Rating: 
Summary: An artistic and emotional triumph
Review: If you're tired of seeing the same formula driven hollywood movies, and have enough tolerance for movies that are different, then this is a must see. I have never been so emotionally drained by a movie before. If you allow yourself to be taken in by the characters and their stories, you will be in for quite a rough ride. That being said, I just had to go see this movie again only a week after my first theater viewing. Von Trier's visual style which is used here to convey the feeling that you are watching the actual documentation of a real person's real life pays of in spades. The bulk of the film has the look and feel of someone's home movies, which may catch you off guard when you first start watching, but then suddenly all the visuals of the film fall into place when you see the vibrantly colored and steadily framed depictions of Selma's "musical daydreams". Both Bjork's acting and music in this film are top-notch, but be warned that this isn't your typical polished musical production. You must remember that the musical numbers are the born from wandering mind of a not very talented lover of american musicals, so the numbers all have quirky singing and dancing which fit perfectly with Bjork's character. If you have an open mind, and are feeling adventurous, you won't be disappointed with this one. Destined to become a cult classic.The quality of the DVD is also top notch, considering that the film was shot mostly to NOT look very polished. The only knock was that Bjork herself did not directly participate in any of the DVD extras. It would be nice to hear her commentary on the film.
Rating:
Summary: Distressing, Fascinating, Unusual and Uplifting
Review: Dancer in the Dark is the third installment in Lars von Trier's Golden Heart trilogy (The others are Breaking the Waves and The Idiots), a series of stand-alone films which are thematically linked by their explorations of "purity" and how the world treats those people who are "different". This movie has proven to be the most controversial of the three, possibly because it is the most radical. Dancer in the Dark is unlike any other movie experience you will ever have. Bjork, (Not in her movie debut as has been claimed and almost universally accepted but making her second film in 13 years) gives a performance that will dazzle. If the film had been more conventional, she would have been a cert for the Oscar. As it is, Dancer in the Dark proved too much of a hot potato for the Academy to get behind. This is some of the finest, most heartfelt screen acting you will ever see. Von Trier says of Bjork, 'she is not an actress, which surprised me. But she feels everything.' This apparently caused friction on set. Bjork concurs that she didn't act the part of Selma, but became Selma over a period of a year and a half before shooting. Forgive me if I'm wrong, but this sounds like acting to me. It's a little thing everybody else in the world has come to known as "method acting". And Bjork takes the technique to such an extreme, the pain and the love fill every frame of the movie. And you wonder if she'll ever recover from "becoming Selma." Dancer in the Dark is a musical, at least in the sense that its characters sing songs and do dance routines. But it is really a drama, and the musical interludes happen only inside Selma's head. Thus the routines take on some of Selma's bizarre traits. We are told several times in the film that Selma 'can't dance' and 'sings funny'. So the musical numbers are not exactly Busby Berkley spectaculars. They are slightly askew, as if trying to be a grand event and coming off short. It is a breathtaking melding of form and content. Von Trier's directing is... different. In Breaking the Waves and The Idiots he presented us with something visually new and exciting. Here, he presents us with something *so* new and so strange that it has been hard for some viewers to take. They aren't quite sure what to make of it. The man is either a dog or a genius. The camera work is shaky, the editing is peculiar, the shot angles are mostly intuitively "wrong". This enables von Trier to find out some truths that cinema has never focused on before. And it is this apparent "wrongness", which gives the film its ultimate impact. If it works for you, the result is tears for days. Personally, I went emotionally numb about twenty minutes before the end, when Selma is jumping up and down on her bed improvising around My Favourite Things from The Sound of Music. It was over-whelming and crushing (I'll not tell you why, it would spoil things). This is not a film for the faint of heart. It is an emotionally draining, deliberately frustrating two and a half hours of "real cinema". Many have criticised it for apparent plot holes and unbelievability. The fact that it is nominally set in America when von Trier makes no attempt to make it look like America has caused some people problems. I believe it to be entirely intentional. The film opens with a stage rehearsal for the Sound of Music. It is as if - to borrow from Shakespeare - von Trier is telling us all the world is a stage. This does not detract from the gut-churning intensity of the story. In all honesty, I found the first twenty minutes or so difficult. It looked like it was going to be embarrassing for all concerned. But after this, once you have adapted yourself to von Trier's unique idiom, the movie becomes sublime. Able support from Deneuve, and David Morse. But the acting in this movie belongs to Bjork. Love it or hate it, you'll never forget her Selma. Although it is a depressing film, it is not without salvation and at length, it is that sense of salvation and beauty that remains with you above all else. Although putting your finger on quite where it comes from is a matter for endless discussion over coffee -- once you've stopped blubbing. It should be required viewing for anyone who loves cinema.
