| SYNOPSIS
This is the sad tale of the township of Dogville, in the Rocky Mountains, up where the road came to its definitive end near the entrance to the abandoned silver mine. The residents of Dogville were good, honest folk and they liked their town.
The house in which Tom (Paul Bettany) lived was the best – in good times it might almost have passed for presentable. Tom’s father (Phillip Baker Hall) had been a doctor and now received a modest pension. Tom was a writer, but in order to postpone the day when he would have to put pen to paper in earnest, he had come up with a series of town meetings on the subject of moral rearmament.
Every evening at seven, when Martha (Siobhan Fallon) chimed the hour, Tom headed to the Henson home in order to inflict upon his childhood friend Bill (Jeremy Davies) yet another humiliating defeat at checkers. Some folks might say the opportunity to meet Bill’s older sister Liz (Chloe Sevigny) was more of a draw than the checkerboard and they might be right.
That night as Tom strolled home through Elm Street (a sentimental soul from the East Coast had once dubbed their main street “Elm Street” though no Elm tree had ever cast its shadow in Dogville) he heard gun shots in the valley below. Tom sat down on the old lady’s bench to think but was roused from this activity by the sound of Moses barking, as if the dog were standing face to face with a force to be taken
seriously. Her name was Grace (Nicole Kidman). She hadn’t chosen Dogville from a map or sought out the township for a visit but Tom felt right away that she belonged. When a carload of armed men arrived in pursuit of the beautiful fugitive, Tom hid her away and told the gangsters that he had seen nothing out of the ordinary.
At the town meeting the following day, Tom provided a quick summary of the events of the previous evening to the astonished people of Dogville before going down to the mine to retrieve the fugitive from her hideaway. It was decided that Grace would be allowed to stay for two weeks.
In order to win the trust of the townsfolk, Tom proposed that Grace be put to work. Although everyone protested that they did not need any help, Tom was certain that Grace’s services would soon be in demand. However, Grace’s interview with Jack McKay (Ben Gazzara) proved sadly symptomatic of the attitude of the good people of Dogville. Jack had expressed his ‘no’ concisely and precisely. With Tom’s
encouragement, Ma Ginger (Lauren Bacall) grudgingly allowed Grace to tend to the wild gooseberry bushes behind her general store. Grace persisted and slowly but surely, all of the residents of Dogville found they had some work for her after all.
It was in complete silence that the people of Dogville turned up for the meeting at the mission house - two weeks to the day that the beautiful fugitive had come to town. Grace was sent out to await the verdict of the townsfolk. She listened as the bell chimed once for each vote allowing her to stay.
Spring and early summer proved a happy time for Grace. The town had agreed that everyone was to give according to his abilities and she received wages for her chores - not much, but enough to save up for the first of the tiny china figurines from the row of seven that had stood for so long gathering dust in the window of the store. At the annual Fourth of July picnic, Grace and Tom shyly declared their love for one another.
One day, when Grace was in the orchard helping Chuck (Stellan Skarsgaard) the police came to Dogville and put up a wanted poster. That the gangsters had fixed to have charges made against Grace in their efforts to neutralize her came as no surprise. But Dogville began to bare its teeth.
Suddenly, Grace was working all hours. She was scolded by Ma Ginger for taking a shortcut through the gooseberry bushes. Jack McKay allowed his hand to linger on her thigh; Chuck took advantage of her in the apple orchard. Chuck and Vera’s boy, Jason, demanded a spanking from poor Grace and having received his punishment, promptly betrayed her. But Grace had finally saved up enough money to purchase the last of the little
china figurines in Ma Ginger’s window.
Vera (Patricia Clarkson), Liz and Martha visited Grace to air their grievances against her. Grace was restrained by Liz and Martha as Vera smashed each and every one of Grace’s beloved, hard-won china figurines.
Tom persuaded Grace that she should escape from Dogville with the help of the simple trucker, Ben (Zelko Ivanec). Instead of taking Grace down the mountain, Ben took advantage of her in the back of his truck and returned to Dogville with the fugitive hidden under a tarp. Grace’s plan to escape was exposed and Tom did not come to her defense when it was discovered that Tom Edison Sr.’s considerable stash of money
had disappeared. The good people of Dogville decided to prevent her running away again and Grace was attached by Moses’ collar to a rusty old flywheel that she dragged behind her on a heavy chain.
With the exception of Tom who bitterly denied himself, all the menfolk of Dogville now took to visiting Grace at night and forcing themselves on her. Tom saw everything and it pained him.
Another town meeting was convened and Grace told her side of the story, simply and without embellishment. But the townsfolk were not receptive to her argument and Tom, fearing that he too might be driven out of their good favor if he continued in his support of Grace, took drastic measures. Before returning to the meeting that night, Tom opened the little drawer he hadn’t opened since the night of Grace’s arrival,
took out the gangster’s card and made a telephone call.
And then it was as if Dogville just waited. Even the wind dropped, leaving the town in an unfamiliar calm. From the moment when they’d finally heard the vehicles starting one after the other from the direction of the edge of the woods, things moved rapidly. Tom had arranged a delegation to provide a proper reception. Dogville might be off the beaten track but it was hospitable nevertheless.
As for Grace, well, she was no expert in exclusive automobiles, but she recognized with no difficulty the purr of the Cadillac as it rounded the corner and made its way into the township of Dogville…
INTERVIEW: LARS VON TRIER ON DOGVILLE
Two things inspired me to write “Dogville”. First of all, I went to Cannes with “Dancer in the Dark” and I was criticized by some American journalists for making a film about the USA without ever having been there. This provoked me because, as far as I can recall, they never went to Casablanca when they made “Casablanca”. I thought that was unfair so I decided then and there that I would
make more films that take place in America. That was one thing.
Then I was listening to “Pirate Jenny”, the song by Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill from “The Threepenny Opera”. It’s a very powerful song and it has a revenge theme that I liked very much.
