FrontrunnerParis
Dazzling Björk in this indictment against the death sentence, in tight close-ups. This film is a UFO, musical without being.
Dancer in the Dark
- Drama
- Crime
9/1/2000
140
R
In a world of shadows, she found the light of life.
Selma, a Czech immigrant on the verge of blindness, struggles to make ends meet for herself and her son, who has inherited the same genetic disorder and will suffer the same fate without an expensive operation. When life gets too difficult, Selma learns to cope through her love of musicals, dreaming up little numbers to the rhythmic beats of her surroundings.
- Director:
- Writer:
- Revenue:
- $40,061,153
- Budget:
- $12,500,000
Videos
Cast
BjörkSelma Jezkova- Catherine DeneuveKathy
David MorseBill Houston- Peter StormareJeff
- Joel GreyOldrich Novy
- Cara SeymourLinda Houston
- Vladica KosticGene Jezkova
- Jean-Marc BarrNorman
- Vincent PatersonSamuel
- Siobhan Fallon HoganBrenda
- Zeljko IvanekDistrict Attorney
- Udo KierDr. Porkorny
- Jens AlbinusMorty
- Reathel BeanJudge
- Mette BerggreenReceptionist
Lars Michael DinesenDefense Attorney / Dancer
Reviews
badelf
I have tremendous respect for Lars von Trier's work, and I deeply admire his courage in attempting to fuse drama with musical theater. "Dancer in the Dark" is nothing if not audacious. Unfortunately, ambition alone doesn't make a successful film, and this one fails both as a drama and as a musical.
As drama, the film stumbles on two fundamental levels. First, the handheld, shaky camera movement is completely unnecessary. Von Trier broke other Dogme 95 rules throughout this film, so why cling to this one annoying restriction? The constant jittering ruins suspension of disbelief, pulling us out of the story when we should be immersed in Selma's tragedy. Second, and more damning, there's no redeeming value to the bleak outcome. What have we...