Genres

Visitors Review

cartersgrove 2012-05-18 17:32:27

This is a dog from an otherwise interesting director

What was he thinking? I very much admire van Their's work on Dancer inthe Dark and Medea. The stories are haunting and the cinematography anddirection are top notch. But Manderlay is some sort of pretentiousdrivel. The shots are still cool (love the opening shot sequence as wezoom to location!), the sets are interesting, and the cast is prettygood. But my god, the writing! Most of the VO narration could be cutbecause it tells rather than shows and we already get the info in otherways. And while I admire that for a white guy van Thiers seems to havea quite nuanced understanding of American racial issues, the script isabysmal. Reminds me of the painful-to-read scripts from untalented, butsincere young writers. Avoid this movie!

vvvallaton 2012-05-18 05:02:52

What a huge disappointment!

I didn't have a great expectations about this movie. I really lovedDogville and i kind of guessed that Von Trier is not going to be ableto do another such a great movie especially when the starting point isthe same. And he didn't, but still i was hoping a little more of thismovie. What did Dogville so good was the great actors, great story andtheatrical set up which was very fresh move. Now we are alreadyfamiliar with the set up and all the focus is the story and acting.Unfortunately the script is not very interesting in Manderlay. Big partof Dogville's charm was that you didn't know who Grace was and fromwhere she came. And you really couldn't guess what is going to happenin the movie and the story went ahead all the time. Now we know whathappened to Grace and who she is and now she decides to free Manderlayfrom it's slavery, apparently because she was so humiliated herself shewants to release these downtrodden people. The idea is important as VonTrier tries to criticize slavery and especially slavery in America. Butthe film just don't move after the first 30 minutes. Dogville was aninteresting place with a certain charm in it and interestingcharacters. Manderlay is like a boring village where nothing happens,no magic there and you can't get touch with slaves who lives there.First chapter is called "Introducing the people in Manderlay" but afterthe first chapter you haven't got any picture of the Manderlays people. Von trier seems to be lost here and don't know how to go on with thestory. The result is confusing and uninteresting piece of work. BryceDallas Howard is not nearly as good as Nicole Kidman. Most of the filmshe just stares the same look in her face and she just don't have theright charisma for this kind of role. And the narrative voice whichworked well in Dogville is now mostly irritating. The voice is talkingat least half of the movie and in certain point you just want him toshut up and let actors speak for a change.I hope that Von Trier finds a better way to end up this trilogy thanManderlay. It's a shame if Dogville stays only masterpiece in it.

el-mno-p 2012-05-15 21:45:51

Trier's follow-up to the masterful Dogville hurls more impassioned invective toward the same targets, and gives us another masterpiece in the process

