The Dogma films have won many prizes for Denmark and attracted huge audiences. But what exactly is the appeal of a film shot with a hand-held camera, without mood-music, set lighting or special effects? The appeal must lie precisely in the fact that this liberation from all the trappings of traditional film-making shifts the focus onto the story itself and the cast’s performances. The strict form accentuates the content, which is allowed to develop on the screen in a reinvented form of realism.
The 'Dogma Brethren', the directors behind the Manifesto, are Lars von Trier (The Idiots), Søren Kragh Jacobsen (Mifune) and Thomas Vinterberg (The Party). Leter other Danish Dogma directors joined their ranks – such as Lone Scherfig who received the Silver Bear at Berlin for Italian for Beginners.
The concept of Dogma cinema offers up a continual challenge that has inspired many film-makers to break with their traditions. Dogma cinema is not a static concept. The Dogma rules as they stand have incited directors to break the rules and replace them with new ones, and as such Dogma cinema will remain in a state of perpetual evolution, while at the same time giving rise to all-new and unfamiliar genres.
In the film, Dogville, Lars von Trier moved away from the Dogma Manifesto and formulated new rules for his work. In Dogville none of the scenes is shot in the open air. By restricting shooting to the studio, von Trier aimed for the ultimate in cast performances. The female lead in Dogville is played by Nicole Kidman.
Author: Vibe Nørgaard