Dancer in the Dark [DVD]

Love this movie and so happy to have a copy!

I was so excited to see in my mail box last night, my DVD of Dancer in the Dark had arrived! It was total magic. I finally get to see what everyone has been talking about . This movie is exhausting and coming home from a tired days work I was totally glued to the TV after being so enthralled by what this movie does to your senses. At first, this movie looks like a boring documentary (with the exception of the beautiful overture and the colorful tapestries you see at the beginning). But then this movie turns and turns and turns again, from one glorious scene to the other. The musical numbers are like nothing you have ever seen in a musical. Raw, deafening and most of all SURPRISING! I think in the Hollywood hey day, musicals simply became all too familiar and predictable. This movie annihilates all of that by slapping you with the most shocking dance and music sequences ever created. The story is uncomfortable and very real. I kept thinking of the "Blair Witch Project" with the camera-how it moves, adding a sense of realism and how the dance sequences are shooting from 100's of different angles. Bjork's music (or should I say Selma's music) is something of a revelation for our times since musicals are supposed to be innovative and unique (think about it-how long has it been since you've actually seen a musical that is innovative and unique?). What this movie capitalizes on is that Bjork holds all of those qualities and more. But what makes this movie really work is it's dark and ultimately harsh story, continuously threading musical numbers and showing this faux hopefullness that Selma very much wants to embrace but can't. She can't because of the abrasive world she lives in and the sad reality that keeps her from her hopes and dreams for her son. This is not the Sound of Music or Xanadu or Grease or West Side Story or Gigi or that gawdawful musical South Pacific. Although this movie has the essence of all of those movies it's different because the story isn't decorated with candy coated songs or a boring and frilly Hollywood story. This musical is the real deal and delivers something that makes a huge reinvention of a timeless idea that somehow in the 70's and 80's got seriously skewed.With that said, this DVD rocks my socks off! The sound of the musical numbers is sheer ear candy with my home theatre. I jumped out of my seat when the first song arrived with Selma in the factory. "I've Seen it All," is a masterpiece of songwriting and it should've gotten the Oscar but how can anyone compete with Dylan? "Scatterheart," is breathtaking and when you see the scene with Bjork and David Morse you'll understand what I mean. "The Next to the Last Song," will most certainly make you cry, it did me and I am a rugby player, go figure:) The extras are plentiful as with all of New Line DVD's, this has plenty of extras to play with and the documentaries are very thorough and most of all, INTERESTING! After all was said and done, I finally went to bed at around 2am having seen something that was completely worth every penny in buying. This film will remain a classic and although it didn't make millions of dollars in the theatre, it certainly has made a difference to those who continue to dream of the new great musical of the future. Peace!

One of the saddest movies I’ve ever seen. Bjork is transcendent! Visually and musically stunning. I saw it when it first came out and I was heavily pregnant. I cried for an hour afterwards, later crediting my pregnancy for my extreme reaction. Watched it recently with my son and we both bawled. It tells so much about human nature, power, poverty, resilience, women’s place in this world, motherhood, the justice system. And even more.

Selma Going blind is one thing, but her going blind and raising a son that will lose his sight someday, too, without an operation to correct his vision when he turns 13 is tragic. So, Selma-Gene's Mother-works a factory job, saves as much of the little bit of money she makes for his operation. Then there is the desperation of her neighbor/friend. He is a Police Officer, Washington State 1964 era, he is getting ready to lose everything he has including his wife. Learning that Selma is losing her vision creates a demon in his mind, after asking her for a loan, and she says "this money is Gene's". He threatens to kill himself. Selma has a loving positive angle on life, no matter how bad things get she still has her imagination and her Musicals-where nothing tragic ever happens. He finds where Selma hides her money and then waits for her to leave, steals it and puts it in his steel box, so his wife can see him counting it and feel proud. Selma is forced to do something that she would never have dreamt of, but it is for the love of her son she is thinking at this point, nothing else. Throughout the movie she has these visions of people dancing around her, she is the center of a musical, it is a magical and inspirational movie. Everytime something went wrong she would simply go into her own world and daydream about her entire life as a musical. This loving mother from Chechlslovokia? does everything she can to provide for her son, has a nice guy that eventually falls in love with her. But she has no time for a boyfriend. I think she gives in to that later, though. The dancers are excellent, the Directing of this film is superb. No matter what Selma goes through she still comes through with a smile on her face. Very inspirational. Bjork is great acting in this one.