Well, the boy on the till told me that I was in for a treat when Ibought my ticket, and that wasn't just salesmanship. It's very muchDogville Part 2; formally, it's at least as good. Thematically,politically, etc. it's an attempt to sustain an attack on the USgovernment's adventures abroad. It looks like Trier's opportunity toexperience America for himself has gone, since he's so scathing in hiscriticism of recent US foreign policy, while also prodding at thecountry's racist past and present like a finger prodding at a loosetooth, trying to aggravate the nerve enough to make something give,that they'll never allow him through immigration.Something occurred to me while I was watching Manderlay that I hadn'tthought about in Dogville: those vertical shots that show a top-downview of the town are again present, and it's very much like the viewyou'd expect God to have of the world, if you believed in Biblicaldogma. It really hammered home the idea of this mastermind playing withhis characters like pawns on a chessboard, and while the drama of themain narrative is extremely powerful on its own, he's reallyencouraging us to look beyond those characters and to see the manbehind them, and what he's trying to show us with this story. Onceagain, you've got John Hurt's cynical, sarcastic and sneering narrationto bring you out of the story and suggest further subtexts. I defyanyone to take these films at face value. If they do, then they'reeither very small children or they're not paying enough attention, orrefusing to see the obvious.Like Dogville (or any other LVT film), it's a very heavy-handed film.Grace arrives in Manderlay with her gangster daddy, sees that blackpeople are still working as slaves for Lauren Bacall's "Mam", andresolves to turn things around. With a bit of help from some of daddy'sbest boys, she boots out the dictator, gives the slaves their freedom,and assumes that her work is done. Sounding familiar yet? Of course,the now ex-slaves aren't ready to accept their freedom, so Grace pleadswith daddy to let her stay for a while and teach them how to live in afree, democratic society. Things don't work out as planned. I'll letyou find out the rest for yourself.One thing that this film reinforces is that LVT is a fearless, fearlessfilm-maker. He drives his actors to emotional extremes, and then sticksa camera right on their face so that we don't miss a drop of pain. Helets his camera drift in and out of focus so it feels like you'rewatching the movie through beer goggles, sometimes, and he completelyflaunts conventional verisimilitude. He peels back the layers of cinemalike he peels back the layers of his characters' emotions until you'relooking at nothing but a tear-stained face against a pitch blackscreen. He screws with your perceptions of characters, building them upas heroes, only to reveal their repulsive selves when you're feeling atyour most vulnerable. Why? Perhaps because he actually has somethingthat he wants to say, and he doesn't want you to forget it in a hurry.Oh my god, could this be someone who actually wants to change thingswith his art? I think so, and he's essential to cinema right now forthat reason.There is the sense that he gets off on torturing his characters, onputting them through hell and then leaving us to deal with theemotional fall-out. John Hurt's narrator makes a snide comment aboutGrace, once the cotton harvest has begun, about her having nothing tothink about now but human emotions, and it's almost as though LVT issaying that we should be ashamed of expecting any respite from thepolitical and humanitarian guilt we're experiencing because of thefilm, that he could just as easily give us the gratification of amorose film about how hopeless we are as individuals, but he isoffering us the opportunity to experience real empathy. He knows howgood he is, how smart he is, and his occasional smugness can beirritating, but he believes in his message 100%, and it shouldn't beforgotten how important a strong, focused viewpoint is.He seems to be saying that humans individually are weak, but en massethey will find ways of coping which allow them to live comfortably, andmodestly, and the kind of arrogance displayed by the First World issymptomatic of our greed, that we want everybody else to live like us,whether they want to or not. Freedom or else.A brilliant, brave film from a frighteningly intelligent artist.Whether he'd make a good politician or not, though; I'm stillundecided.

benjamin22 2012-05-15 10:18:59

an insult to yr intelligence

I recognize I will be immediately outed for being American... But thisfilm is total garbage. I should clarify that I love every other VonTrier film I've seen, Dogville happens to be my favorite. I amanti-Bush and anti-war like every other person with a brain in theirhead, so nobody give me any haughty European attitude about mycountry's regrettable foreign policy. All that being said, it feels like this film was written by aprecocious fifteen year-old who just found about out all the history"they didn't teach you in schools". Von Trier's snappy I-bet-you-didn't-know-that approach to history in post civil war Americain laughable, (I went to public high school in the south and none ofthis was shocking to me) and if he thinks he is turning any heads aboutthe Iraq war I offer that the only people who watch this movie areliberal-minded intellectuals to begin with. Not that preaching to thechoir can't be easily confused with rallying the troops, but pleasespare me the claims that this film is either "important" or "brave",look to his past films to fulfill these claims.Dogville was delicate and artful, difficult but justified, frustratingbut ultimately powerful and a valid "important" statement about all ofour (especially the artist's) roles in society. Manderly is aham-fisted jab at "america's" "underbelly" that will certainly leaveyou sore, but probably not in the way it was intended to.

Peter Travers 2012-05-12 16:07:22

Von Trier's hand isn't as sure in Manderlay as it was in Dogville. His film exasperates and illuminates in equal measure. But no film addict will want to miss his cinematic brilliance.

huh_oh_i_c 2012-05-12 02:07:40

Written BEFORE Katrina, otherwise it'd been much harsher.

