Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson

Based on the play Indians by Arthur Kopit, Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull’s History Lesson is the story of Buffalo Bill trying to stage a Wild West show where he gets the services of a deposed chief in hoping to present a show for the American president. Directed by Robert Altman and screenplay by Altman and Alan Rudolph, the film is an unconventional western that explores a man’s desire to uphold his own mythological persona while dealing with the realities around him including his own conflicts with Native Americans. Starring Paul Newman, Geraldine Chaplin, Joel Grey, Shelley Duvall, Harvey Keitel, Will Sampson, and Burt Lancaster. Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull’s History Lesson is a whimsical yet engrossing film from Robert Altman.

Set in 1885 during the last years of a conflict involving Native Americans, the film revolves around a legend of the West who learns he’s gotten the services of the famed Chief Sitting Bull (Frank Kaquitts) for his show celebrating the West as it would prove to be more troubling as he would have to stage it in front of President Grover Cleveland (Pat McCormick). It’s a film that explores some of the behind-the-scenes moments of Buffalo Bill Cody (Paul Newman) trying to stage this show as he wants to present the ideas of the West as something wild and with its own sense of mythology. The film’s screenplay by Robert Altman and Alan Rudolph doesn’t just explore Cody trying to present his stage show as this façade of what the Wild West was but is forced to cope with the realities of what really happened. Especially when he meets Sitting Bull who he thought was this savage that enjoys killing people but it’s revealed to be this very calm, quiet, and morally pure which complicate everything that Cody wants to stage to the people.

The script also showcase Cody’s attempt to play up this persona he’s created as he becomes upset over not just Sitting Bull’s presence but also the fact that Sitting Bull doesn’t want to compromise very much as his interpreter Halsey (Will Sampson) has to speak up for him. Cody would also get into some tension with some of the players including Annie Oakley (Geraldine Chaplin) who is more sympathetic towards Sitting Bull. After a stage show with Sitting Bull where Cody expected him to be booed, it goes the other way around as it destroys everything Cody wanted to present in his idea of the American West. Adding to this turmoil is the fact that Cody isn’t just getting older but he’s having a hard time living up to the persona he’s created as his loyal nephew Ed Goodman (Harvey Keitel) is forced to realize this while his biographer Ned Buntline (Burt Lancaster) is trying to tell many about the many myths of Cody and romanticize to the people working at the show.

Altman’s direction is definitely stylish for not just creating a film that is quite chaotic and loose but also play up into this conflict of reality vs. myth with the West as its backdrop. Shot on location at the Stoney Indian Reservation in Alberta, Canada, the film does play into this idea of a man trying to recreate the Wild West in the middle of a forest near the Rocky Mountains as Altman would use some wide shots to establish the beauty of the location. Yet, he would go for more intimate shots in the usage of close-ups and medium shots as it play into the events happening behind the scenes as everyone is trying to stage the show. The presentation of the shows are quite lavish including the recreation of the Battle of Little Big Horn which shows Cody trying to show the battle from his view but the reality turns out to be more troubling.

The conflict of reality vs. myth is what is at stake in the film as Altman showcases these scenes where Cody is surrounded by things that aren’t real as he has opera singers as lovers, a biographer trying to embellish his legend, and people working with Cody trying to create the greatest show possible. Yet, there are things in the second half that showcase Cody’s struggle to create this myth in a moment where Sitting Bull and some of his people from his tribe have left as Cody and his men try to find them. What happens is that unveiling of the reality that Cody couldn’t face as he has to maintain his persona as this mythological figure of the West to President Grover. Though there are times the sense of looseness in the film does meander a bit for the film’s pacing, Altman does try to maintain a sense of liveliness to capture a moment in time with its protagonist being unaware of what is ahead. Overall, Altman creates a very intoxicating yet offbeat film about a legend of the Wild West trying to stage the ultimate show to present his vision of that world.

