dogville

I was mesmerized by this movie -- it is a morality play and unlike some critics like Richard Roeper saying it's anti-American, I don't get that out of this film. This could have taken place anywhere as a sly swipe at Capitalism but it takes on many topics on a sociological and psychological plane, even more varied than the same director's "Breaking the Waves" which was an indictment on fundamentalism (and not just Christianity).

The 20's and gangsterism is a ripe core for this style and concept of story. There's a nievity on all sides tied up neatly with the character flaws of the players. I could say it was overlong but the director obviously believed he need that much time to express himself.

Finally, this movie is as much a satire on the inherant cuteness of "Our Town" but also stands on it's own principals.

I had posted on this thread... is this a result of the recent A2K server malfunctions or whatever you may call them?

I finally got my hands on this film and I really liked it. The lack of walls (perhaps symbolical of the small town lack of privacy in that everybody knows everything about everybody?) reminded me of Death of a Salesman (In the Volker Schlöndorf version of 1985) which also had a theatrical stage-like setting. I think it contributed to the film as a morality play that is applicable anywhere even if the story places it in depression era US (as far as I can tell). It did not seem to me an attack on America at all, but about human nature in general, but then again, I am not an American.

I think it will be worthwhile to see this film again.

Yes, JoeFX, it's unfortunate that about three days of replies posted were lost in the upgrade to the new server.

I agree that this is really a filmed stage play and it could actually be presented intact on a stage. I believe that the isolationism of the depression era is mirrored in the cultural uniqueness of this small American town but it does not necessarily mean that this is an account of events that could not happen anywhere. Freedom does not necessarily facilitate humanistic values any more than religion does. In showing how these townspeople were operating under their own contrived values and this became a form of tyranny by the very choices made by the group the story was asking for more questions in not giving any pat answers. Leave that up to politicians. For American "values", perhaps the James Caan character had the best answer.