It's a decidedly disturbing tale, this Manderlay. Near to the end I wasreminded oddly enough of Team America World Police. TAWP also sets outas a leftist critique of Bush's right-wing America but switches halfwayto make fun of liberals. Manderlay is more layered, however.Grace (Bryce Howard) her father and his gangsters, after having leftDogville come upon Manderlay, an old plantation where blacks are stillheld like slaves, complete with whippings.Grace uses her fathers gangsters to free the blacks from the whites andtakes it upon herself to guide the blacks to real freedom. However,this proves more complicated than she first thinks. The storyline ofwhite betrayal and trickery of blacks is maybe a tat too predictable,and Von Trier wisely leaves it pretty quickly. There's hardship as asandstorm destroys the crops. This happened because what seemed a goodidea at the time, chopping down trees to maintain the slave cabins,turn out to be disaster: the trees were not so much a garden for theold missus as a protection for sandstorms. But this is overcome withhard work and determination and it seems that democracy and selfreliance might take on hold on the old plantation. Even therelationship with the former owners, now workers on the plantation isharmonious. The next step to sent away the gangster, thereby trulyleaving the power to the former slaves.What follows is not really so much prove that democracy and truefreedom is hard to instill at gunpoint, but more a statement that saysthat it's very hard to change a society just like that.In the end, Manderlay is perhaps not so much a critique of Americansociety, or of the continued racism, of the still enduringdisenfranchisement of African-Americans by whites (even though it DOESstrongly speaks out against that in it's end sequence), as it is aboutparalysis of communities. Or is it? While the film might seem to start out as a critique ofwhites still oppressing blacks, and in the middle changes tocritiqueing blacks for still enslaving themselves, turns out not to beneither, nor both. With the revelation at the end that the situation atManderlay was far more a cooperation than a oppression, (Glover asWilhem: "How dumb do you really think we are?") Manderlay wants to tellus that every society gets the political structure it needs, and thatsocietal change is not only hard, but damn slow as well.A real plus about Manderlay is that Von Trier pisses off Americans.They get all upset that a foreigner dares to criticise their countrywhile never having been there, but when they do the same to others, forexample Iraq (occupying a country might count as the severest form ofcriticism), it's supposed to be okay? They expect everyone to applaud?Gimme a fat F---ing break here.Especially harsh are white Americans hypocritically "defending" theirfellow African-Americans. If you think that we're fooled by that forone second ... See Wilhelms (Danny Glover) quote above.

Grann-Bach 2012-05-06 23:48:25

I fear what will come now

For those who do not know, this is the second part of a trilogyentitled "USA - Land of Opportunities", which started with Dogville(andyou definitely want to make sure to watch that one first). I don'tpersonally consider this as compelling, but it most definitely isexcellent. This is about democracy, and the relationship between thosethat hold power and those that do not. It is again a rather importantsubject and presented with amazing rhetoric. Grace seems to be startingeach of these as a blank page, unaffected by what happened before.Bryce Dallas Howard is incredible, and all the performances areflawless. The characters are great and credible. John Hurt delivers thewell-written and quite verbal narration impeccably once more, if itisn't as ironic or used to as astonishing effect as it was in the firstone, or at least that is not the case as often as it was in that film.Maybe it's just me... does it perhaps not insinuate as much, it's tooovert? The style continues, with the theatre-like bare set and chalkoutlines for houses(not used as well as in the movie that precedesthis). While still not "pretty", it avoids the surroundings from beingdistracting. The editing is marvelous. I don't agree that this isanti-American. It's a universal problem; this merely takes place there.An extremely honest(some would say brass), funny, tragic and importantpicture. There is a bit of disturbing content, a little strong nudity,sexuality and language, as well as brief explicit dialog in this. The2-Disc edition DVD comes with an informational selected commentarytrack, several interesting featurettes(including two that I will reviewon their individual pages here on the site) and interviews, cool Cannesfootage and a trailer. I recommend this to anyone mature enough toappreciate, not to mention, handle it. 8/10

David Nusair 2012-05-06 17:27:50

...extraordinarily dull...