Cinematographer Paul Lohmann does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography in using some gorgeous natural lighting to capture the beauty of the locations in the day along with some lights for some of the scenes set at night. Editors Peter Appleton and Dennis M. Hill do terrific work with the editing as it’s mostly straightforward with a few jump-cuts to play into some of the humor and moments of the show. Production designer Anthony Masters, with set decorator Dennis J. Parrish and art director Jack Maxsted, does amazing work with the look of the sets for the stage show as well as the room where Cody sleeps in as well as the bar and a few other places at the circus area.

Costume designer Anthony Powell does excellent work with the costumes from the clothes that Cody wears as well as some of the actors to the simpler look of Sitting Bull and his tribe. Makeup artist Monty Westmore does nice work with the look of Cody as well as some of the makeup the characters wear during a performance. Sound editors Richard Oswald and William A. Sawyer do superb work with the sound as it play into the raucous sounds such as the overlapping dialogue and other things in and around the field for the stage show and circus. The film’s music by Richard Baskin is wonderful as it’s mainly an orchestral score filled with woodwinds and brass instruments that is often played on location to create this sense of pageantry into Cody’s own legend.

The film’s incredible ensemble cast include some Jerri and Joy Duce as cowboy trick riders, Bert Remsen as the bartender Crutch, Robert DoQui as an African-American actor who would often play the Indian chiefs in the stage performances, Bonnie Leaders and Evelyn Lear as a couple of opera singers who try to entertain Cody with the latter being the one who would sing in front of the president, Patrick Reynolds as the president’s aide, Patrick McCormick as President Grover Cleveland, and Shelley Duvall as the First Lady. Will Sampson is terrific as Sitting Bull’s right-hand man and interpreter Halsey as a man that is just trying to keep the peace and explain Sitting Bull’s view of things while Frank Kaquitts is superb as Sitting Bull as the revered Indian chief who rarely says anything as he maintains this presence of purity throughout the film.

John Considine is fantastic as Frank E. Butler as the husband of Annie Oakley who would often be the person holding her targets as well as deal with the chaos of the show. Kevin McCarthy is excellent as Major Burke as a military official who would be the one to get Sitting Bull to be involved as he’s this boisterous individual that likes to have fun and make sure everyone have fun. Joel Grey is brilliant as the producer Nate Salisbury as a man trying to keep everything in control while being announcer for the stage shows while Harvey Keitel is amazing as Cody’s nephew Ed Goodman as an assistant for Cody who is trying to keep him calm and deal with Halsey and Sitting Bull.

Burt Lancaster is marvelous as Ned Buntline as a journalist who is writing Cody’s biography as he tries to maintain that air of mystique for Cody though he is aware that the idea of myth won’t last. Geraldine Chaplin is remarkable as Annie Oakley as the famed sharpshooter who is seen with her right arm in a sling as she copes with not just her injury but the treatment of Sitting Bull as she becomes frustrated with Cody and his desire to present his idea of what the Wild West is. Finally, there’s Paul Newman in a phenomenal performance as Buffalo Bill Cody as a man that is trying to live up to the mythical persona he’s created as he copes with not just the reality of the West but also himself as it’s a performance with charm but also humility as it’s one of his finest performances of his career.

Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull’s History Lesson is a vivacious film from Robert Altman that features an incredible leading performance from Paul Newman. Along with its great supporting cast, gorgeous visuals, and themes on mythology vs. reality, it’s a film that doesn’t play by the rules into the ideas of the Wild West though it does have a few flaws in its pacing. In the end, Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull’s History Lesson is a sensational film from Robert Altman.

Robert Altman Films: (The Delinquents) – (The James Dean Story) – Countdown - (That Cold Day in the Park) – M.A.S.H. - Brewster McCloud – McCabe & Mrs. Miller - (Images) – Thieves Like Us - The Long Goodbye - California Split - Nashville - 3 Women - (A Wedding) – (Quintet) – (A Perfect Couple) – (HealtH) – Popeye - (Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean) – (Streamers) – (Secret Honor) – (O.C. and Stiggs) – Fool for Love - (Beyond Therapy) – (Aria-Les Boreades) – (Tanner ’88) – (Vincent & Theo) – The Player - Short Cuts - Pret-a-Porter - (Kansas City) – (The Gingerbread Man) – Cookie's Fortune - Dr. T & the Women - Gosford Park - The Company (2003 film) - (Tanner on Tanner) – A Prairie Home Companion

