way that the film separates itself from the mainstream. Lars von Trier himself is the camera operator as sloppy and frantic camera movements characterize the entire film, as well as extensive use of the zoom. However, it is essential that the actors do not play to these changes, and although they are somewhat stilted as they reach for a door knob that only exists in their minds, they are correct in seemingly not paying it any mind. This alludes to the fact that the characters are not self-aware of the awkward predicament that they may find themselves in.

The appearance of the production design of the film puts into play certain thoughts that come into mind about human nature. Is this some sort of desired fantasy for all humans; to be able to see one another at all times without them being able to see you? In my opinion, Lars von Trier is not unaware of this strange human desire, and in fact highlights it using filmmaking techniques for what it actually is; voyeurism. The first scene that is keen on this exploitation is the first act of rape between Grace and Chuck. As Chuck begins to sexually take advantage of Grace, we see Tom walking outside, who of course will feel hurt if someone else were to move in on his territory. Then there are several long shots, which present some of the townspeople softly gossiping to each other about the FBI who have shown up in town in the foreground, with Chuck on top of Grace in the background. Voyeurism seems to be particularly useful to the narrative structure of the film here, as well as in many other instances. For example, often as we hear two characters speaking, we are subsequently shown long shots that include other people going about their daily lives with no knowledge of what is occurring closest to the camera. I believe the most telling use of this style is when Grace attempts to escape by hiding on the back of a truck carrying apples. As soon as she is covered over by a large blanket and the truck begins to move, the blanket becomes transparent and the audience is able to see everything that Grace is doing. I believe that these instances are purely for the purpose of developing more interest for these scenes from the audience because it defines the necessity of why these sets are the way that they are. And if the filmmaker were to deny the existence of the peculiarity of these sets then there simply would be no rhyme or reason for them.

Another facet of this voyeurism is the reason for the extensive narration. It is gracefully spoken by the famous British actor John Hurt, and it is the specific piercing tone that seems to reach right down into the heart of each character and tell us everything about them. This voyeurism even extends to the psychology of each character, as it is the narrator who informs us about almost every major character's motivations and inner thoughts, which does let the audience into their minds probably much more than they want to. This is also related to the method in which the inter-titles are applied; "Chapter Seven: In which Grace finally gets enough of Dogville, leaves the town, and again sees the light of day", explains all of the major events in this portion of the film. In my mind this was very similar to the manner that Charles Dickens titled his chapters, especially in the novel "David Copperfield"; "Chapter 10 - I Become Neglected, And Am Provided For". The design of this is so that the audience can focus on the reasons for making the characters perform these actions, and not the actions themselves.

One of the major questions that should be brought up in the discussion of any film is its proposed audience. Who is the film made for, and what are the filmmakers attempting to suggest to that audience? In my opinion, Dogville's intended audience comes from any background that anyone could have, and I would willingly call this an incredibly broad audience. The film is not commenting on American behavior any more than it is commenting on human behavior. There is no logical reason that the town of Dogville could not exist in any country around the world. And even though Lars von Trier makes a point of portraying the American great depression, I believe that someone would have a difficult time not finding a similar challenging era around the world.

The film's climax and subsequent conclusion contains the revealing events on the part of the characters and filmmakers. When speaking on the innermost thoughts of Grace during this climax, the narrator asserts, "...the difference in the people she knew back home, and the people she'd met in Dogville, had proven somewhat slighter than she'd expected". This is obviously an illustration of the filmmaker's point of view on the sinister aspect of human nature, and it asserts that the nature of our makeup turn out to be much stronger than how our life's circumstances are nurtured. Later, Grace through the narrator even implicates herself with all of the characters' actions when saying "she would probably have done things like those...if she had lived in one of those houses (in Dogville)". This also clearly assembles the arguments of the filmmakers in the direction of the human race and not just the country in which this town appears in the film.
For me, a key and a very cleverly staged moment was when the narrator stated that Grace had seen the residents of Dogville in a new light, which was closely followed by some of the lights on the soundstage actually changing colors. This is supposed to indicate the change of heart that Grace goes through when she decides to return to her gangster roots and end the lives of the entire town before she leaves. Since this new light was from almost directly above the people standing in the street, Grace could now see all of the flaws, previously thought of as insignificant, in all of the buildings as well as on each face.

Lars von Trier created a very peculiar world that carries an intentionally strange reaction from those that watch it. And it can be cited that this contributed to at least some influence on the anti-American disclaimer that this film held when it was distributed in this country. Primarily, the audience partly fantasizes about the circumstances in which the townspeople exist in the film. They may envy the position of the men in this town, who are able to take advantage of Grace sexually without any repercussions, or envy the way that the women in this town take advantage of Grace as it relates to physical labor and emotional burden. Women who lived during this era in the United States still held much less power than men, and with Grace they were able to take away some of the chores that were required of them as well as pressure her emotionally by dumping off the children with her and blaming her for their failures in how they raised them. This is portrayed during the scene where the three women visit Grace over night, after they have learned of the spanking incident with one of their kids, in addition to the misunderstanding of Chuck's sexual advances. They then scold Grace and move on to break every one of her figurines that she saved up to buy from the town's store. Grace eventually breaks down and cries under the weight of every burden that she has been required to carry.

Narcissism comes into play because of the mindset of an audience. This is when a viewer blindly believes that what appears on screen is a work of complete fiction, and could not possibly relate to actions or stances that exist in reality. To be more specific, that the manner in which the residents of Dogville acted in relation to Grace and also to each other has no bearing on themselves or others around them. I believe that the end credits of the film states much more clearly this message of introspection by the audience, because it is the underbelly of society that is shown in these pictures who are often times forgotten. The appearance of these lower class societal pictures along with the David Bowie song is a call to action for the audience, to not forget anyone that is treated wrongly, because as the film attempts to demonstrate, no human is immune to our natural behaviors and it is our responsibility to attempt to go beyond these instincts and improve.

Works Cited

"The Internet Movie Database". IMDB. 2007. Internet Movie Database Inc. December 11, 2007.

Dogville. Lars von Trier. DVD. Zentropa Entertainments, 2003.

Dickens, Charles. David Copperfield.