Rating: 
Summary: Really Good and Really Bad
Review: There are aspects of this film that are incredibly good and so many that are horrendously bad, that it's really difficult to review this film honestly.To begin with, Bjork does a wonderful job in the role of Selma. She plays the role with a pure, natural quality and a directness that blends perfectly with the documentary/home-movie quality of the direction and the cinematography. I understand that Bjork has sworn off film acting forever because her constant battling with director Von Triers was so emotionally draining for her. And yet their styles so perfectly meld themselves to each other that one gets the impression that they were both painting from the same pallette. The basic storyline is essentially heart-wrenching --- by design. Selma has migrated to America with her young son Gene. She works every waking hour, both at her job in a factory and at home doing piece-work; all of this despite the fact that she has a genetic disease which is causing her to lose her eyesight. The reason she works so hard, of course, is that her young son has the same disease and the only thing that will prevent him from meeting the same fate as his mother is a very expensive operation for which she is saving every penny. Rather than keep the money she's saved in a bank (which they had even back yonder in 1964), she keeps the cash in a shoebox in the small hovel she rents from a local policeman. The policeman, who has allowed his wife to squander his inheritance but doesn't have the heart to tell her that their savings have now been depleted, asks Selma to loan him the money but she politely refuses. In an act of apparent desperation, he sneaks into her house and steals the money which, in a rather convoluted and not very well-justified series of events leads to Selma murdering him. What follows is the aftermath of the murder during which Selma must face the consequences of her act. For the most part, the screenplay is overwhelmingly sadistic - both to the character of Selma and to the audience. I found myself having to turn the movie off after the murder scene simply because I was so distressed by the situation and sickened by the brutality of the crime. It was during this break that I had time to think back and reflect on the way the screenplay was manipulated in order to maximize the amount of sympathy we felt with Selma by maximizing the level of cruelty that was being heaped upon her. About half-an-hour later, when I resumed watching the film, I had trouble reimmersing myself in it, because I was now so wary of being manipulated and so determined that I wasn't going to be. The musical numbers are quite enjoyable. They're used to give Selma a device for dealing with the horrendous circumstances she finds herself in. For Selma, as Bjork plays her, this is a perfecly natural thing to do and, plot-wise, it makes perfect sense. However, I found the staging of the numbers to be very self-conscious - sometimes bordering on silly. And poor Catherine Deneuve! She's so out of place dancing this choreography that you can sometimes see her watching the person next to her out of the corner of her eye. She couldn't appear more uncomfortable, which is a shame given the fact that she does such a nice job in the rest of the film. I enjoyed the camerawork very much, although I've noticed that many other reviewers found it annoying. The 'on-the spot' nature of it gave me a sense that I was experiencing the story first-hand. It was as if, at any moment, one of the characters might turn to me to make a side-comment. And I believe this is the reason the murder is so powerful and affecting. This technique has been tried in other films, but I believe to less effect. One aspect of this film that bothered me was what I perceived to be a rather strong anti-American sentiment. I've never been a flag-waver although I do consider myself to be patriotic and I feel a certain sense of pride about being a citizen of America. But I was offended by the undercurrant of this film which implied that all Americans have a rather blatant disdain for foreigners. You'll notice that the only people who genuinely care for Selma and whom she can completely trust are her French friends, Phil and Cathy. Every American in the film, except for the bulldog-like new friend at the prison, betrays her at some point in the story. "Americans appear to be nice people, but don't ever turn your back on one," says this film. Collectively, the cast is solid and there's not a weak performance (except, perhaps, the aforementioned prison woman who's horrendous), but it's Bjork who carries the day and who makes you want to stay with this very uneven film to the end. Ultimately, this had the potential of being a wonderful film. Von Triers is a very talented director, but he needs to remove himself a little more from his material in order to tone down some of the more obvious and self-conscious plot and directorial devices.