© thevoid99 2017

Cabaret

Based on the 1966 musical by Joe Masteroff with music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb that was based on the novel The Berlin Stories by Christopher Isherwood and its play I Am a Camera by John Van Druten. Cabaret is the story of pre-Nazi Berlin, Germany where a young writer finds himself entranced by the world as he meets and falls for an American cabaret singer. Directed by Bob Fosse and screenplay by Jay Allen, the film is a musical that plays into the lives of an outsider and various others in a world that was to change as they try to hold on to a world of decadence. Starring Liza Minnelli, Michael York, Helmut Greim, Fritz Wepper, Marisa Berenson, and Joel Grey. Cabaret is a spectacular and exhilarating film from Bob Fosse.

Set in 1931 Berlin, the film revolves around a British writer and an American cabaret singer who meet and fall in love during a period in Germany that would mark a major change for the country in the emergence of Nazism. Yet, it’s a film that play into two different people and personalities who meet together as one is this reserved academic that lives in a world of reality while the other is this exuberant woman with big dreams to make it as an actress while being this revered cabaret singer. All of it is told that plays into a world that is quite decadent and sort of escapist where this young man ventures into the world as an outsider where he’s taken aback but also amazed by it. The film’s screenplay by Jay Allen isn’t just about this relationship between Brian Roberts (Michael York) and Sally Bowles (Liza Minnelli) but also the people around them and what is going on at the Kit Kat Club where Sally performs that features commentary from its Master of Ceremonies (Joel Grey).

The film also has a subplot as it relates to a friend of Bowles in Fritz Wendel (Fritz Wepper) who is a well-known gigolo that goes to Roberts to improve his English as he falls for another of Roberts’ pupil in a rich Jewish woman in Natalia Landauer (Marisa Berenson). It’s a subplot that doesn’t just play into Roberts being this observer of watching another man fall in love but also deal with the realities of what is happening as it relates to the emergence of Nazism. The script does have a traditional structure where much of its first act and the first half of the story revolves around the growing relationship between Roberts and Bowles despite their difference with the former also admitting to having feelings for men. By the time the character of baron Maximilian von Heune (Helmut Greim) comes into the picture, the second act would begin as it plays into this threesome that also involves Roberts and Bowles but also a dark reality that would emerge.

Even in the third act where it plays into this disconnect of sorts of what is happening in Germany and the world that Bowles wants. Even as the events in the Kit Kat Club showcases that disconnect while offering commentary on what is happening outside of the club. The performances that involve the Master of Ceremonies with or without Bowles not only help bring in ideas of what is going on in the narrative but also into a world that is ever-changing where it is this world of escape but also filled with some contradictions. Notably as it relates to what Bowles had to face in her life as it showcases how flawed she is as a person. While Roberts might seem as somewhat stuffy and a bit cynical, he is someone that is willing to be open but also realizes that what is happening in Germany is wrong. For Bowles, she doesn’t think about the bigger picture rather than what she wants to be as it raises that sense of disconnect into reality.

Bob Fosse’s direction is very unique not just for his recreation of 1930s Berlin but also in the fact that nearly half of the film is set inside this club. The scenes set in the club has this air of danger in what could be revealed either literally or metaphorically. Even as many of the musical numbers that are written by John Kander and lyricist Fred Ebb has this playful yet decadent feel. Fosse’s presentation of these musical numbers are very intimate but also something that is very lively and unpredictable. With Fosse also serving as the choreographer, the dance numbers and performances have this air of sexuality that is enthralling but also add to what is going on in the story such as Bowles’ meeting with von Heune for a song with the Master of Ceremonies in Money, Money. The songs aren’t just crucial to the narrative but it also expresses everything that Bowles is dealing with as well as what is happening in the story.