The film needed to be set in an isolated place because “Pirate Jenny” takes place in an isolated town. I decided that Dogville would be in the Rocky Mountains because if you have never been there, that sounds fantastic. What mountains aren’t rocky? Does that mean these ones are particularly rocky? It sounds like a name you might invent for a fairytale. And I decided that it would take place during the Depression
because I thought that would provide the right atmosphere.
The old, black and white US government photographs taken during the Depression were certainly inspiring, but I never entertained the idea of making the film in black and white. It’s another way of putting a filter between you and the audience, another way of stylizing. If you’re making a film where you go ‘strange’ in one direction (you only have outlines of houses on the floor, for instance) then everything
else should be ‘normal’. If you put too many layers on, it takes the audience further and further away from the film. It’s important not to do too many things at the same time or you scare people away. I work a bit like you do in a lab, I experiment. When you’re making an experiment, it’s important not to change more than one factor at a time.
I’ve been told that Americans might be reminded of “Our Town” and someone gave me the Wilder play to read while we were filming. I don’t think, however, that there are any similarities in the story. This isn’t to say that I wasn’t inspired by anything, of course I was. I was inspired, for example, by some of the televised plays I saw in the seventies, and in particular, by the Royal Shakespeare
Company production of “Nicholas Nickleby”. It was extremely stylized, with audience participation and all these very seventies things, but when you see it today, it still works very well. In general, I was inspired by the fact that I miss theater on television. It was very popular when I was young. They’d take a piece from the theater and put it in other surroundings or it was very abstract sometimes. I’m not so crazy about theater in the theater but on television
or on film, it’s really something you want to see.
I was also inspired to a degree by Bertolt Brecht and his kind of very simple, pared-down theater. My theory is that you forget very quickly that there are no houses or whatever. This makes you invent the town for yourself but more importantly, it makes you zoom in on the people. The houses are not there so you can’t be distracted by them and the audience doesn’t miss them after a time because of this agreement
you have with them that they will never arrive.
What do I say to those who say it’s not cinema? I say they might be right. But of course I wouldn’t say that it’s ‘anti-cinema’ either. At the beginning of my career, I made very ‘filmic’ films. The problem is that now, it has become too easy – all you have to do is buy a computer and you have filmic. You have armies rampaging over mountains, you have dragons. You just push a
button. I think it was okay to be filmic when, for instance, Kubrick had to wait two months for the light on the mountain behind Barry Lyndon when he was riding towards us. I think that was great. But if you only have to wait two seconds and then some kid with a computer fills it in… It’s another art form, I’m sure, but I’m not interested. I don’t see armies going over mountains, I only see some youngster with a computer saying, “Let’s do this
a little more tastefully, let’s put some shadows in, let’s bleach the colours out a little”. It’s extremely well done and it doesn’t move me at all. It feels like manipulation to a degree that I don’t want to be manipulated.
Maybe it’s because I’m older now. When I was younger, I probably would have thought all this computer-generated stuff was fantastic. Now that I’m older, I have to be stubborn. That’s why I started going back to the old virtues and the old values. If you’re stubborn enough, then anything can have its own aesthetic. There’s a limit to how nice a film should look. If it looks too nice, I throw
up. I actually see it a little bit like watching a magician. When a magician does little things. with coins for instance, you’re completely fascinated. But when he moves the Eiffel Tower then you say, “So what?”
“Dogville” takes place in America but it’s only America as seen from my point of view. I haven’t restricted myself in the sense that I said, ‘Now I have to research this and this and this’. It’s not a scientific film and it’s not a historical film. It’s an emotional film. Yes, it’s about the United States but it’s also about any small town anywhere in the world.
I wrote the script in Danish but I asked the English translator to try to keep the Danish language in somehow, not to make it too perfect. That’s my Kafka thing, I suppose – I’d like to keep this foreign eye. I’d be interested, for example, to see a film about Denmark by someone who had never been there. A Japanese person, for instance, or an American. This person would then be a mirror of what Denmark
stood for without ever actually having been there. In my ‘American’ films, I mirror what information comes to me and my feelings about that information. Of course, it isn’t the truth because I’ve never been there (although I must say, I am better informed about the USA than the people who made “Casablanca” were about Casablanca). Obviously, a Japanese person making a film about Denmark wouldn’t have the same kind of information at his fingertips
that I have because 90% of what you see on Danish television is American productions, but then he’d have to do some research and that, for me, would make it an interesting film.
In addition to the countless American programmes on Danish television, there is also a lot of news because America is the biggest power in the world. There’s a lot of criticism, too. In my youth, we had some big demonstrations against the World Bank and the Vietnam War and we all turned out to throw rocks at embassies. Well, at one embassy… But I don’t throw rocks anymore. Now I just tease.
I learned when I was very small that if you are strong, you also have to be just and good, and that’s not something you see in America at all. I like the individual Americans I know very much, but this is more of an image of a country I do not know but that I have a feeling about. I don’t think that Americans are more evil than others but then again, I don’t see them as less evil than the bandit states Mr
Bush has been talking so much about. I think that people are more or less the same everywhere. What can I say about America? Power corrupts. And that’s a fact. Then again, since they are so powerful, it’s okay to tease because I can’t harm America, right?
The idea behind Grace’s treatment at the hands of the townspeople was that if you present yourself to others as a gift, then that is dangerous. The power that this gives people over the individual corrupts them. If you give yourself away, it will never work. You have to have some limits. I think that the people of Dogville were okay until Grace came along, just as I’m sure that America would a beautiful, beautiful
country if there were nothing there but millionaires playing golf. It would be a wonderful, peaceful society but that’s not how it is, as far as I’m told. There are unfortunately a lot of losers there, too.
When you invent characters you take somebody you know and put them in new situations. So the people of Dogville are all Danes, they’re actually real people. You then take yourself - your own character - and you split it up between the two or three people who more or less carry the story (in this case, Tom and Grace). I can defend all of the characters in the film but Grace and Tom are the ones who portray me to some degree.