love her

I agree with most viewers that this is a powerful and disturbing film. It can tear a viewer's emotions apart, and perhaps justly so. But good as it is, "Dancer in the Dark" is also a deeply flawed film. First, the musical numbers; they seemed to me purposeless and obtrusive; telling the story straight would have given it more power and polish. Secondly, a classic tragedy also is capable of offering a catharsis, usually obtained by delicatedly handled irony (the villain--David Morse character--could have been divulged to a third party, for instance). Thirdly, filmed in Sweden and supposedly representing rural America, this movie is openly and vitriolically anti-American. Selma's trial is the stupidest trial ever put on film, bigotry admitted, and the system of justice represented here is nothing but a sadistic machine torturing a guitless and noble victim. Yes, injustices like that do exist and should be put on film. Raskolnikov has a dream of a horse being stoned to death. Kafka has Gregor Samsa die in utter loneliness as cockroach. And Fellini gives us Gelsomina dying of unrelieved grief after a brute has killed a friend. Perhaps, Lars von Trier should have tried to imitate those masters. Or did he?

This movie isn't terrible, and it isn't very good. Some have listed this as one of the all time saddest movies. Pathetic perhaps, but not sad. I suppose it would have been better minus the musical interludes as the music made me want to howl at the moon. You will have to come to your own conclusions, just remember I tried to warn you. :)

One of Lars von Trier's most widely-acclaimed films. Not one of my personal favorites of his, but it's at the top of the list for many. I love it, just not as much as Melancholia, AntiChrist, and Europa.

„Dancer in the Dark“ ist ein prämierter Musical-Film von Lars von Trier aus dem Jahr 2000.Ein Melodram, so perfekt, wie sonst nur VorabendserienDie Geschichte erzählt Vom Opfergang der jungen Selma, einer Heiligen möglicherweise, so selbstlos und ohne Harm, so engelsgleich wie sie ist. Und so nett, so lieb, so offen zu allen. So herzergreifend. Und dann noch gespielt von Björk, diesem isländischen Wunder mit ihrer hellen, bezaubernden Stimme, so licht und klar. Wenn Björk singt, scheint die Welt stillzustehen. „I ve seen it all“ lässt sie wissen, dass es nicht mehr zu sehen gibt, dass es ja eine Todsünde wäre, noch mehr zu wollen.Und dann ist da die böse Welt: Amerika als ein sich verdüsternder Traum. Der Kapitalismus, der schnöde, verkörpert von herzlosen Vorarbeitern, Ärzten, die man betrügen muss, weil sie die Augenkranke vor sich selbst schützen wollen, ohne zu sehen, dass sie ihr dadurch erst alles nehmen. Und die Maschinen, die 1964 noch so richtig hart und metallisch klirrten, Malmzähne eines Industriezeitalters, das heute vorbei ist. Besonders böse der Polizist, der doch Arm des Gesetzes sein sollte, und um Selmas Schicksal weiß. Er wird zum Vollender der Tragödie, und das irdische Gesetz zum Werkzeug des Teufels.Das kann man höchstens ernst meinen wenn man Lars von Trier heisst...und selbst bei ihm bin ich mir da nicht so sicher.Schon allein der Prolog - die fünfminütige schwarze Zumutung am Beginn, die wohl aussagen soll....Achtung ! Andacht, bitte – jetzt kommt Kunst !Und Björk, die angeblich so gut ist, „gerade weil sie keine Schauspiel-Ausbildung hat“. Von wegen, so ein Quatsch! Dass die grossartige Catherine Deneuve hier eine Rolle angenommen hat, kann ich gar nicht verstehen....„Die Welt braucht solche Filme“ – sprachen die weisen Stimmen aus Cannes.Was aber, wenn man nicht „aufgewühlt“ ist, keinerlei Magie und Poesie sieht ? Gehört man dann womöglich zu den ganz Abgebrühten, die zu intensiven Erlebnissen nicht mehr fähig sind ? Also... wer es nicht schön findet, ist eigentlich ein schlechter Mensch ?Nun gut, dann bin ich wohl ein schlechter Mensch.Lars von Trier ist immer polarisierend. Es gibt auch gute Filme von ihm , "Melancholia" oder "Dogville"...aber diesen Film finde ich fürchterlich.