Rating: 
Summary: Sadistic but excellent
Review: Lars Von Trier is a sadist. With "Dancer in the Dark", he continues the same theme of his beautifully bleak previous film "Breaking the Waves": He constructs a lead character that is loving, innocent, pure and humble, and then proceeds to have that character systematically degraded, humiliated, abused and finally killed. For what purpose? Most likely to show that modern society is no place for innocents. It's a dog eat dog world, and Von Trier doesn't want us to forget it. Painful as it is to watch, this is a great film. The musical numbers that take place in Selma's head are a wonderful contrast to the gray, uninspired world she inhabits in real life. And Bjork is absolutely heartbreaking and mesmerizing playing one of the most tragic characters ever seen on screen. I recommend this film, but be warned ... it may ruin your week.
Rating: 
Summary: Simply an acquired taste.
Review: I foremost do not consider myself a Bjork fan. (She honestly weirds me out)
Yet I have a better respect for her after watching this film. To have not had previous acting experience she really did immerse herself into this role. For the first few moments of the film I was initally turned off by the dry dialog and the poor visual quality of the film. Up until I witnessed the first musical number. All the way to the tragic end, I was hooked. Now, this film isn't for everyone. Yet it is my personal opinion a worthy view.
Rating:
Summary: good
Review: i liked this movie but it was very long and it really really dagged on. the story , the acting , and the direction were all fantastic. i reccomend this movie but you need to be able sit for 2 and a 1/2 hours.
Rating:
Summary: I Smell Some Trolls
Review: First of all, a couple disclaimers: First, I'm not gonna comment much on the "musical" parts of the film, and my review isn't really based on what I thought of them. Suffice to say I understood their purpose, but I still thought they detracted from the rest of the film a little (except maybe the final one); hence the 4 rather than 5 stars. Second, this isn't as much a review of the film itself, as it is a review of the reviewers. So here goes. I don't normally jump online to check out reviews of a movie right after watching it for the first time (if anything, I do so BEFORE watching), but in this case I made an exception. That's because something else I don't normally do is . . . lose it emotionally while trying to watch a movie! So I had to come here and see what others had said about it, to make sure I hadn't just gone senile or something. Well, I'm happy to report that all is well . . . it seems that the vast majority of people had the same problem I did. And so now I was satisfied, knowing that I was still "normal." I had no intention of writing a review, but then I got the bright idea to sort these into "lowest rating first," just for fun, assuming there wouldn't really be anything very negative. Stupid move, cause now I'm really wondering about some people. I've come to the only conclusion that seems plausible: The people who have given this film an extremely low rating MUST be trolls! You know about trolls, right? They're the people who hang out on message boards just trying to aggravate others. They don't really care one way or another about the subject being discussed, but still they take a position -- an EXTREME position, doesn't matter which side, just so it's extreme -- trying to get people going. Anyway, that has GOT to be what's going on here. We have people saying one or both of the following: 1) Bjork's acting is "mediocre," "amateurish," "unconvincing," or something similar. 2) This film didn't move me at all emotionally, even the last scene. See what I mean? These people have GOT to be trolls! I don't believe that any sane person could fail to realize that Bjork's work in this film was among the greatest EVER, male or female. And I do NOT believe a living, breathing human being could sit through the last 15 minutes or so of this film without losing it. But if I'm wrong . . . if I'm wrong, and these people are serious, I'd just note a couple of things about them: 1) They need to quit writing movie reviews, because they obviously know virtually nothing about acting ability. 2) They better get down to their doctor first thing in the morning . . . there must be something seriously wrong with the emotion-triggering parts of their brains.
Rating:
Summary: The utimate assault of all senses
Review: After watching Dancer In The Dark, I wowed never to watch it again. Not that it's no good, it's so good that at the end of the two-and-a-half hours, I was completely drained of all emotions while feeling utterly depressed as the film moves on.