Shot on location in Germany with much of it in rural places along with some location shooting in Munich and parts of West Berlin, Fosse would take advantage of the beauty of the locations as well as create something that was once peaceful despite the dark undercurrent of Nazism. The usage of wide and medium shots would play into these moments along with some of the musical numbers. Fosse’s close-ups are also key in some of the musical sequences either for comical or very emotional moments while it is also evident in a key moment where Bowles, Roberts, and von Heune notice the attraction towards each other. It also plays into these moments between Bowles and Roberts in their relationship despite the growing darkness that is emerging as it relates to people they know. Even as it indicates a reality that Bowles would have to face no matter how much she tries to ignore it. Overall, Fosse creates a dazzling and ravishing film about a cabaret singer and an academic falling in love during 1931 Berlin.

Cinematographer Geoffrey Unsworth does brilliant work with the film‘s cinematography with its array of lighting for some of the cabaret numbers as well as the usage of soft lights for some of the daytime interiors while using some low-key lighting for some of the exterior lightings set at night. Editor David Bretherton does amazing work with the editing as it features some unique jump-cuts as well as montages that play into some of the dramatic moments as well as some unique back-and-forth cutting to play into the musical numbers and what is going on outside of the club. Production designer Rolf Zehetbauer and art director Hans Jurgen Kiebach do fantastic work with the look of the Kit Kat Club and its stage as well as the apartment that Bowles and Roberts share that play into their different personalities.

Costume designer Charlotte Flemming does excellent work with the costumes from the clothes that Bowles wears on and off the stage as well as the clothes the men wore in those times as well as those Nazi uniforms. Sound editor James M. Falkinburg does superb work with the sound in the way some of the dancing sounds as well as some of the moments that occur in the streets and small towns. The film’s music by John Kander and lyricist Fred Ebb, with additional work by Ralph Burns, is incredible not just for the songs that are made but also in the music score that plays into that world of jazz to showcase a world that is changing slowly but also the sense that something dangerous is coming.

The casting by Renate Neuchl is wonderful as it features some notable small roles from Elisabeth Neumann-Viertel as Bowles and Roberts’ landlord Fraulein Schneider and Oliver Colligan as a Nazi youth with Mark Lambert as its singing voice. Marisa Berenson is terrific as Natalia Landauer as a rich socialite who is dealing with Fritz’s feelings for her but also the fact that she’s Jewish and a target for the Nazis. Fritz Wepper is superb as Fritz Wendel as a gigolo who falls for Natalia as he tries to please her while carrying a secret of his own which he believes will destroy him. Helmut Greim is fantastic as the baron Maximilian von Heune as a rich gigolo who woos both Roberts and Bowles as well as be someone that has a lot of power in what to do where it is clear he is just someone that uses people.

Joel Grey is phenomenal as the Master of Ceremonies as he is this vivacious performer that is so full of charm and humor as it is just this performance that really steals the show while looking really good in stockings and garters. Michael York is remarkable as Brian Roberts as a British academic/writer who comes to Berlin to write while falling for Bowles where he deals with his own sexuality as well as what is happening around him where he tries to make a difference. Finally, there’s Liza Minnelli in a spectacular performance as Sally Bowles as this woman who is so full of life and charisma as she is this cabaret performer that is just so engaging while Minnelli also provides some vulnerability and wit to the character offstage that is quite selfish but also troubled as she is someone that doesn’t know if there is a life outside of entertaining and making people smile amidst a world that is changing.

Cabaret is an outstanding film from Bob Fosse that features great performances from Liza Minnelli, Michael York, and Joel Grey. It’s a musical that manages to be very entertaining as well as have an air of danger that makes it so compelling. Especially as it features a strong story, amazing technical work, and exhilarating music that makes the film a total joy. In the end, Cabaret is a sensational film from Bob Fosse.