Does this mean that I see myself in Tom? Oh, yes. Very often people start off with very good intentions, especially artists, but then they themselves become more and more important and their cause recedes into the background. Sometimes, they lose sight of it completely. So I’d say that Tom, to a certain extent, is a self-portrait. It’s not very nice and it’s not very flattering but I suppose it comes close
to the truth. He tries so hard and he never gets the girl…He’s the only one who doesn’t get the girl…
And Grace is not a heroine by any means. She’s a human being with the best intentions but she’s still a human being. I suppose I can understand that people might interpret some of what I do as martyring women but I would say that these characters are not so much females as they are a part of me. It’s very interesting to work with women. They do my character well. I think that they portray me in a good way
and I can relate to them.
I know that some people think that I don’t like women but obviously that’s not true – it’s men I have problems with. It’s like the problem you have if you’re a deer. The old buck with the long antlers has all the females gathered around him and he has a hell of a job keeping the youngsters away. They all try to piss up against him, just a little bit, you know, to make their mark. For some
reason, in my little environment, everyone is allowed to piss on me. Which is fine, of course, but it’s tiring…I’m looking around all the time, saying, “Okay, who did that!?” as another youngster comes to piss on my back. And that’s my problem with men. The women don’t do that. Then again, if you can handle the constant pissing, you can have wonderful relationships with other males.
Nicole said that she wanted to work with me and I wrote the part of Grace for her or rather, for the image I had of her. I found out that she’s a very, very good actor. It was interesting to take someone who had mostly done these colder characters and to let her do something else. And of course it’s intriguing to take a Hollywood film star and put her in a film like this. It might give us a different audience than
we otherwise would have had, so long as they are not scared away by the fact that there’s nothing but a black floor with actors on it…
I’m best with actors when they trust me and sometimes this trust is hard to get. I’m not sure why I need it. Maybe it’s because I don’t trust myself? Nicole gave me her trust immediately which I thought was great. Paul Bettany did, too, but of course because he’s a man, it was a little harder to get there…He is very good. I suppose there is a temptation to continue to work with the people
you already know you can trust but it is also fun to work with new people.
I always wanted to work with Ben Gazzara. He was a hero for me because of “The Killing of a Chinese Bookie” among other films. Lauren Bacall was actually suggested by the casting director, she really was chosen for her abilities and not because she’s Lauren Bacall. James Caan is, of course, a wonderful actor and yes, I suppose there is a gangster thing attached to him from “The Godfather” but mainly,
he’s a very good actor.
“Dogville” is, above all, a film and as a film, I’m satisfied with the form and the content and the acting. I know it’s not hip-hop, but I’m quite proud that I’m not, in my mind, as old as I feel.
BIOGRAPHIES
Nicole Kidman - Grace
Nicole Kidman first came to the attention of American audiences with her critically acclaimed performance in the riveting 1989 psychological thriller, DEAD CALM. Since then, she has become one of the most sought-after actresses in film.
For her portrayal of Virginia Woolf in THE HOURS - Stephen Daldry’s feature adaptation of Michael Cunningham’s Pulitzer prize-winning novel, which also stars Meryl Streep and Julianne Moore - Kidman won the 2003 Best Actress Academy Award, as well as The Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Drama, along with the BAFTA Award for Best Actress and the Berlin Film Festival Silver Bear Award for Best Actress (together with Streep and Moore, an unprecedented event in that Festival’s
distinguished history). She was also nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award as Best Actress for the film.
Kidman recently finished shooting COLD MOUNTAIN on location in Romania. Based on Charles Frazier’s best-selling novel, the film was both adapted for the screen and directed by Anthony Minghella and also stars Renee Zellwegger, Natalie Portman and Jude Law. Prior to that, Kidman travelled to Toronto to star in a film adaptation of Philip Roth’s provocative novel, THE HUMAN STAIN, co-starring Anthony Hopkins, Gary Sinise and Ed Harris, for director Robert Benton.
Kidman has just begun filming BIRTH in New York City, playing opposite Lauren Bacall and Danny Huston for director Jonathan Glazer (SEXY BEAST).
Kidman’s range and versatility have won her wide acclaim for daring performances. Last year, for her performances in both Baz Luhrmann’s innovative musical feature, MOULIN ROUGE and in writer/director Alejandro Amenabar’s wildly successful psychological thriller, THE OTHERS, she received dual Golden Globe Award nominations, as Best Actress in a Musical and Best Actress in a Drama. She won the Golden Globe for the former. MOULIN ROUGE also earned Kidman a London Film
Critics Circle “Best Actress” Award and an Oscar nomination. THE OTHERS earned her a BAFTA nomination.
In 2000, Kidman co-starred with Ben Chaplin in writer/director Jez Butterworth’s black comedy/thriller, BIRTHDAY GIRL. In 1999, Kidman starred opposite Tom Cruise in Stanley Kubrick’s EYES WIDE SHUT. In 1998, she co-starred with Sandra Bullock in Griffin Dunne’s romantic comedy, PRACTICAL MAGIC, in 1997 with George Clooney in Mimi Leder’s international thriller, THE PEACEMAKER, and in 1996, opposite John Malkovich in Jane Campion’s screen adaptation of Henry
James’ PORTRAIT OF A LADY.
In 1995, Kidman starred as Suzanne Stone in director Gus Van Sant’s widely acclaimed black comedy TO DIE FOR. For her pitch-perfect, wickedly funny portrayal of a woman obsessed with the dream of becoming a TV personality, she won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress, along with Best Actress Awards from the Boston Film Critics, National Broadcast Film Critics, London Film Critics, and the Seattle Film Festival. She was also nominated by BAFTA in the Best Actress category.
Other film credits include: DAYS OF THUNDER, BILLY BATHGATE (for which she received a Golden Globe nomination), MALICE, MY LIFE, Ron Howard’s FAR AND AWAY and Joel Schumacher’s BATMAN FOREVER.