Always worthy of mention is Bjork whose transition from a cool avant garde Icelandic singer to a musical-movie actress is very much commendable and credible. Her raw emotions and unpolished acting have been the biggest factor in making this movie work. Interspersed with well-choreographed musical moves throughout, Bjork brings to life Selma, the nearly blind mother who's working hard to save her son from the same hereditary condition but eventually gets robbed and hanged.
All the other actors, including the splendid Catherine Denuve, shines in the movie. The final scene in the movie culminating in Selma's hanging is overwrought with pure sadness that the scene remains in one's head long after the movie has ended. It leaves a semi-chill down my spine, thinking about the scene.
This may all be weird to some, but for anyone who takes a chance, this is a masterpiece. You'll either love or hate this, no in-betweens.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful but..
Review: The only complaint I have is the camera switching back and forth..
one word..why??
It distracted from a very nice film. When I saw her sing the song live on tv,I was blown away by it.
It is so haunting.
The song in the movie is riveting,especially by that train.. I loved it.
Rating:
Summary: Bold, dramatic, artful. Essential cinema.
Review: "Dancer In the Dark" is a movie creature unlike any other, a marriage of musical, Steinbeck, socialism and fantasy - a paean to the working class and the power of song. Lars Von Trier's film is steadfastly anti-capitalist, anti-death penalty and, by extension, anti-American. There are at least two good reasons to hate it, yet it is uncompromising, ambitiously realized, and technically masterful. The story is stolen from the silent melodramas of cinema's birth: Set in the upstate Washington of the 1950s, factory worker and Czech immigrant Selma, played by pop star Bjork with something resembling transcendence, suffers from a hereditary eye disease that is slowly making her go blind. Her young son suffers as well and will too go blind without an operation that Selma has saved, penny by penny, her entire adult life to provide. But there is a capitalist threat, manifested in Selma's "friendly" policeman neighbor (David Morse), who has led his materialistic wife to believe he has a fortune stowed away in his workshed. But the lockbox is empty, and the cop, frantic, learns of Selma's stash. He'll steal - and kill - for it, cementing Von Trier's assertion that "wants" can and do have a more lethal undercurrent than "needs." Von Trier integrates this story, shot in drained-out, grimy realism, with full-production musical numbers that ostensibly take place in Selma's head whenever her words fail to explain an emotion or situation. Bjork wrote the songs - some are grating, but "I've Seen It All" and "In The Musicals, Part II" are the two brilliant sides to Selma's characters - and Von Trier staged them with 100 cameras surrounding the set, creating an panoramic musical atmosphere in unlikely locations: a factory, a train bridge, a courtroom and prison, where Selma is held after killing the bogeyman cop in an operatic murder sequence. Von Trier's critique of democratic mores and justice is intricate and relentless; he indicts the swiftness with which Americans turn kindness into cruelty, and our attraction to scandal, and money. The murder trial fixates on whether Selma is a communist sympathizer, and whether a famous Czech dancer (Joel Grey, of "Cabaret," in a fabulous cameo) is actually Selma's uncle. The verdict is preordained as Von Trier stuffs the angst a little further under our fingers; Selma's final days are not only a countdown to her death by hanging, but to the very day her son's condition becomes irreversible. The plot, clearly, flies in the face of credulity. But Von Trier skill in melding silent movies, musicals and commentary is seamless. It is possible to dislike "Dancer in the Dark." You could passably render it boring. But in an era mostly empty of original cinematic statements, the movie is undeniably a work of art, and an essential viewing for students of the medium.
