Catangro
After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.
Humaira Grant
It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.
Cassandra
Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.
Red_Identity
I don't think this is near the level of Dogville, not even close. That remains one of the best films I've ever seen. Still, very much a worthy sequel to it with its own ideas and moral questions. It's not as consistently riveting or as intriguing as Dogville, and at times the film lacks the former's certain punch, but it's pretty good. Bryce Dallas Howard is good in the role and she brings a warmth to it that Kidman definitely didn't bring. Because of this, it's hard to sort of see them as the same character. On the reverse side however, Kidman brought a sense of intelligence and maturity (as she usually does) that Howard lacks. Both are really good in their roles and I honestly wish they had been different characters.
Imdbidia
Manderlay is the second installment of Lars Von Trier's thought-provoking trilogy USA - Land of Opportunities. The story, told in eight episodes, starts where Dogville ended. Grace, her father, and their bunch of gangsters stop to eat by a place in Alabama called Manderlay Plantation, where slavery persists 70 years after its Abolition. Idealistic Grace decides to stay, free the blacks and start a communal free plantation.The setting, like in Dogville, is a theatrical set with minimalist elements of architecture and floor drawings marking the different areas of the place. The camera wanders both very close to the characters, as if the viewer was filming them with their own video-camera, but also from above, from bird's view, as if all they were little pieces in a chess table or little dolls. The setting serves the viewer to focus on the story and its message.Trier is always merciless depicting the human being and Society, not because he is nasty or weird, but because it an artist' obligation -or it should be, because that's the matter of Art- to reflect on the issues that affect the world we live in. You like it or not, Trier is a true artist. In fact, Manderlay's story, is indeed relevant to contemporary Western society.Three main questions are explored and answered in Manderlay and explicitly posed to the viewer through the events told in the movie: 1/ Is democracy the best political system to have a free society? 2/ Can democracy be preached by using the support of guns? 3/ What is the best solution to the race problem in America, both in the past and in the present? Thus, Grace teaches the blacks the rudiments of democracy, but does so as she is escorted and supported by a bunch of gangsters, therefore, from a position of power and of white superior - the same she believes she's fighting against. Moreover, nobody has elected her, so she shouldn't be preaching democracy. If this wasn't enough, Grace tries -always with the best intention, to teach blacks people how to be black and be free without even asking them what they want, she who is not black and has never been a Slave. Actually, she was a sort of slave in Dogville, but she did not learn from that. The shock that she gets at the end of the movie masterly reflects how a just system can be unjust and oppressive when imposed on people who don't benefit from it and have had no voice in its establishment.There is not blinder/deaf person that the one who doesn't want to see/hear. The little moral of the story is mentioned at the beginning, when Grace's father reminds her of her childhood and the bird she had in a cage, which she freed thinking that it was the best thing for it, but not being a wild bird, she found it frozen in the window next day. And, once again, she would treat the blacks with affection and love, but also as if she was her owner.The actors are all good in their respective roles. Bryce Dallas Howard is good as Grace Margaret Mulligan; she looks very sweet and innocent, which helps to convey the naivety and paternalism of her character; however, I found her a little bland sometimes, To be honest, I would have liked seeing Nicole Kidman, as she still looks fragile and naive, but she has a maturity that would have given an extra push to the character; however, I don't think that frigid Nicky would have been good enough in the sex scene. Also very convincing are Isaach De Bankolé as the proud and feisty Timothy, Danny Glover as Wise Elder Wilhelm, and Mona Hammond as lovely but week Old Wilma. However, all the cast is terrific.The music is terrific as well as the last song by David Bowie, Young Americans, which is really relevant to the story, as well as the photos of the America that would have waited for the Manderlay blacks until well entered the 1970s.The main flaws of the film are that the story can be easily twisted if interpreted literally to say that the movie supports slavery or that puts the blame on the blacks for not freeing themselves earlier, which is completely the opposite of what the films intends. The movie, moreover, is not engaging enough at the beginning and a little bit of footage could have been cut. Finally, the colors and quality of the film used are very poor, which really makes the watching not as enjoyable as it could have been. Trier was much more careful in Dogville and had better colors, lightening and a sharper contrast.A very good film, not always engaging.