Kidman made a highly lauded London stage debut in the fall of 1998, starring with Iain Glenn in the The Blue Room, David Hare’s modern adaptation of Schnitzler’s “La Ronde,” for director Sam Mendes and the Donmar Warehouse. This production, in which Kidman and Glenn each took on five different roles, was the hit of the London theatre season and for her performance Kidman won London’s Evening Standard Award “for special and significant contribution
to the London Theatre” and was nominated in the Best Actress category for a Laurence Olivier Award. The Blue Room moved to Broadway for a sold-out, limited run from November of 1998 through March of 1999.
Born in Hawaii, Kidman spent her childhood in Australia with parents who instilled in her a love of culture and education. Her father is a lecturer in biochemistry, and her mother is a nurse/educator. Kidman studied ballet as a young child, and enrolled in drama school at 10. She made her debut in an Australian film, BUSH CHRISTMAS, at fourteen and began to mix her schoolwork while working in film. She appeared in projects such as Winners and the Disney Channel mini-series, “Five
Mile Creek”. Between films, Kidman honed her craft at the Australian Theatre for Young People in Sydney, and the Philip Street Theatre where she learned voice, production and studied Theatre history.
The much-lauded 1985 Kennedy-Miller mini-series, “Vietnam”, made her a virtual overnight star in Australia. Only seventeen at the time, Kidman was voted Best Actress of the Year by both the Australian public and the Australian Film Institute for her performance. In addition to public and critical acclaim, her performance in the series also attracted the attention of filmmakers throughout Australia.
Her subsequent portrayal of the terrorized wife in DEAD CALM, the thriller directed by Philip Noyce co-starring Sam Neill and Billy Zane, was praised by critics both in Australia and abroad. Following the success of DEAD CALM, Kidman reunited with the production team of Kennedy-Miller for a second acclaimed mini-series, “Bangkok Hilton” Once again, Kidman received rave reviews for her performance (opposite Denholm Elliot), and was voted Best Actress of 1989 by the Variety
Awards and, once again, the Australian public. Her other notable Australian films include EMERALD CITY (for which she received a Best Supporting Actress nomination from the Australian Film Institute), and FLIRTING (the sequel to “The Year My Voice Broke”). She appeared on stage playing lead roles in “Steel Magnolias” at the Sydney Seymour Center for which she was nominated Best Newcomer by the Sydney Theatre Critics and “Spring Awakening” at the Australian
Theatre for Young People.
Harriet Andersson – Gloria
A longstanding member of the ensemble of The Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm, Harriet Andersson has appeared in many films by Ingmar Bergman. Her international breakthrough came with her performance in SUMMER WITH MONIKA (1953). Other Bergman films in which she has had major parts are: SAWDUST AND TINSEL, A LESSON IN LOVE, SMILES OF A SUMMER NIGHT, THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY, ALL THESE WOMAN, CRIES AND WHISPERS and FANNY AND
ALEXANDER. Among her many other feature credits are A SUNDAY IN SEPTEMBER and TO LOVE by Jörn Donner, and Mai Zetterling’s LOVING COUPLES and THE GIRLS.
Lauren Bacall – Ma Ginger
Legendary Lauren Bacall was discovered at the age of nineteen by the wife of director Howard Hawks and made her debut as ‘Slim’ in TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT (1944) in which she starred opposite her future husband, the great Humphrey Bogart. She and Bogart were later paired in the classics THE BIG SLEEP, DARK PASSAGE and KEY LARGO. In 1950 Bacall co-starred with Gary Cooper in BRIGHT LEAF and in 1953, she appeared in
her first comedy, the hit HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE co-starring Marilyn Monroe and Betty Grable. Soon after filming DESIGNING WOMEN and following Bogart’s death in 1957, Bacall moved back to New York where she appeared in several Broadway plays to great critical acclaim. In 1964 Bacall returned to film, while continuing to appear regularly on stage.
Lauren Bacall’s screen credits include PRET-A-PORTER (1994), MISERY (1990), MR NORTH (1988) and most recently, DIAMONDS (1999) and PRESENCE OF MIND (1999). She is currently shooting Jonathan Glazer’s BIRTH with DOGVILLE co-star Nicole Kidman.
Jean-Marc Barr – The Man with the Hat
A graduate of London’s Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Jean-Marc Barr has collaborated with Lars von Trier on a number of films, including EUROPA/ZENTROPA (1990), BREAKING THE WAVES (1995) and DANCER IN THE DARK (1999). Barr’s feature credits include THE DIVORCE (2002), THE RED SIREN (2001), FOLLE D’ELLE (1997), MARCHING IN THE DARK (1995), LE FILS PREFERE (1994), LA PESTE (1991), and LA GRANDE BLEUE
(1986) to mention just a few. In addition to his work as an actor, Jean-Marc Barr’s career encompasses directing, writing and producing feature films including BEING LIGHT, TOO MUCH FLESH, LOVERS and, currently in pre-production, VULNERABLE.
Paul Bettany – Tom Edison, Jr.
International audiences first discovered Paul Bettany in A KNIGHT’S TALE (in the comic role of Chaucer opposite Heath Ledger) for which Bettany was awarded the London Film Critics Circle Best Supporting Actor Award.
Bettany trained at the Drama Centre in London and made his stage debut in the West End production of Stephen Daldry’s “An Inspector Calls” before spending a season with the Royal Shakespeare Company and appearing in “Richard III”, “Romeo and Juliet” and “Julius Caesar”. He made his feature film debut in BENT before returning to the stage in “Love and Understanding”
at London’s Bush Theatre and the Longwharf in Connecticut. This performance led to television work in Lynda La Plante’s “Killer Net” and “Coming Home” in which he starred opposite Peter O’Toole.
Following appearances in the Royal Court productions of “One More Wasted Year” and “Stranger’s House”, Bettany filmed LAND GIRLS with Rachel Weisz and Catherine McCormack for director David Leland followed by AFTER THE RAIN.
In Peter Medak’s TNT production of “David Copperfield”, he appeared as Steerforth opposite Sally Field and Michael Richards, followed by another film role in SUICIDE CLUB with Jonathan Pryce and David Morrissey.