Rating: 
Summary: Intense
Review: Recommend for those with an appreciation for experimental cinema in the musical genre. Mainstream movie-goers will likely neither understand, nor tolerate this style of filmmaking. The no frills Dogma-inspired use of handheld cameras is a common tool in non-American filmmaking, but sadly most sugar-brained consumerist folk are unable to bend their minds around it... probably the same people who complain about those "annoying black bars that cut off half the picture!". Sadly 'Dancer in the Dark' is a deeply flawed film (if there was ever a perfect film made, I would very much like to see it), but there are excellent moments of raw emotional truth that will leave the viewer with that haunting after-feeling one anticipates from good, gritty cinema. Alas, the viewer must reach these rare peaks via a somewhat frustrating journey of scenes so poorly written/directed/acted as to send the viewer hopping mad with frustration. Bjork's performance is uneven, but at times she is completely natural. Oddly, she seems to improve as the film progresses; her acting in the final scenes is stunning, and well worth the endurance. Bjork is not a bad actor as many have claimed, she is merely inexperienced (her first role). She is in her own element during the nicely integrated music scenes. Many of the poisonous assaults on 'Dancer in the Dark' seem to have been concocted by those with pre-existing prejudice for Bjork's music or, in some cases, a prejudice for Bjork in general. The voice of Reason screams: Why, oh why, would anyone sit through over two hours of a MUSICAL knowing it featured not only the ACTING of, but also the SINGING of, a performer they despise? I can only draw the conclusion these serial Bjork-bashers must harbour a subconscious fascination with her. Given the underdeveloped screenplay, the layered complexity of her character, the shoddy directing - she did a fine job. 'Dancer in the Dark' is a rough gem. This reviewer was genuinely captivated by it, and inspired enough to log onto Amazon to defend it from an unjustified deluge of petty ridicule. The star rating system is impractical for this film, however Amazon will not post reviews without them. It really rates: Rewarding, but rent before you buy.
Rating:
Summary: Oh. My. God.
Review: Wow. I'm going to attempt to do justice to this incredible film by writing a review, but I must say that to get the full sense of the power and poignancy of "Dancer in the Dark" you must see it for yourself. That said, I have never seen a movie like this. Lars von Trier's style is, well, unconventional, to say the least. The film opens with a five minute intro with an Overture (written by Bjork, who stars as Selma and wrote all the songs) and a montage of paintings depicting what it must be like to be blind. It's very interesting, but it gets you into the mood of the film. Then we get into the movie itself. There's no extra lighting except in the musical sequences (which make the real-life segments look both realistic and dreary) and the editing is very different. I can't explain it but it's not the clean editing you see in conventional movies. Now to the plot. I won't give everything away, but Bjork stars as Selma, a Czech immigrant in the 1960's who works in a factory. We learn that she is going blind because of a rare hereditary disease, and so will her son unless she can collect enough money (by working in that factory) to pay for a special operation for him. Well, if that doesn't seem depressing enough, a series of plot twists cause Selma's life to spiral from bad to terrible. Bjork's acting is flawless here. She portrays the innocence of Selma as well as her pain. She honestly should have been nominated for Best Actress at the Oscars. "Dancer in the Dark" is also......a musical. Yes, that's right. A musical. Selma escapes her dreary reality by dreaming herself into musical segments, inspired by her complete love of Hollywood musicals. Von Trier thus juxtaposes elements of extreme sadness (Selma's real life) and extreme joy (her musical fantasies), and I must say that it works. I have never felt such sadness and such happiness simultaneously when watching a film, and the audience has no choice but to sympathize with Selma. The music, which I said before as having been composed by Bjork, isn't your conventional music. If you've ever heard her music before, then it's easy to latch onto the songs, but if you haven't, then her odd voice and strange rhythms may put you off. But still, songs like "I've Seen it All", "The Next to Last Song", "Scatterheart", and "New World" are fantastic not only as elements of the movie, but as songs in their own right. These songs are Bjork at her most personal and most painful. In sum, I enjoyed "Dancer in the Dark." Many of you will love it; many will hate it. But there is no in-between with a film such as this. With its realism, starkness, emotion, and raw poignancy, it's a shame that this film was overlooked in all the American awards ceremonies (though it did win the Palm d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival...also in which Bjork won Best Actress). Just go and see if your video rental store has it, and if it does, then rent it and see for yourself. But if you're expecting a feel-good, lighthearted movie, rent something else: this is intense stuff. But if you want a movie that really makes you think, watch "Dancer in the Dark."
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