Manderlay (2005)

Director:

Lars von Trier

Writer:

Lars von Trier (written by)

Release Date:

3 June 2005 (Denmark)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

A case of mistaken identity

Plot:

A story of slavery, set in the 1930s American South.

Plot Keywords:

Gangster | Slavery | USA | Democracy | 1930s

Awards:

1 win & 15 nominations

Cast

Bryce Dallas Howard	...	Grace Margaret Mulligan
Isaach De Bankolé	...	Timothy
Danny Glover	...	Wilhelm
Willem Dafoe	...	Grace's Father
Michaël Abiteboul	...	Thomas
Lauren Bacall	...	Mam
Jean-Marc Barr	...	Mr. Robinsson
Geoffrey Bateman	...	Bertie
Virgile Bramly	...	Edward
Ruben Brinkmann	...	Bingo (as Ruben Brinkman)
Doña Croll	...	Venus (as Dona Croll)
Jeremy Davies	...	Niels
Llewella Gideon	...	Victoria
Mona Hammond	...	Old Wilma
Ginny Holder	...	Elisabeth

Also Known As:

Manderlay (France) (Germany)
The Film 'Manderlay' as Told in Eight Straight Chapters (USA) (long title)

Runtime:

139 min

Country:

Denmark | Sweden | Netherlands | France | Germany | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Philippines:R-18 | Finland:K-15 | Sweden:11 | Germany:12 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Brazil:16 | Czech Republic:15 | UK:15 | Italy:VM14 | Japan:R-18 | Hong Kong:III | Singapore:R21 | Hungary:16 | Canada:14A (Ontario) (Canadian Home Video rating) | Netherlands:12 | Australia:MA | South Korea:18 | Portugal:M/16 | USA:Not Rated | New Zealand:M

Filming Locations:

Denmark

Company:

Zentropa Entertainments

Trivia:

British actors were cast as nine out of the twelve slaves portrayed in the film because African-American actors steered away from the film because of its content.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Narrator: It was in the year of 1933, when Grace and her father were heading southward with their army of gangsters.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Chacun son cinéma ou Ce petit coup au coeur quand la lumière s'éteint et que le film commence (2007)

Soundtrack:

Young Americans

one of the bravest movies of all time

Indeed one of this years best films. I have just returned from the cinema, and i'm still thinking about Manderlay. The story continues where Dogville ended. Grace and her father makes a short brake their travel, and discovers that a slave is getting punished near by in a plantation named Manderlay. Grace's father continues his travel and Grace stays in Manderlay to set the slaves free, as they should have been 70 years ago, when the slavery was made illegal. And of course this is not easy.

Manderlay isn't as shocking and far out as Dogville was. Not that it was a bad thing of course. But this is just a very much stronger film, because you get personally involved in the characters in a way that i don't think you did in Dogville. The only thing missing is a little bit of action. Nothing really happens. People just walk around and talk. The biggest scenes in the film has no direct influence on the following physical action and development in the story. well of course they does, but the development lies in the head of the characters. These developments are more interesting to analyze after you have seen the movie that during the movie. But instead of a lot of physical action we are given as i remember three truly terrifying and terrific scenes that are as strong as scenes in Dancer in the Dark and Breaking the Waves, and they does in my opinion make up for the lack of action.

Manderlay is also a lot stronger i it's message than Dogville was. Yes, the message is pointed against USA, but as in Dogville, it is so much more than just a criticism of that country... it's a criticism of the human kind. The reason for Lars von Trier to place the story in USA is that he likes to tease the big ones. He said that in an interview on TV not so long ago. He also said that the screenplay was written before the incidents in Iraq, so it's a coincidence that there are so many parallels between the events in Manderlay and in Iraq.

Lars von Trier is in my opinion one of the biggest directors of our time. It takes a courage, that i see in no other directors than him, to make a film like this. Manderlay is one of the bravest movies i have seen.