Lars von Trier's 2000 Cannes prize-winning drama Dancer In The Dark is a quite remarkable piece of film-making, in keeping with much of this innovative director's work. It is visually stunning (with cinematography by Robby Muller), emotionally powerful, and provides a mix of tragedy and musical theatre the kind of which is rarely seen on the big screen. In keeping with von Trier's visual flare, Dancer In The Dark also opens with one of the most stunning sequences I've seen in cinema (ranking for me alongside the likes of Terence Davis' magnificent final sequence of clouds disappearing in a moonlit sky at the end of The Long Day Closes), during which a series of paintings are seamlessly morphed, accompanied by Bjork's majestic, Wagnerian overture (a portent of von Trier's use of Wagner in Melancholia). Quite frankly, this opening sequence alone is worthy of (at least) four stars.Of course, it is difficult to over-estimate the diminutive Icelander's contribution to von Trier's film and much of the film's success (or otherwise) is likely to be dependent on one's liking (or otherwise) for her. Not only does she give (for me) a remarkably powerful and assured performance as Selma Jezkova, a Czech immigrant factory-worker with failing eyesight and a penchant for Hollywood musicals ('In a musical nothing dreadful ever happens'), but she also composed the music for the film's series of impressive (dream) musical dance sequences. Of course, the other very distinctive features of Dancer In The Dark are that it uses von Trier's trademark shooting style of hand-held, jump cut camerawork, together with his semi-improvisational approach to directing his actors, giving the film a highly naturalistic feel.Hiding beneath the film's various layers of innovation, however, is a relatively simple, and tragic, US-set tale of Selma's love for her young son, for whom she is saving up her hard-earned cash in order to provide the operation he will likely need to prevent later (inherited) blindness. Selma's story turns to tragedy, however, when neighbour, landlord and local cop Bill (David Morse) discovers the existence of her 'stash' and hatches a plan to purloin it in order to relieve his own financial straits (caused largely by his profligate wife Linda - Cara Seymour), with disastrous consequences.Acting-wise, as well as Bjork's great turn, we have a reliably solid performance from Catherine Deneuve as French immigrant (I guess), and Selma's friend, Kathy, good turns from married couple (and Selma's eventual nemeses) Morse and Seymour, and a particularly impressive performance from Peter Stormare as Selma's sympathetic friend, and rejected love interest, Jeff. Even veteran dancer and actor, Joel Grey, turns up latterly at Selma's trial as her 'father' and features (not surprisingly) in one of the most impressive (and upbeat) song and dance interludes.Whilst von Trier's film has many things to commend it, for me, it falls slightly short in a number of areas. Although, it is undoubtedly an emotionally-charged piece of work, for me, von Trier rather overdoes the sentimentality (and, as importantly, signposts this too blatantly). Similarly, the director's notorious antipathy towards the US (an opinion with which I have a good deal of sympathy) is to the fore throughout, and his messages around anti-communism, racial prejudice and capital punishment are (for me) rather unsubtle (although I guess it could be argued that such an approach is required to get his messages across).Despite these reservations, Dancer In The Dark remains an original, innovative and compelling watch from one of cinema's most dynamic, engaging and challenging (albeit mercurially maverick) talents (a set of characteristics all too rare in much modern cinema).

As for the film itself, it's a masterpiece and a truly original experience. With this blu ray version there are too many draw backs to be worth the occasional shot that's improved. The intro section of the film is removed and replaced with white text over a black background, colours are all washed out and unnatural, the attempt to upscale the low def digital camera footage for the musical sequences results in even more noise on screen. The only things that could make it worth it are added interviews, including one with Björk, but these are just awkward considering information that has come to light of the treatment of the lead actress on set. As far as I'm concerned the dvd is not only of better quality, but its cheaper and overall the way the film was meant to be viewed.

Wow, where to start. I have been a fan of Bjork's music but I had never heard of her acting until a friend suggested I watch this film.I could not believe where the film starts, you laughing and smiling about the songs until the ending where it has one of the most horrifying endings I have ever seen. I literally had to watch Will Ferrell after to cheer me up. I chose "The Other Guys" it definitely made me feel better.Overall this film is incredible, the journey you go on, the juxtaposition of sadness and happiness throughout will leave you confused about what to feel but if you do not cry at the end, you have no soul!!!Definitely watch this film but only expect to watch it once I think!

I had been told to see this film for years, as a Bjork fan, everyone said I would love it. But no one prepared me for what I saw. Bjork is amazing as the going-blind immigrant and you feel so much compassion for her and the trouble she finds herself in you will either scream at the TV or cry your heart out. I went for the latter and cried from 20 mins in and by the end I was crying like a baby. If you don't like Bjorks music in general do not fear as the music, although serves it's purpose well as our heroine wishes her life was a musical, the music rarely tells you any story, more of a recap of dialogue so you could always skip the tunes and just enjoy this film for what it is. A film about how the little guy is pushed and trodden on until they fight back.An added shout has to go to Catherine Deneuve who has always been the most graceful women on the screen and her supporting role just ads to the perfection that is this film.