jonathan-577
My first, belated run-in with von Trier is this hyper-extended, unfathomably brutal condemnation of white youth activism's ahistorical egotism. At least, that's what I got out of it: the loathsomely self-righteous Bryce Dallas Howard's attempts to 'educate' a community of newly-freed Southern slaves and their masters may be intended as a metaphor for globalization or something, but there's more than enough to chew on right there on the surface. Especially for someone who has spent his own time wrestling with the culture-bound, missionary pitfalls of liberation rhetoric. The minimalist lines-on-the-studio-floor design job directs your full attention to the brilliant cast, who seem perfectly and improbably attuned to this snooty outsider's vision of America. On this evidence von Trier would be this century's Carl-Theodor Dreyer: brilliant and compelling, but not exactly the life of the party. My attention never wandered, and it's a good thing because otherwise I wouldn't have enjoyed the full impact of the mind-bending wrap-up. Docked a mark for being so hard to endure, even though (or because) that's the point.
Sianed23
Manderlay is the highly anticipated sequel to Lars Von Trier's "Dogville" (2003), and tells the continuing story of Grace (Bryce Dallas Howard) and (Willem Dafoe), who has left Dogville to live in the South.They stop in Alabama in front of a large iron gate bearing the name "Manderlay" where a black woman runs up to their car and frantically knocks on the window. Grace follows the woman into "Manderlay" and discovers the plantation living under slavery-laws. It is 1933, and slavery had been abolished 70 years earlier.Manderlay has been organised by Mam (Lauren Bacall), aided by faithful servant Wilhelm (Danny Glover). Under Mam's Law, a logbook has been kept which ranks each slave and determines their fate within that society. The film revolves around Grace's decision to stay at Manderlay and liberate the slaves to make up for the injustices they have suffered at the hands of whites. Grace attempts to subvert the slave system of Mam's Law, and one such scene sees the white masters with their faces painted black serving dinner to the former slaves.Glover admits to initially turning down the role as he felt the film showed slavery from a biased white perspective. "The issue of slavery is woven deep in the psyche of all Americans, and particularly of those who have been victimised by the system", he commented. "I hope that my and the other (black) actors involvement can make some significant contribution to the movie".There is a strong contingent of black British actors in the cast, despite Manderlay being base on US slavery. Mona Hammond (Eastenders, The Crouches, White Teeth), gives a strong, emotionally-charged performance as Wilma, particularly in the film's pivotal scene where Grace is forced to live by the democratic rules that she has set.Other British actors include Dona Croll (Family Affairs, Elmina's Kitchen), playing the character Venus, alongside Llewella Gideon (PorkPie, The Real McCoy) as Victoria .Manderlay's strength as a film is that it raises a lot of questions about the definition of slavery, particularly evident in the dramatic and unexpected twist at the film's end. Manderlay pushes the boundaries with its subject-matter and is compelling viewing as a result of Von Trier's film technique of 'televised theatre'. He uses only studio shots with a minimum of props, and the main action takes place exclusively on a huge map with crude black lines, depicting each southern-state, including Manderlay.The narrator-led story (using the voice of John Hurt), means that the actors' Shakespearean-style speech is minimal yet dramatic to make an impact. However, this also makes it difficult to empathise with any particular character, which is vital given the emotive topic of slavery. Despite this, Manderlay is a definite must-see film, if only to debate the meaning of slavery and how its far-reaching consequences today can be overcome.Manderlay makes the point that even if black people were physically freed from slavery, that they would never be socially or emotionally free, and given the same equal rights as whites. This theme could be a euphemism for Manderlay and the film industry as a whole; a black director is arguably more qualified to produce a film about slavery, yet he or she, is enslaved by a white film-industry that doesn't give equal opportunities to black actors or black film talent.Von Trier also recognises this inherent contradiction that he, as a white man is directing a film about slavery. "I am white, though I felt myself becoming a bit less so, as we went along", he recalls, "There is no doubt that the entire blame for oppression rests on the whites, but interestingly enough, every major town or city in the USA with respect for itself has a Holocaust museum, but none has a museum of the racial oppression that took place within the USA itself".Written By: Siane Daley
