Manderlay

Manderlay

Movie · 2005 · 3 people

Lars von Trier wrote and directed the 2005 drama Manderlay as a direct sequel to Dogville (2003). It makes up the second instalment of his "USA: Land of Opportunities" trilogy. A co-production of seven European countries, it competed at the 58th Cannes Film Festival; the 139-minute film opened in Turkey on 4 November 2005.

The story is set in 1933. Grace, her father and his gangsters leave Dogville and drift through the South until they reach the Manderlay plantation, where slavery is still practised. Outraged, Grace stays on, using the gangsters' muscle to prepare the people there for freedom, but her well-meant intervention does not go as hoped. Bryce Dallas Howard plays Grace in place of Nicole Kidman, Willem Dafoe takes over from James Caan, and Danny Glover, Lauren Bacall and Isaach de Bankolé complete the cast. Only John Hurt, Udo Kier and Jean-Marc Barr return as the same characters from Dogville.

As before, the film was shot on a sparsely dressed stage resembling a black box theatre, and its action stays within one small area, a plantation. Anthony Dod Mantle shot it, and Zentropa and Film i Väst were among the producers. It is dedicated to the producer Humbert Balsan, and the planned third part, Washington, has never been completed.

DirectorLars von Trier
Production companyZentropa

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Also in the cast: Lauren Bacall, Isaach de Bankolé

Through different eyes

Cinephile Looks at script, editing and directing choices; keeps a distance from formula films.

In Manderlay Lars von Trier returns to the bare stage of Dogville: a studio resembling a black box theatre, its set pared to the minimum, with the action confined to a single plantation. The device no longer has the surprise it had in the first film, but it still works, pulling the viewer out of the illusion of realism and forcing them to think. Bryce Dallas Howard makes Grace, inherited from Nicole Kidman, her own and carries the moral dead end of well-meant intervention. The problem is that the film announces its thesis too early. Over 139 minutes the point is made again and again, and provocation sometimes takes the place of discovery. For admirers of Dogville it is a sequel not to miss; for newcomers it may feel like a gruelling lecture.

Family Viewer Asks whether the whole household can watch it; cares about humour and heart.

Manderlay is not a film to watch with the family. It is built on slavery, coercion and heavy moral questions; it is not suitable for children, and teenagers are better off watching with an adult. It is long and slow, and because it is shot like a theatre stage it takes time to get used to. It can be meaningful for adults who want to discuss these subjects, but for a relaxed evening at home, pick something else.

These are not reader reviews: they are short editorial takes written from different viewer perspectives with AI assistance. Reader reviews are below.

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