The tagline for Lars Von Trier's Manderlay is "Liberation. Whether they want it or not." This gets at the heart of not only the film's plot but Von Trier's methods and intent. Manderlay is as confrontational a cinematic object as any in recent history, and if it's an imperfect thing it still makes its points with vigor. Even if he's not at the top of his game, Von Trier knows exactly how to get under the skin.
Manderlay continues the saga of Grace began in Von Trier's previous film, the masterful Dogville. Grace (Bryce Dallas Howard, replacing Nicole Kidman) is traveling through the Deep South with her gangster father (Willem Dafoe, replacing James Caan) when the caravan happens across the plantation of Manderlay. Grace discovers, to her consternation, that slavery still exists at this plantation; despite its abolition some seventy years prior, the black people at Manderlay are in servitude, governed by an archaic and labyrinthine set of rules collectively known as Mam's Law. Having recently suffered through her own period of enslavement, Grace is horrified. She enlists some of her father's goons and takes immediate action, abolishing Mam's Law and thus forcibly bringing change to Manderlay.
Grace soon finds out, though, that things are never as cut-and-dried as idealistic eyes would present them. Her attempts at bestowing freedom upon the slaves meets with a continued flow of obstacles. Wilhelm, the house slave (Danny Glover), repeatedly tells Grace that the slaves aren't ready for free life; occasionally, the events of Manderlay bear that out, but often it's Grace's headstrong nature and ignorance of life in Manderlay that lead to hardship.
A crucial event midfilm has Grace convincing the slaves to raze a row of trees on the Manderlay property so they can fix and improve their homes, little knowing that the trees act as a windbreak to prevent dust storms from lashing the property. The message comes clear: By failing to understand the way things work in the area, Grace is unable to protect her charges from the coming storm. The parallels to the current situation in Iraq are impossible to miss, as is the generalized critique of imperialism.
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Article comments
1 - Snarkattack
Good review, thorough. It sounds like this is pretty much a rewrite of Dogville so I wonder if it will have any impact on me if I choose to watch it?
I understand Von Trier is a filmmaker and all, but this Brechtian stuff is a bit...old. Uh, yeah, we got it the first time in Dogville. I mean, didn't Grace (as a character) learn anything from her stay in Dogville? In reference to coming into a small community and though she be just one person, it significantly alters the dynamics of the community, does it not? So how could she not see that this would happen in Manderley?
Hmm...
2 - Steve C.
I think the point of Manderlay is that Grace learned all the wrong lessons from her stay in Dogville. She has power and she has knowledge; the problem is assimilating these things into a workable world outlook. I know a lot od Dogville lovers who think that Von Trier ruined the character of Grace with this film; I think it's an evolution that makes sense.
And the Brechtian thing isn't as effective as it was in Dogville, but that has a lot to do with the shock of the new having worn off. (Well, that and Lars not thinking this one out as well.) Still works well enough, though. Hope he still does Wasington one day...
3 - Snarkattack
Thanks for explaining that Steve - that does make sense. So I guess it's supposed to be ironic then?
I didn't realise Von Trier planned this Dogville thing as a trilogy. I probably wouldn't go out of my way to see this film you've reviewed but if it's on cable I'll watch it.
4 - blahreview
i saw dogville and i hated it for how it made me feel. i wasnt ready for it because after a year i checked it out again and i was the opposite. i went back in von triers catalog and love his work. incredible storyteller. the brechtian style is very effective. very strong movie, this is a good review. i think one can discuss his movies in a class format. manderlay is another step forward for him and i cannont wait for the third in the installment.
5 - mindyssong
personaly i like Bryce very much but didnt think she fit this roll. as for the film along with Dogville, the message seemed to me is dont trust the poor and hungry, because they will f--- you...in these two cases ...literaly. i did like the stories, even though i wished manderlay would of eneded with the same solution. they did deserve it. all in all though, most of it was very unrealistic and and definately bore the european mind set of america. For Bryces sake, she needs to pick her rolls better.