Bettany was nominated for a BIFA and a London Film Critics Circle Award for Best Newcomer in Paul McGuigan’s GANGSTER NO. 1 before starring opposite Russell Crowe in Ron Howard’s Academy Award winner A BEAUTIFUL MIND.
He can currently be seen in Thaddeus O’Sullivan’s THE HEART OF ME opposite Olivia Williams and Helena Bonham-Carter. Upcoming films include Paul McGuigan’s THE RECKONING opposite Willem Dafoe, MASTER AND COMMANDER for director Peter Weir opposite Russell Crowe, and Richard Loncraine’s WIMBLEDON opposite Kirsten Dunst.
Blair Brown - Mrs. Henson
Blair Brown is probably best known to US audiences in the leading role of the acclaimed television series "The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd". She won the Tony Award for her performance in Michael Frayn’s "Copenhagen" and has also appeared on Broadway in Sam Mendes’ production of "Cabaret" and with Christopher Walken in the musical "James Joyce’s The Dead". Blair Brown’s
film credits include: Ken Russell¹s ALTERED STATES, Michael Apted’s CONTINENTAL DIVIDE with John Belushi, Clint Eastwood¹s SPACE COWBOYS, David Hare¹s STRAPLESS with Bruno Ganz, Victor Nunez’s FLASH OF GREEN with Ed Harris, STEALING HOME with Jodie Foster and THE ASTRONAUT’S WIFE with Johnny Depp. In addition, Ms. Brown has narrated more than 50 films and audio books and recently appeared on the New York stage in "Humble Boy" with Jared Harris.
James Caan – The Big Man
Caan is perhaps best known for his Academy Award nominated performance as Sonny Corleone in Francis Ford Coppola’s THE GODFATHER and to American audiences for his Emmy-winning portrayal of football star Brian Piccolo in BRIAN’S SONG. He has appeared in more than 50 feature films including MISERY, FOR THE BOYS, THE RAIN PEOPLE, THE GAMBLER, FUNNY LADY, THIEF, A BRIDGE TOO FAR, COMES A HORSEMAN, MICKEY BLUE EYES,
HONEYMOON IN VEGAS and recently, THE YARDS, THE WAY OF THE GUN and Matt Dillon’s upcoming debut, CITY OF GHOSTS. He will next be seen in the Newline Films comedy ELF co-starring Will Farrell.
Born in Queens and raised in the Bronx, James Caan began his acting career at Sanford Meisner’s Neighborhood Playhouse, and went on to appear in the 1961 off-Broadway production of “La Ronde”. He directed as well as starred in the critically acclaimed HIDE IN PLAIN SIGHT.
Patricia Clarkson – Vera
Patricia Clarkson began her acting career studying dramatic arts at Yale. Her feature film credits include: FAR FROM HEAVEN (2002), WELCOME TO COLLINWOOD (2002), THE PLEDGE (2001), THE SAFETY OF OBJECTS (2001), THE GREEN MILE (1999), HIGH ART (1998) and THE UNTOUCHABLES (1987). She will soon be seen in Sundance favorite THE STATION AGENT, and in ALL THE REAL GIRLS and PIECES OF APRIL. On television, Clarkson’s many credits
include “Wonderland” and “Murder One”.
Jeremy Davis – Bill Henson
Jeremy Davies made his film debut starring in David O. Russell’s Sundance winner, SPANKING THE MONKEY for which he received an Independent Spirit Award for Best Debut Performance. In 1998 Davies’ performance in Steven Spielberg’s SAVING PRIVATE RYAN also earned him considerable acclaim. His feature film credits include Wim Wenders’ ’THE MILLION DOLLAR HOTEL, Alan Rudolph’s INVESTIGATING SEX,
Phillip Haas’ UP AT THE VILLA, Michael Apted’s NELL, and Jan de Bont’s TWISTER. Recently, Davies has appeared in Roman Coppola’s CQ, Steven Shainberg’s SECRETARY and Steven Soderbergh’s SOLARIS opposite George Clooney.
Ben Gazzara – Jack McKay
Ben Gazzara began his studies at New York City College, and soon became a member of the Actors Studio in its first and most memorable years. Gazzara’s distinguished career continued in theater, television and film. On stage, he has worked with such notable directors as Elia Kazan in “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” and Frank Corsaro in “A Hatful of Rain”. Gazzara’s film credits include a legendary
collaboration with John Cassavetes in HUSBANDS, OPENING NIGHT and KILLING OF A CHINESE BOOKIE; Otto Preminger’s ANATOMY OF A MURDER, Marco Ferreri’s TALES OF ORDINARY MADNESS and Peter Bogdanovich’s SAINT JACK and THEY ALL LAUGHED. Ben Gazzara’s recent appearances include David Mamet’s THE SPANISH PRISONER, Todd Solondz’s HAPPINESS, Spike Lee’s SUMMER OF SAM and Vincent Gallo’s BUFFALO 66, to name just a few.
Philip Baker Hall – Tom Edison, Sr.
Philip Baker Hall began his career in theater, appearing in a variety of Broadway, Off-Broadway and regional stage productions. He went on to appear in numerous film productions, including a continuing collaboration with acclaimed director Paul Thomas Anderson on HARD EIGHT, BOOGIE NIGHTS and MAGNOLIA. Philip Baker Hall has appeared in THE RULES OF ENGAGEMENT, THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY, THE INSIDER, THE CONTENDER, THE TRUMAN
SHOW, to name a few. He will star opposite Jim Carrey in the upcoming BRUCE ALMIGHTY. Additionally, Hall has appeared in television mini-series and series, including "Path to War", "Curb your Enthusiasm", "The Practice" and "Seinfeld".
Siobhan Fallon Hogan – Martha
DOGVILLE marks Siobhan Fallon Hogan’s second collaboration with Lars von Trier after DANCER IN THE DARK. Fallon Hogan's film credits include THE NEGOTIATOR, MEN IN BLACK and FORREST GUMP. Additionally, she has appeared in numerous stage plays, including "As You Like It" for the New York Shakespeare Festival and is known as a series regular on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live”. She will be seen in
the upcoming HOLES with Sigourney Weaver and DADDY DAYCARE opposite Eddie Murphy.