Bob Fosse Films: Sweet Charity - Liza with a Z - Lenny - All That Jazz - Star 80 - The Auteurs #56: Bob Fosse

© thevoid99 2016

Kafka

Directed and edited by Steven Soderbergh and written by Lem Dobbs, Kafka is the story of an insurance worker who finds himself in the middle of a secret war involving two underground organizations who are wreaking havoc in 1919 Prague. Inspired by the works of Franz Kafka, the film is a mixture of a mystery thriller mixed in with elements of the bio-pic as it explores the life of Franz Kafka as he is played by Jeremy Irons. Also starring Theresa Russell, Ian Holm, Jeroen Krabbe, Joel Grey, Armin Mueller-Stahl, and Alec Guinness. Kafka is a mesmerizing yet very odd film from Steven Soderbergh.

The film is a very weird story where an insurance office drone finds himself in the middle of a conflict between two underground organizations in 1919 Prague. All of which plays into a world that Franz Kafka is in as he struggles to maintain a low profile and live his life only to be sucked in towards a group of anarchists trying to stop a secret organization following the disappearance of a co-worker of Kafka’s. Lem Dobbs’ screenplay uses a lot of references to the works of Kafka that adds a unique narrative that blurs the line between reality and fiction. Much of it plays into ideas of man going against the ideas of conformity as Kafka struggles with not bringing attention to himself despite getting a promotion and endure many expectations of being part of society. Yet, Kafka’s encounters with people being killed and all sorts of strange occurrences lead to questions about what is going and why there is this effort to control things.

Steven Soderbergh’s direction is very stylish as it serves as a homage to German Expressionism in terms of its look and feel. Much of it would feature slanted camera angles as well as some unique compositions to play into the sense of style that would also recall something that is visually-enthralling its look and setting. Shot partially on location in Prague, the film has this feel of something that feels like a world in transition where a new world order is emerging but with elements of the old world where there are still rules. The film opens with a chilling scene of a man being chased by this crazed psychopath as it would set the tone of what is to come. Much of Soderbergh’s compositions include some unique close-ups and medium shots while his approach to wide shots for some of its interior settings are entrancing to watch.

While there’s a few elements in the film that don’t work such as the bumbling assistants who work for Kafka following his promotion. It’s Soderbergh trying to inject bits of humor in a film that is quite serious though some parts of that humor involving a friend of Kafka in Mr. Bizzlebek (Jeroen Krabbe) does work as he is a very effective character. Serving as his own editor, Soderbergh does play into the Expressionist style in a few of the dissolves along with some jump-cuts to play into the drama and suspense. The film’s climax involves a brief sequence where it adds to this element of surrealism where the film is shot in color to showcase the world that Kafka has to penetrate as he sees what they’re about. Overall, Soderbergh creates a very stylish yet evocative film about a man dealing with the constraints of society.

Cinematographer Walt Lloyd does amazing work with the film‘s black-and-white cinematography with its use of lightings and shadows for many of the interior and scenes at night while the brief use of color in its climax is very potent. Production designer Gavin Bocquet, with set decorator Joanne Woollard and art director Leslie Tomkins, does fantastic work with the set pieces from the file rooms as well as the bar that Kafka goes to as well as the strange world inside the mysterious castle. Costume designer Michael Jeffrey does excellent work with the period costumes to play into that look of German Expressionism with its suits and hats for the men as well as the dresses that the women wear

Sound editor Larry Blake and sound designer Mark A. Mangini do superb work with the sound from some of the sound effects that occur in the anarchists‘ secret base to the underground lair that is the secret castle. The film’s music by Cliff Martinez is great as it features bits of electronic music with its low-key synthesizers along with some offbeat pieces with the use of pianos and instruments that play into the sense of the times.

The casting by Susie Figgis is brilliant for the ensemble that is created that includes notable small roles from David Jensen as the psychotic killer, Brian Glover as a henchman in the castle, Maria Miles as a former fiancee of Kafka, Robert Flemyng as keeper of the files, Keith Allen and Simon McBurney as the idiotic assistants of Kafka, and Ian Holm in a terrific small role as the mysterious Dr. Murnau who is seen at the film’s climax. Joel Grey is wonderful as the office supervisor Mr. Burgel who often looms over Kafka to do his work while Alec Guinness is excellent as the insurance director who often asks Kafka about his social life and lack of determination to rise up the corporate ladder.

