Thoughts on Dogme 95

After reading Jack Stevenson's book Dogme Uncut and watching several Lars Von Trier films, as well as Thomas Vinterberg's masterpiece The Celebration, I thought I might voice some of my opinions about Dogme 95. I was guided in the direction of Dogme 95 after I chose to show Europa in Contemporary Film Analysis class, a course I ta. Anyway, I brought up the film to one of my professors in another Cinema class I was taking, and I purchased the book, watched some films, and am now writing about it. This is a sketch (or blog) of some initial impressions about Dogme 95. Hopefully, this will grow into a larger work, either my own Dogme influenced film, or some type of scholarly work submitted for a grade. Anyway it's fun to watch so many great films!

I had watched The Celebration years ago on the IFC channel. Not knowing about Dogme or Lars Von Trier, I was shocked and mesmerized by its content. Watching it for a second time, recently, I saw it in its totality. I noticed how it followed the Dogme vow of chastity. It only used DV video cameras, no articial light, no stage or props, no music, etc.

I was thoroughly amazed. It is one of the best movies to come along in years. It is based on a real story. The feel of the movie is as if its in real time. I thought the movie especially with its disturbing narrative, was fascinating. The narrative is linear, no flashbacks, not a period piece (another Dogme rule). It centers around a father's birthday where a son, in the wake of his twin sister's suicide, accuses the father of sexual abuse. The family is shocked and all of their reactions are precisely recorded by a camera that catches all the nuances of each family member's character. In the end the sister's suicide note reveals that the father really did it. The father is then left alone, ostracized from his family. The celebration reveals so much about Danish society. The strong alegiance to family. The racism and anti-immigrant strains. The incest.

Vinterberg was a prodigy. The Celebration is a true masterpiece of World Cinema

The Celebration was Dogme film #1. Von Trier followed with The Idiots Dogme #2 and many more followed. The most commercially successful Dogme film was Italian for Beginners, which I have not yet seen.

The Dogme movement was Von Trier's brainchild. He led the movement and with three other filmmakers, Vinterberg being one of the three, put out a manifesto and Vow of Chastity. From the start it was against big, "Hollywood" productions. It was somewhat of a manual for filmmakers working on a low budget. Its result was the most influential Cinema movement of recent history. It brought Danish film to international theatres and made Danish directors and actors internationally known. Yet, aside from Italian for Beginners, and, perhaps, Von Trier, most of the films were critically acclaimed but didn't result in much commercial success.

I am happy to have learned of Dogme 95 and I can't wait to watch Italian for Beginners, which I initially thought was an Italian movie! Anyway, I hope to lecture and present a film about Dogme 95 next semester in Contemporary Film Analysis.