John Hurt – Narrator
John Hurt's defining film roles as Max in MIDNIGHT EXPRESS (1978) and as John Merrick in THE ELEPHANT MAN (1980) thrust him into the international spotlight with Oscar nominations for Best Supporting Actor and Best Actor, respectively. His other film work includes a trio of roles in 1984 which earned him the Evening Standard Award for Best Actor for that year: 1984, THE HIT and CHAMPIONS. His many films include A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS, THE FIELD, SCANDAL, ROB ROY and John Boorman's TWO
NUDES BATHING (for which he received a Cable Ace Award in 1995) and acclaimed performances in Richard Kwietniowski's LOVE AND DEATH ON LONG ISLAND and John Madden's CAPTAIN CORELLI'S MANDOLIN.
Hurt made his West End debut in 1962 and went on to take the 1963 Critics' Award for Most Promising Actor in Harold Pinter's “The Dwarfs”. Other stage appearances include Pinter's “The Caretaker”, O'Casey's “Shadow of a Gunman”, Stoppard's “Travesties” for the RSC, Turgenev's “A Month in The Country”. The year 2000 saw his greatly acclaimed performance in Samuel Beckett's
“Krapp's Last Tape” in London's West End.
His impressive body of television work includes such notable roles as Caligula in “, Claudius”, Raskolnikov in “Crime and Punishment” and Quentin Crisp in “The Naked Civil Servant” (for which he received a Best Actor Emmy and a BAFTA Best Television Actor Award). After seeing Hurt's performance, Crisp announced that 'John Hurt is my representative here on Earth.'
In 1999 John Hurt filmed Samuel Beckett's KRAPP'S LAST TAPE for Atom Egoyan and followed by David Blair's TABLOID TV in 2000. His more recent work includes CARBON MIRANDA directed by Mark Munden and HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE directed by Chris Columbus.
Recently Hurt won the Variety Club Award for Outstanding Performance in a Stage Play, alongside Penelope Wilton for their two-hander, “Afterplay”. He is currently filming HELLBOY for Guillermo del Toro.
Željko Ivanek – Ben
A graduate of Yale University and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, Željko Ivanek has appeared in numerous feature films, including DANCER IN THE DARK, UNFAITHFUL, BLACK HAWK DOWN, HANNIBAL, A CIVIL ACTION, WHITE SQUALL, COURAGE UNDER FIRE, and DONNIE BRASCO, to mention a few. Ivanek has been seen in a variety of hit television series, including “Homicide”, “24”, “ER”, “Ally
McBeal”, “Frasier” and “The X-Files”. His many stage credits have earned him two Tony nominations and a Drama Desk Award and include American and World premieres of works by Athol Fugard, Neil Simon, Richard Nelson, Caryl Churchill and David Hare, as well as Peter Brook’s production of “The Cherry Orchard”. He recently appeared in the New York production of “Blue/Orange” and was seen at London’s Almeida Theatre in Neil
LaBute’s “Bash”.
Udo Kier – The Man in the Coat
Acclaimed German actor Udo Kier began his career at the age of eighteen, appearing in THE ROAD TO SAINT TROPEZ directed by Mike Sarne, and went on to appear in MARK OF THE DEVIL and Andy Warhol’s cult classics FLESH FOR FRANKENSTEIN and BLOOD FOR DRACULA. Udo Kier has collaborated with director Lars von Trier on numerous films, including EUROPA/ZENTROPA, BREAKING THE WAVES, THE KINGDOM and DANCER IN THE DARK. Kier has
collaborated with many other acclaimed directors including Dario Argento, Wim Wenders, Gus van Sant and Werner Herzog, to name a few.
Cleo King - Olivia
With an impressive body of work that encompasses television, film, and theater, Cleo King has the rare talent to star in both comic and dramatic roles. She is best known for her scene-stealing cameos in films including BUBBLE BOY; DUDE, WHERE’S MY CAR?; ROAD TRIP and Paul Thomas Anderson’s MAGNOLIA. She recently appeared in NATIONAL SECURITY with Martin Lawrence and Steve Zahn and Alan Parker’s, THE LIFE OF DAVID GALE with Kevin Spacey and Kate Winslet. King’s
numerous US television credits include: “Six Feet Under”, “Charmed”, “Boston Public”, “Friends”, “NYPD Blue”, “Ally McBeal”, “Murphy Brown” and “The Cosby Show”. On stage she has appeared in US national touring productions of “Jelly’s Last Jam”, “Big River” and “Blues in the Night” and off-Broadway, in the critically acclaimed “A…My Name
is Still Alice”.
Miles Purinton – Jason
Miles Purinton recently starred in the world premieres of two stage plays in New York City: “The Notebook” directed by Evan Yionoulis and “A Penny for the Guy”, directed by Joe Brancato, which garnered Miles the award for Best Young Performer from the New York Press. He co-starred in the California Music Circus production of “Mame” directed by John DeLuca and has appeared in a number of television
series. Miles also provides the voice of Charlie Brown in the award-winning CD-ROM “Where’s My Blanket Charlie Brown”; Tad Gupty in MTV’s “Daria” and the lead in “School of Vampires”.
Bill Raymond – Mr. Henson
San Francisco native Bill Raymond, began his career in the theater in 1960 as a member of the Actor’s Workshop of San Francisco and the San Francisco Mime Troupe. After moving to New York, he joined the experimental theater troupe, Mabou Mines. Raymond’s many film credits include CITY OF HOPE (1991), ONE NIGHT STAND (1997), SUMMER OF SAM (1999), THE HURRICANE (1999) and THE INTERN (2000).
