Dancer in the Dark (2000)

Director:

Lars von Trier

Writer:

Lars von Trier (written by)

Release Date:

6 October 2000 (USA)

Genre:

Musical | Drama

Tagline:

You don't need eyes to see.

Plot:

An east European girl goes to America with her young son, expecting it to be like a Hollywood film.

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Visually Impaired Person | Tragedy | Dream Like | Prison

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 21 wins & 33 nominations

Cast

Björk	...	Selma Jezkova
Catherine Deneuve	...	Kathy
David Morse	...	Bill Houston
Peter Stormare	...	Jeff
Joel Grey	...	Oldrich Novy
Cara Seymour	...	Linda Houston
Vladica Kostic	...	Gene Jezkova
Jean-Marc Barr	...	Norman
Vincent Paterson	...	Samuel
Siobhan Fallon	...	Brenda
Zeljko Ivanek	...	District Attorney
Udo Kier	...	Dr. Porkorny
Jens Albinus	...	Morty
Reathel Bean	...	Judge
Mette Berggreen	...	Receptionist

Also Known As:

Dancer in the Dark (Denmark) (France)
Myrkradansarinn (Iceland)
Taps (Denmark) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for some violence.

Runtime:

140 min

Country:

Denmark | Germany | Netherlands | Italy | USA | UK | France | Sweden | Finland | Iceland | Norway

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:14 (original rating) | New Zealand:R13 | Italy:T | Iceland:16 (video rating) | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Canada:14A | Chile:14 | Denmark:15 | Finland:K-14 | France:U | Germany:12 (bw) | Hong Kong:IIB | Netherlands:16 | Peru:14 | Philippines:PG-13 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:12 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Arlington, Washington, USA

Company:

Zentropa Entertainments

Trivia:

Lars von Trier originally cast himself as the angry man who chastises Selma and Cathy in the movie theater. However, due to the contentious on-set relationship between himself and Björk, he feared that he might end up losing control and overacting, so the part went to Michael Flessas instead.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): Selma nicknames her friend "Cvalda" with the wrong pronunciation – kvalda, instead of tsvalda. If Selma was of Czech origin, she would make such a mistake.

Quotes:

Selma: You like the movies, don't you?
Bill Houston: I love the movies. I just love the musicals.
Selma: But isn't it annoying when they do the last song in the films?
Bill Houston: Why?
Selma: Because you just know when it goes really big... and the camera goes like out of the roof... and you just know it's going to end. I hate that. I would leave just after the next to last song... and the film would just go on forever.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Comme des voleurs (2006)

Soundtrack:

MY FAVOURITE THINGS

My Cinematic Unemotional Streak- Broken!

This is one of the best movies I have ever seen. I was not familiar with the director's previous work, but had picked up the soundtrack by Bjork and was intrigued.

Selma (incredibly portrayed by Bjork) makes the audience laugh and weep simutaneously just by following her heart. Every character is played flawlessly, and the cinemetography is innovative and dynamic. The musical numbers jump to life in a 'colorized' style, emphasizing the break from the dismal reality of Selma's painfully decaying life.

I will say only this. I hate crying at movies. Yet, as I was driving home, mad at the fact that I was still sobbing uncontrollably, I realized how much I loved this movie.