Rating:
Summary: A Masterpiece of Cinema
Review: I work at a video store and watch a lot of movies and the reason I separate those two instead of consider them one is because to me a movie is something that should never have been made and is a rehash of the same old-same old. I, personally, can't stand films that are as unoriginal as the shipment of Remember the Titans my store got in the other day. I don't think that film had any original thought to it. But enough about football movies with racial issues. You want to read a review about this film...neh, masterpiece in cinema by director Lars von Trier. This film is magnificent. It is heart-wrenching. It is beautiful in every way, and that's not the half of it. Bjork is the most believable actress in the history of cinema. She is the only actress who could have played this role. No one else could have done it the same. Her talents surpass even the most seasoned actors and actresses. Lars von Trier is a genius. With his 100 cameras idea he made every scene feel real, like it was happening right then and there. He is brilliant. Catherine Deneuve was excellent. David Morse showed such true emotion that it's a shame he wasn't recognized, nor was his castmates and director by the Academy. Shame on them. The music, which was nominated, adds even more depth to the film, instead of taking away from it and giving it it's own world as some films tend to do. See this film. Tell me what you think. Don't hate me because I don't like films that preach out about segregation, not because I like segregation, but because I like originality. Especially Remember the Titans, being as it is Based on a True Story. Why not just have the coach and his players talk about their situations instead of have someone else act them out. Anyway, I hope you see Dancer in the Dark. I am not afraid to admit that I, like some critics at the film festival, broke out into tears at some points in the film. That's what this film will do to you. It will make you appreciate what the characters are going through.
Rating: 
Summary: Stumbling in the Dark
Review: All the raves for DANCER notwithstanding, it's very possible to frequently enjoy von Trier and Bjork under other circumstances, and love musicals, and still find this dingy, amateurish picture a misfire. Bjork's a touching, sincere actress, with a surprising kinship in her work here to the best silent film acting, and, of course, an accomplished songstress in her own field. But on the evidence of this score, she is to traditional musical theatre and film writing, with its concerns for craft and character, what Michael Jackson is to childcare. She and von Trier have every right to experiment, to bend the form as they will, but I submit if they're going to toss all the rules out the window, they'd better have something more to offer as a replacement for technique than the incredibly feeble writing and muddled thinking on interminable view in this movie. For instance, von Trier adamently refused to visit America, or do any research to get the production details right, and as a result, the heroine's frequent flights of fantasy are seriously undercut by the inauthentic atmosphere of the rest of the picture. Deneuve as a factory worker's one thing, but the wrong contents in a new box of candy, or incorrect lyrics (and muddled plotting) for the heroine's beloved SOUND OF MUSIC, a work that's known in detail by most of the civilized world, seem like stupid, easily-prevented mistakes that take you, plop, right out of your suspension of disbelief. For fantasy to transport us, shouldn't reality be rooted in what's real? (Where on earth's the revival house in a rural factory town that's constantly playing Busby Berkeley?) Lame, awful songs, terrible choreography, and when Joel Grey finally shows up to demonstrate how it's done, his number's cut in such a way that he looks as lame as Bjork when he dances. It's a DISGRACE, in a time when real musicals can't get greenlighted, that the film of CHICAGO can't get realized, but we're treated to this misshapen, pretentious mess, complete with critical huzzahs. I wish that the strident fans of DANCER could be fated to see it eternally running at their local multiplex, on a double feature with von Trier's equally loathsome THE IDIOTS, the way Deneuve and Bjork worship at old Warners flicks. I'll keep THE KINGDOM, thanks.
Rating:
Summary: Self-sacrifice, Pathos, and Fantasy
Review: There is no controversy here; critics that have dismissed this film as a con are being ridiculous. The makers of Dancer in the Dark would never have invested their energy into such a tremendously challenging film simply to pull a fast one on filmgoers. Their attempt was genuine and so is the result. It's a powerful film.
Rating:
Summary: A true cinematic pleasure
Review: Though it has been bashed by many critics as overly contrived and manipualative, I found the film to be a heartwrenching testament of one mother's love for her only child. Being an actor myself, I can be quite critical when it comes to others' performances, however, in this film I found a true exception. Bjork's work is just that -- exceptional. She has most certainly been snubbed by the Academy Awards this year -- (with much sarcasm) what a surpise! Her character progression is dead-on. Catherine Deneuve is also very good. If you are in the mood for a deeply moving piece full of many metaphorical levels including the working class' struggle, socialism, and political unrest then this is the film for you. Hate it or love it, it will provoke thought... and isn't that one of the most significant reasons we produce art?
Rating:
Summary: My favorite movie of 2000!
Review: This movie is just brilliant! It made me mad, it made me cry, it made me think. The music is also a nice touch. Buy this movie now. You will not be disapointed at all.
