Dogme Uncut: Lars von Trier, Rhomas Vinterberg, and the Gang that Took On Hollywood

From Publishers Weekly
Dogme films follow a strict set of rules: they employ natural lighting and hand-held cameras; they don't use special effects, soundtracks or movie sets. Launched by Danish filmmaker Lars von Trier in 1995, the movement flew in the face of Hollywood slickness and shook up the filmmaking world. Film journalist and historian Stevenson, who's lived in Denmark for the past 10 years, explores the genre, its films and its filmmakers, covering relatively big Dogme films, such as Italian for Beginners and The Celebration, as well as lesser-known ones, like Security, Colorado. Stevenson addresses the debates surrounding Dogme ("there is a scuffle taking place amongst cineastes, a brawl between partisans," he writes), focusing on the Danish perspective. Yet he also covers the involvement of American filmmakers, like Harmony Korine, since many of them used Dogme "to get people interested in working on their low-budget and in some cases very unorthodox film projects." Stevenson presents an uncluttered and jargon-free assessment of an important movement in independent film, making this an excellent choice for foreign film buffs and aficionados. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Library Journal
"Important to film students and fans of world cinema, this is recommended for larger film collections."

Film Threat
"An in-depth history of the Dogme 95 film movement, while providing coverage of most of its films and filmmakers involved."

Movie Magazine International
"An informative book with a direct style . . . a handheld treasure of the here and now."

Film Comment
"Provides terrific contextual background . . . for understanding the emergence of Dogme . . . accomplishes a worthwhile task in cataloguing almost every Dogme release."

Hybrid Magazine
"A definitive guide to Dogme 95 . . . a delight . . . Film geeks rejoice! This book is for you!"

Films in Review
"[P]rovides a thorough overview, and is written in an accessible style by a writer who clearly understands the material."

London Times
"A revealing new book"

Book Description
Written with humor and insight, this mixture of history, analysis, and reportage sheds fascinating insider light on the eight-year-old Dogme film movement, examining the subject from multiple perspectives. Covered in detail is Dogme's genesis, when, in 1995, Danish filmmaker Lars von Trier, acclaimed director of Breaking the Waves and Dancer in the Dark, and three fellow Danish directors swore to reject the norm of slick, emotionally manipulative, high-concept, and bombastic movie productions. Explained is the Dogme95 philosophy, which entails a return to basic filmmaking through the use of natural lighting and handheld cameras, and the refusal to use special effects, soundtracks, and movie sets. The films and filmmakers of the Dogme movement are discussed, including Thomas Vinterberg (The Celebration), Harmony Korine (Julien Donkey-Boy), Lone Scherfig (Italian for Beginners), and Susanne Bier (Open Hearts). Dogme's debt to previous film waves is explored, as is the impact Dogme has had on current trends in cinema and on today's young filmmakers.

About the Author
Jack Stevenson is the author of Land of a Thousand Balconies, Lars von Trier, and Addicted: The Myth & Menace of Drugs in Film. He has been published in Film Quarterly and The Big Reel, with his texts translated into nine languages. He has organized shows for filmmakers in San Francisco and run a film series at the Danish National Film Museum. He lives in Allerÿd, Denmark.


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In 1995, director Lars von Trier and three other Danish auteurs founded the Dogme (Danish for dogma) movement, a cinematic style that employs quasi-Marxist principles, e.g., the use of a handheld camera and black-and-white film and the emphasis on the cinematographer vs. the director. In sum, unadulterated Dogme-now defunct or at least moribund thanks to von Trier's modest international success with the non-Dogme Dancer in the Dark and the forthcoming U.S. release of Dogville with Nicole Kidman-is a reaction against formula-driven, studio-backed cinema. An American film journalist living in Denmark, Stevenson carefully uncovers Dogme's roots in Danish cinema and places it in context by addressing the French New Wave of the 1960s, and the new German cinema of the 1970s, and works by American independent filmmakers like John Cassavetes. In addition to analyzing the 33 seminal Dogme films (e.g., Italian for Beginners), he discusses Dogme's influence on film in other countries. Shari Roman's Digital Babylon: Hollywood, Indiewood and Dogme 95 also probes Dogme's themes and directors, as well as the wider realm of independent cinema, but Dogme Uncut is a deeper, more focused study. Important to film students and fans of world cinema, this is recommended for larger film collections.-Kim Holston, American Inst. for Chartered Property Casualty Underwriters, Malvern, PA Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.


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