Ratnam-Saggybutts 2012-05-05 03:46:45

The Anti-Amerikan conspiracy

One could willingly heap praise upon Manderly, the second part of LarsVon Trier's on-going saga about America. The Danish director refuses tocross the Atlantic for fear of flying, and is equally a fierce criticof the U.S.A. and all things Bush. Dogville, it will be remembered, washis amazing Part I of the saga and Manderly,--its sequel--may well beits equal. This time, Von Trier attacks the injustice perpetuated onthe black slaves, concluding that they themselves are much to blame fortheir state after being freed. It's all paradoxical, conscious,aggressive art --brilliant in its way and at times infuriating. Oneexpects this from the amazing Von Trier. One thing is for sure: VonTrier adds his dark colours to the grim portrait of the U.S. today. Andhe highly disapproves.The other reason? Benny Glover. Do not underestimate his draw power.The guy is an idol in Asia. Whatever he does is gold.Marks : Story ... 8 for non-fans while 7.5 for fans Acting ... 8.0 (nothot enough?) Editing ... 8.5 Sounds ... 8.0 Pictures... 6.0 Stunts ...7.5 Camera-work ... 8.4 OVERALL : 7.5 out of 10 Comment : C+/B- ("A" if you're just looking for Benny)!

Kostas Torn 2012-05-04 11:08:36

Second part of a great trilogy

I won't disclose anything about the film. I liked it very it much,albeit slightly less than the first film, probably because, well, thefirst was very fresh and innovative in the way it presented this"theatrical" world and partly because of the shocking and raw power ofthe story of "Dogville". In "Manderlay" we also meet with hypocrisy andcruelty, but the movie moves on a different level than "Dogville". Itis clearly more philosophical-political, it carries a more visiblepolitical agenda. It also relies upon dialogue more than "Dogville" didand of course the symbolism and allegory of the first film are presenthere, as well. Still, the movie is a masterpiece, in the same way"Dogville" was. Of course, someone can think otherwise (not to mentionthose people that will accuse Trier of being "Anti-American"), buthaving a different opinion about it is okay and acceptable. Personally,I can't wait to see how the trilogy is going to conclude.

Brent Simon 2012-04-29 22:08:43

The movie's considerably enveloping success lies in the disarming fashion in which it mixes stark artificiality and naturalism, as well as, eventually, in its marked lack of a hero or heroine.

Claudio Carvalho 2012-04-29 10:31:07

Learning Democracy

In 1933, after leaving Dogville, while traveling with her father(Willem Dafoe) and his gangsters to the south of USA, Grace MargaretMulligan (Bryce Dallas Howard) sees a slave ready to be punished in aproperty called Manderlay. The slavery had been abolished seventy yearsago, and Grace becomes revolted with the attitude of the owners ofManderlay, keeping slaves in their cotton fields and followingpredetermined despicable rules called "Mam's Law". Grace decides tostay with some gangsters in Manderlay and give notions of democracy tothe slaves and to the white family. When harvest time comes, Grace seesthe social and economical reality of Manderlay."Manderley" is the second part of Lars von Trier trilogy initiated withthe awesome "Dogville" and following the same aesthetic of theatricalscenarios. I was impressed with the magnificent performance of thegorgeous actress Bryce Dallas Howard that I know only from her minorparticipation in "Book of Love" and her lead role in "The Village". Thescreenplay of "Manderlay" is great, with the narrative being very wellconducted by John Hurt, and in spite of having no action and beingdeveloped in a low pace, the plot is interesting until the very lastscene. I did not understand the point of Lars von Trier in the end,since Grace defends the democratic principles inclusive with thesuffrage, but Wilhelm tells her that "she sent the guns away too soon".Therefore, does Mr. von Trier believe that guns are necessary toestablish democracy? Or is he making an analogy to the presentsituation in Iraq, showing that democracy can not be reached by the useof force? Another point is the social and economical situation of thepoor former slaves, free only in laws but without condition to surviveseventy years after the abolishment of slavery. The same happened inBrazil and I believe in the countries that used slave labor, thereforethe wounds exposed in Manderlay are universal, and not only an Americanissue. The kind of assistance that Grace gives to the former slaves isfull of good intentions and does not resolve their situation, since shehas never reached the root of their problem. My vote is nine.Title (Brazil): "Manderlay"

Jeff Vice 2012-04-29 00:30:33

This already controversial drama is yet another anti-American screed from Danish filmmaker Lars von Trier, who's become more than a little tiresome with all his cinematic bashing of the United States and its political policies.