Armin Mueller-Stahl is superb as Inspector Grubach who investigates the mysterious disappearances as he often asks Kafka about the case and what he thinks happened. Jeroen Krabbe is fantastic as Mr. Bizzlebek as this bar patron who always has some very funny theories as he is likely the only real friend that Kafka has. Theresa Russell is amazing as Gabriela as a co-worker who was the lover of the man who was killed as she is a secret member of the anarchist group as she tries to get Kafka to take part because of his non-conforming persona. Finally, there’s Jeremy Irons in a remarkable performance as Franz Kafka where he plays it straight as someone who is very reserved while dealing with this secret conflict he didn’t want to take part in as it’s a role filled with humility as well as someone who is aware of what it means to be human.

Kafka is an excellent film from Steven Soderbergh that features a fantastic performance from Jeremy Irons. While it’s a film that refuses to define itself into any genre, it is quite compelling in its visual style as well as theme of conformity and individuality. In the end, Kafka is an extraordinarily odd yet rapturous film from Steven Soderbergh.

Steven Soderbergh Films: sex, lies, & videotape - King of the Hill - The Underneath - Gray's Anatomy - Schizopolis - Out of Sight - The Limey - Erin Brockovich - Traffic - Ocean's Eleven - Full Frontal - Solaris (2002 film) - Eros-The Equilibrium - Ocean's Twelve - Bubble - The Good German - Ocean's Thirteen - Che - The Girlfriend Experience - The Informant! - And Everything is Going Fine - Contagion - Haywire - Magic Mike - Side Effects - Behind the Candelabra - Logan Lucky - (Unsane) - (High Flying Bird)

The Auteurs #39: Steven Soderbergh: Pt. 1 - Pt. 2

© thevoid99 2014

Dancer in the Dark

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 3/24/04 w/ Additional Edits & Revisions.

Written and directed by Lars von Trier, Dancer in the Dark is a film about a Czech immigrant raising her son in 1964 America trying to raise money to save her son's sight as her own vision diminishes. In the spirit of Dogme 95, von Trier goes for natural sounds and realism for storytelling as he also combines another film genre that he loves, the musicals. In Dancer in the Dark, von Trier uses the musical as an escapist backdrop to the character of Selma, played by Icelandic vocalist Bjork, as her world crumbles down as she tries to save the life of her own son in one of von Trier's most powerful achievements.

It's 1964 in Washington as Czech immigrant Selma is rehearsing to play Maria for a production of The Sound of Music. While working at a factory with her friends Kathy (Catherine Deneuve) and Jeff (Peter Stormare), Selma hopes get the role for the play as she dreams of being in a musical while hoping to raise money for her son Gene (Vladica Kostic) who might become blind as she is starting to suffer from blindness. While her landlord in local officer Bill (David Morse) and his wife Linda (Cara Seymour) help out, she has managed to save $2000 as Gene's doctor (Stellan Skarsgard) starts to worry about Selma's eyesight. While she tries to hide her blindness from everyone including the factory foreman (Jean-Marc Barr), it doesn't help out as her work suffers while the play director (Vincent Paterson) thinks she might not be up to doing the part.

Following a meeting with Bill over his own financial issues due to Linda's spending, Selma decides to keep a secret for Bill. Hoping to get more overtime for more money, she suddenly daydreams of being in a musical where she causes trouble and is fired. After telling Jeff about her blindness, she has another daydream moment as Jeff decides to meet her later that day. Upon returning home, Selma learns that the money she has saved was stolen as she asks Bill where something goes wrong leading to a horrifying incident. Meeting up with Jeff, he takes her to the hospital where they meet the operation doctor (Udo Kier) and gives him money for Gene's operation. After being arrested following a rehearsal, Selma is then put into trial where its district attorney (Zeljko Ivanek) interrogates her.

Claiming her father is Czech film star Oldrich Novy (Joel Grey), Novy attends the trial as she has a dream that they're dancing for a musical number. Sent to jail following the trial, Selma befriends a guard named Brenda (Siobhan Fallon) as Selma makes another move to save her son's life.