Chloë Sevigny – Liz Henson
For her performance in BOYS DON’T CRY (1999), Chloë Sevigny received a trio of nominations for an Academy Award, a Golden Globe and a SAG Award, in addition to winning the Independent Spirit, the Golden Satellite and numerous year-end critics awards. Recently, she has appeared in Fenton Bailey’s PARTY MONSTER (Sundance and Berlin 2003) Olivier Assayas’ DEMON LOVER (Cannes competition 2002), and will soon
be seen in SHATTERED GLASS (2002) for first-time director Billy Ray. Since her feature debut in Larry Clark’s acclaimed and controversial KIDS (1995) Chloë Sevigny has appeared in Mary Harron’s AMERICAN PSYCHO, Harmony Korine's JULIEN: DONKEY BOY (1999) and GUMMO (1997), for which Chloë also was costume designer; Scott Elliot’s A MAP OF THE HUMAN HEART (1999), Whit Stillman's THE LAST DAYS OF DISCO (1998) and Steve Buscemi's TREES LOUNGE (1996). Sevigny has
also appeared on stage in an off-Broadway production of “What the Butler Saw” and “Hazelwood Jr. High” both directed by Scott Elliot.
Shauna Shim – June
DOGVILLE marks Shauna Shim’s feature film debut. A longstanding member of the Carlton Junior Television Workshop, Shauna Shim has appeared in numerous television productions and stage plays, including the UK miniseries “Crossroads” (2001); “Microsoap” (1998) and “Coping with…” (1998).
Stellan Skarsgård – Chuck
Stellan Skarsgård is a versatile actor who began his career with the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm, working with notable directors such as Alf Sjoberg and Ingmar Bergman. Skarsgård has appeared in numerous films including: RONIN, THE UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS OF BEING, THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER, GOOD WILL HUNTING, AMISTAD, THE OX, BREAKING THE WAVES, INSOMNIA, PASSION OF MIND, TAKING SIDES, and CITY OF GHOSTS. He
recently completed shooting Paul Schrader’s EXORCIST: THE BEGINNING. Stellan Skarsgård has been honored with numerous awards from the Swedish Motion Picture Industry, and the Berlin, Telluride, Chicago and San Sebastian Film Festivals.
Lars von Trier – Director & Screenplay
Lars von Trier was born in 1956 and graduated from The Danish Film School in 1983.
He is widely considered to be the prime mover behind the current revival of Danish filmmaking and has made a significant impact on a new generation of directors both in his home country and around the world, not least because of his central role in Dogme95.
Von Trier’s film work ranges from the avant-garde to reinterpretations of classical genres. His earliest shorts were stylistically inventive explorations of themes and symbols that would later play a central role in his feature films and Von Trier developed a mode of cinematic expression that was at once heavily symbolic and emotionally intense.
Lars von Trier established himself both in Denmark and internationally with the Europa Trilogy. Illuminating the traumas of Europe in the future, the Europa Trilogy is characterized by a personal, experimental style of filmmaking.
The trilogy consists of:
1984 THE ELEMENT OF CRIME
1987 EPIDEMIC
1991 EUROPA (ZENTROPA)
In 1991, Lars von Trier and “Europa” producer Peter Aalbæk Jensen established their own company, Zentropa Entertainments, which has grown to become a leading force in Scandinavian film production.
Lars von Trier has made two TV productions: MEDEA in 1988 and THE KINGDOM I & ll in 1994 and 1997, the latter co-directed with Morten Arnfred. It was with THE KINGDOM series that Lars von Trier created a technical style which made it easier to focus on the story and the actors.
It was an insight that would later draw him to the Dogme concept. THE KINGDOM was shot mostly with a hand-held camera, ignoring the usual rules of lighting, continuity and editing, resulting in distorted colours and grainy pictures. The series became von Trier¹s first huge popular success. The level of Danish and international interest in THE KINGDOM made it possible for von Trier and his producers Peter Aalbæk Jensen
and Vibeke Windeløv to fund his next big project.
The second trilogy, "The Golden-Heart Trilogy", was inspired by a sentimental children's book from von Trier’s childhood about a little girl who is always ready to sacrifice herself to help others.
This trilogy consists of:
1996 BREAKING THE WAVES
1998 THE IDIOTS
2000 DANCER IN THE DARK
In 1995, Lars von Trier presented the Dogme95 Manifesto with its “Vow of Chastity” laying down 10 rules for filmmaking. The manifesto was signed by von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg (FESTEN, winner of the Special Jury Prize in Cannes).
All of Lars von Trier’s feature films have been officially selected by the Cannes International Film Festival and they have been awarded seven prizes, including the Grand Prix du Jury for BREAKING THE WAVES and the Palme d’Or for DANCER IN THE DARK. His feature films and his work for television have won a host of international prizes, including an Oscar nomination for Emily Watson in “Breaking the Waves”.
Lars von Trier is currently working on his third trilogy "USA -- land of opportunities" of which DOGVILLE is the first film. The second part of the trilogy, MANDERLAY, is currently in pre-production in Filmbyen, Denmark.
In 2006 Lars von Trier will add another dimension to his career when he directs Richard Wagner’s “Das Ring Des Nibelung” at the Bayreuth Festspiele in Germany. Pre-production for the opera has already begun.
Filmography
1977 ORCHIDÉGARTNEREN (THE ORCHID GARDENER), amateur short
1979 MENTHE - LA BIENHEUREUSE (MENTHE), amateur short
1980 NOCTURNE, Film School short
1981 DEN SIDSTE DETALJE (THE LAST DETAIL), Film School short
1982 BEFRIELSESBILLEDER (PICTURES OF LIBERATION IMAGES OF A RELIEF),
Graduation film, Film School
1984 THE ELEMENT OF CRIME (FORBRYDELSENS ELEMENT)
1987 EPIDEMIC
1988 MEDEA (TV)
1991 EUROPA/ZENTROPA
1994 RIGET (THE KINGDOM) (co-director: Morten Arnfred), episodes 1-4 (Made for TV, but also shown in theatres)
1994 THE TEACHERS ROOM (LÆRERVÆRELSET) TV, episodes 1-6)
1996 BREAKING THE WAVES
1997 RIGET 2 (THE KINGDOM 2) (co-director: Morten Arnfred), episodes 5-8 (Made for TV, but also shown in theatres)
1998 THE IDIOTS (IDIOTERNE)
2000 D-DAY (D-DAG) collective Dogme project with Thomas Vinterberg, Søren Kragh-Jacobsen & Kristian Levring)
2000 DANCER IN THE DARK
2003 DOGVILLE
Vibeke Windeløv - Producer
Producer of Lars von Trier’s THE KINGDOM II, BREAKING THE WAVES and THE IDIOTS, Vibeke Windeløv began her career in 1975. She has produced a variety of short films and documentaries by and about artists including Per Kirkeby and Asger Jorn.