wudamay 2012-04-28 16:45:52

it's a von Trier - so what do you expect

I have already several years ago decided that Lars von Trier's moviescan neither be called good or bad, they are always different andthought provoking but most certainly also irritating and annoying.Manderlay is no exception.Our heroin spots a dictator on the axis of evil, storms in with lightsabers and an ever-optimistic smile, brushes away the dictator and herregime, and is proud of having brought freedom and democracy to yetanother place (any similarities with other persons - living or dead -are fully intentional and of course debatable).But how do you make democracy work when people have not learned itthrough practice and the collective memory of democracy's fallaciessince the ancient Greek city states. How do you make people value theirfreedom and be responsible for their own fortune, when it is much morecomfortable to blame someone else for their fate.Von Trier brilliantly and ironically discusses these issues withsurprising twists in the plot. But he will most definitely offend allkinds of Americans who will be too rash to judge this movie as anythingbetween a misunderstanding and an insult of the American people ofwhatever color.Bryce Dallas Howard (Grace) delivers a great performance.To make a movie on an almost naked stage with imaginary doors etc. isvery different from anything else and it actually could contribute tofocus more on the actors performance (as on a theater stage). But Ithink that the hasty cutting of scenes and the annoyingly shakyhand-held camera actually diminish the actors chances of delivering aforceful performance. I don't mind the hand-held camera of the Dogmamovies, but this is no Dogma movie. It has "artificial" music, soundeffects, lightning, requisites, etc. So why bother to have a hand-heldcamera.Manderlay is an excellent movie for anybody who enjoys being provokedor how wants to confirm her/his prejudice about von Trier as a weirddirector with tendencies to be proud-to-be-old-Europe.

Jeffrey Overstreet 2012-04-26 22:03:09

[It] raises interesting questions about what can happen in a democracy when its people are deeply corrupt. ... But likely to be more disheartened than enlightened.

Ryan Gilbey 2012-04-26 13:58:14

The audience's familiarity with the stylistic devices of Manderlay should allow the film's more reflective screenplay to shine through.

Frank Swietek 2012-04-20 00:48:10

Another spare, tiresome, pretentious yet simple-minded anti-American diatribe from Danish Dogma-tist Lars von Trier...stale, arid polemic.

Andrew Sarris 2012-04-19 10:27:12

It may be that the director has overreached in Manderlay by trying to deal with racial conflicts in an excessively abstract manner.

nanajbg 2012-04-19 05:34:51

Not a racist movie; quite the opposite!!

I am writing this review only for one reason: to explain the dumbpeople who view this film as racist, that it is nothing they think.I will make it short- this is what the movie was trying to say (and itis not the directors fault you did not get it): White people causedslavery. After a while (a long, long while) it started to be perceivedas something bad and was abolished. Of course people who were living inslavery (meaning- outside the society) didn't know how to find theirway and survive outside the concept of slavery, of course they couldn'tbe as successful as a white person- they didn't have the same chances.So, the white people try to "help" for a short while, and of course theproblems which took generations to build up cant be solved in a shorttime. Then the whites get angry, they are sick of helping, they feelburdened by the blacks and their inability to make it in the society.And they punish the blacks because the blacks couldn't make it, butthey are forgetting: the blacks didn't cause the problem, the whitesdid.Its not only about black and white, it is about human nature and racismis just one example.So, please, this movie is no way racist, it is the complete opposite.

Cascaruleto 2012-04-19 02:06:30

Is it fair to help somebody that does not want to be helped?

Manderlay is not as astonishing as Dogville; you are not anymoresurprised with the theatrical aesthetics and neither the darkenvironment nor those out of focus close-ups disquiet you anymore. Thehard story with those powerful characters gets all the focus.I wish Nicole Kidman would have made the film, but just to give somecontinuity to the trilogy, since 25 years old Bryce Dallas Howard ispretty convincing in her role.The story rises so many questions that can be summarized in "Is it fairto help somebody that does not want to be helped?" I keep waiting for the third film of the trilogy "Washington"