Rating:
Summary: worst movie of the year,
Review: and if you don't agree with me, you are obviously a masochist.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Film in Years
Review: I recently had the pleasure of viewing this film at the local cinema, and can say, without a trace of hyperbole, that this is one of the best films in years, at least since "Kiss of the Spider Woman" in 1985. Unfortunately, it seems that most people have missed the point of this film. Yes, this film is 'contrived' and perhaps even pretensious; yes, there is a Marxist undercurrent to the film, with a rather preachy tone; and yes, the 'matyred mother' is a cliche. What many - both critics and the public - have failed to grasp, is that this is a truly extraordinary film, with an exceptional performance by Bjork, and some truly moving images which will linger for many days. Selma (Bjork) manages to convey a child-like innocence and inner strength in her character; yet this childlike 'innocence' isn't the kookiness of her stage persona, it is instead a innocence that is all is right in the world, that everyone acts in an honourable way, that the world is filled with beauty, much as in her beloved musicals. It is interesting to note that as this world-view falls apart at the seams, her retreats into her fantasy world increases. Bjork's performance is raw and intense, and has a naturalness that is unparalled in recent memory. One is looking as far back as Gena Rowlands in "Opening Night" or "Gloria" to find an equal. Also worth noting is Catherine Denevue's performance as the tough-as-nails yet devoted friend of Selma, Kathy. This is perhaps her best performance, at least since her hey-day. In fact all performances, from the larger roles such as Selma, to the smaller roles such as the prison officer are exceptional with the exception of Car Seymour (Linda), and David Morse (Bill) who is not up to the challenge of the confrontional scene between Bill and Selma. The musical numbers are very good as well. The use of certain sounds to build the foundations of the song are simply ingenious: "Cvalda" (machines), "I've Seen It All" (trains), "Scatterheart" (record needle) etc. The soundtrack is a worthwhile addition to anyone's record collection, "I've Seen it All" and "In The Musicals" being the highlights, although it does suffer the same failing as other Bjork albums (a few brilliant songs and dreadful fillers, unevenness, etc.). There are two scenes which resonated with me the strongest. Firstly, after Jeff (Peter Stormare) confronts Selma about her blindness, and Selma climbs aboard the train. Various scenes then proceed to be played out by the train tracks to concur with the musical number: "Your grandson's hand as he plays with your hair? To be honest I really don't care". Secondly, the number which best illustrates the theme of the film - "In the Musicals". This song reveals - as an earlier piece of dialogue between Bill and Selma reveals - Selma's means of survival: musicals. It is here that Selma finds the strength to go on. At the beginning, she asks, "Who is there to catch me?". This is followed by a brilliant sequence where Oldrich Novey (Joel Grey), an actor and dancer from her native Czechoslovakia, and who was the catalyst for her love of musicals, arrives at the court to give evidence against her. Selma then "In the musicals, there is always someone to catch me. You were always there to catch me." I feel that this suggests that Novey, who represents musicals, is her safety net, the one who will 'catch' her. It makes an interesting contrast with the prison scenes where her strength fails her as she cannot hear any music until she hears a church service through the ventilator duct. The beauty of the film is that despite her blindness, despite her terrible existence, and despite her looming sentence, she still manages to find beauty in dance and in music. To anyone who has retreated into old hollywood films, or into music or art, such as myself, you are in for an incredible cinematic experience.
Rating:
Summary: The best movie. Period.
Review: I stumbled upon this film by accident back in September when I was calling Moviefone. I had no idea what movie I wanted to see; I just wanted to get out for the night. One of the listed titles was "Dancer in the Dark." The title sounded interesting, so I asked for a plot synopsis. The synopsis sounded interesting, so my roommate and I took the subway from Brooklyn to Manhattan to see the film. I went expecting to be moderately entertained and interested. I came out of this movie in complete silence-- I was that amazed by it. I almost cried at the end, and I never cry at movies. The character Bjork plays is down to earth, smart, and believable. She was a strong woman in the face of adversity. I'm sure that if this were a mainstream film, Selma would not be played by Bjork, but by some bimbo sexpot, just so they could get a huge audience for this film... Anyway, the music was amazing. This is not your typical musical, and the music even explores the deep realms of the human mind, and sometimes provides some levity and hopefulness in the face of the odds which are obviously against the character Selma. I get chills down my spine when I hear the song "107 Steps." Questions that are raised by the film: How far would you go for someone you love? How just is the American judicial system? I saw "Dancer in the Dark" for the second time last night, and I had the same reaction as before, if not more intense. My best friend came all the way to NYC from Philly just to see it with me, as it cannot be found anywhere else. She said it was worth the 2 hour trip, and I cannot agree more. Don't wait for it to come on video-- even if you have to travel a couple hours. It's like seeing a Broadway show in that it's an intense experience that cannot be duplicated on the TV in your living room. My question: Why can't more movies be like this? The minds that came up with it were incredible.
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