Windeløv’s feature film credits include Bille August’s IN MY LIFE, Gabriel Axel’s CHRISTIAN, Jorgen Leth’s HAITI EXPRESS and NOTES OF LOVE, Susanne Bier’s FAMILY MATTERS and Kristian Levring’s THE KING IS ALIVE (Dogme 4). Her international successes include Lars von Trier’s BREAKING THE WAVES and 2000 Palme d’Or winner DANCER IN THE DARK. Her latest productions are DOGVILLE
and Susanne Bier’s OPEN HEARTS.
Vibeke Windeløv is currently working with von Trier on MANDERLAY, his sequel to DOGVILLE and on his opera production of Wagner’s “Ring Cycle” scheduled for Bayreuth 2006 to 2010.
A member of the board of the European Film Academy since 1998, and a Jury member at the Venice International Film Festival 2001, Vibeke Windeløv was also instrumental in establishing the production companies Liberator in France and Pain Unlimited in Germany.
Filmography
(A partial list of films produced by Vibeke Windeløv)
IN MY LIFE dir. Bille August
CHRISTIAN dir. Gabriel Axel
HAITI EXPRESS dir. Jorgen Leth
NOTES OF LOVE dir. Jorgen Leth
FAMILY MATTERS dir. Susanne Bier
BREAKING THE WAVES dir. Lars von Trier
THE KINGDOM II dir. Lars von Trier
THE IDIOTS dir. Lars von Trier
THE KING IS ALIVE dir. Kristian Levring
IF I GIVE YOU MY HUMBLENESS… dir. Karin Westerlund
DANCER IN THE DARK dir. Lars von Trier
HELGOLAND dir. Karin Westerlund
DOGVILLE dir. Lars von Trier
OPEN HEARTS dir. Susanne Bier
GUD, LUKT OCH HENNE dir. Karin Westerlund
Anthony Dod Mantle – Director of Photography, DFF.
Anthony Dod Mantle grew up in Oxford, England, and took up permanent residence in Denmark in 1983, the same year he enrolled at The Danish Film School . His first feature as Director of Photography was the German film TERRORISTS by Philip Grönning. Anthony Dod Mantle has worked with Thomas Vinterberg since the director’s THE GREATEST HEROES in 1996 and was the cinematographer on Dogme#1, FESTEN (THE CELEBRATION). In 1999, Anthony Dod Mantle filmed Dogme#3, MIFUNE by Søren
Kragh-Jacobsen. His credits include THE BEAST WITHIN by Carsten Rudolf, OPERATION COBRA by Lasse Spang Olsen, GONE WITH THE FISH by Lotte Svendsen, JULIEN DONKEY BOY by Harmony Korine, and VACUUMING COMPLETELY NUDE IN PARADISE and STRUMPET by Danny Boyle for whom Dod Mantle recently shot 28 DAYS LATER.
Per Streit – Sound Designer
Per Streit studied sound design at The Danish Film School and graduated in 1987.
His first feature film as sound designer was von Trier’s EUROPA/ZENTROPA in 1990. Since then, he has designed the sound for the director’s BREAKING THE WAVES, THE IDIOTS and the Palme d’Or winner, DANCER IN THE DARK. Among his recent film projects is the Danish box office hit OPEN HEARTS directed by Susanne Bier.
Molly Malene Stensgaard – Editor
Molly Malene Stensgaard graduated from the Danish Film School in 1994. She first worked with Lars von Trier on his TV productions THE KINGDOM I & II and has edited his two most recent feature films, THE IDIOTS and Palme d’Or winner DANCER IN THE DARK. Among many other films, she edited the Scandinavian box office hit I AM DINA directed by Ole Bornedal, ONE HAND CLAPPING by Gert Fredholm and WALLAH BE by Pia Bovin,
winner of The International Juries First Prize at the “Kinderfilmfest” in Berlin 2003. she is currently working on Annette K. Olesen’s next feature film, DOGME #10 (working title).
Manon Rasmussen – Costume Designer
Manon Rasmussen first worked with Lars von Trier in 1982, designing costumes for the short film BEFRIELSESBILLEDER (Pictures of Liberation/ Images of a Relief). Since then, she has created the costumes for the director’s THE ELEMENT OF CRIME, EUROPA/ZENTROPA, BREAKING THE WAVES and the Palme d’Or winner DANCER IN THE DARK. Other film credits include BARBARA and the domestic box office hit ONE SHORT - ONE LONG by
director Hella Joof. Manon Rasmussen has also designed the costumes for many other Scandinavian feature films including FACING THE TRUTH and most recently, RAMBRANDT directed by Jannik Johansen.
Peter Grant – Art Director/Production Designer
Peter Grant began working with Lars von Trier in 1984 as property master for ELEMENTS OF CRIME. He has worked as art director on von Trier’s EUROPA, BREAKING THE WAVES and DANCER IN THE DARK. In addition, Peter Grant has worked as property master, art director and production designer on numerous commercials, short films and feature films both in Denmark and abroad. His credits include Hans Fabian Wullenweber’s CATCH
THAT GIRL and Bille August’s HOUSE OF SPIRITS, SMILLA’S SENSE OF SNOW and LES MISÉRABLES. Among his recent film projects is the Danish box office hit ONE SHORT – ONE LONG.
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