The film is clearly von Trier's most accessible effort to date despite his emphasis on handheld digital video cameras that he used since he is also credited as the camera operator. Emphasizing on the spirit of Dogme 95, von Trier brings a natural look to the film as opposed to the more cinematic, heightened look of most films today. With Breaking the Waves cinematographer Robby Muller, von Trier gives the film a look that is captivating from its grayish tone in many scenes to the more colorful tone in the musical interludes where Muller shines in his vast cinematography, especially since the musical numbers features nearly 100 cameras in use. For von Trier, it’s another experiment that succeeds as he just tries to bring a real look without any gloss that has been seen in Hollywood films.

The film's story is a wide mix of melodrama and musicals as Bjork's Selma says that in musicals, nothing dreadful happens. Well with von Trier, that isn't the case. Especially the ending that is just heartbreaking because of its sadistic nature as von Trier uses pain for a huge, emotional climax like he did in Breaking the Waves. Really, the story is about a woman saving the life of her child by sacrificing herself and it's a heartbreaking story. While the film's first act starts off a bit slow (if you don't count the colorful overture in the film's first few minutes), it picks up just as the musical numbers come in with amazing choreography from Vincent Paterson as well as original music from Bjork with additional compositions from longtime Bjork collaborator Sjon Sigurdsson and von Trier himself.

The music definitely plays up to the spirit of musicals that von Trier has loved with its mix of electronic beats and textures as well as Rodgers & Hammerstein arrangements all put in a lush, grand tone. Bjork is clearly the star of the music as the cast itself sings many of the great songs on the film (although Peter Stormare's vocals were replaced by Radiohead's Thom Yorke in the film's soundtrack entitled Selmasongs). The music really serves a purpose in the same way von Trier used the music as an emotional outlet in Breaking the Waves.

Another great aspect of the film, which received a lot of controversy when it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2000, was von Trier's depiction of America. While the film was shot in Sweden, von Trier does give a nice idea in what America would look like although in Washington, it's usually rainy. In many respects, von Trier is looking at America in a dream in the same way Stanley Kubrick used London as New York City for Eyes Wide Shut. Really, it's America in a dreamier tone in reference to the Hollywood musicals that Selma loved. Really, von Trier isn't trying to knock America but he knows that he doesn't have to go there to know what's going on since he's pretty much afraid to go on a plane and doesn't like to travel very much.

The film's cast is amazing not just in their singing voices but in their roles as well. While von Trier veterans like Stellan Skarsgard, Udo Kier, and Jean-Marc Barr had small roles, their cameos were fun to watch in their respective roles while Vincent Paterson is excellent as the theater director and Zeljko Ivanek is excellent as the D.A. and doing a great job in an American accent. Joel Grey is amazing to watch in his small role as Oldrich Novy as he shows his graceful talent as a dancer and as an actor, especially since he hasn't been heard from since his Oscar-winning performance in Bob Fosse's Cabaret.

Cara Seymour is wonderful as the scornful wife Linda, especially playing a character that later on, is loathed for her actions and Seymour does an excellent job in that performance. Vladica Kostic is wonderful as Gene, especially since he just plays a kid in a restraint tone without going over the top or anything. Siobhan Fallon is lovely as Brenda as the scenes with Bjork are gripping to watch, especially in the film's final moments.

For the rest of the supporting cast, the film's best performance easily goes to French film legend Catherine Devenue. Devenue is amazing to watch as Selma's sympathetic best friend who shares her love of musicals. Devenue almost serves as a voice of reason for the anguished, naïve Selma as in the third act; her action nearly upsets Selma as in the end, comes a heartbreaking scene of friendship. Devenue is as enigmatic and masterful in her portrayal. Peter Stormare is superb as the wannabe-boyfriend Jeff by just underplaying the role sensitively and sympathetically and you want him to be her boyfriend. Stormare gives a subtle performance that is quiet and gripping at the same, especially in the film's final act. David Morse is amazing as the anguished Bill who does get sympathy despite his own actions but when Morse sings, he shines as does his character that gives more outlook into this versatile yet, underrated actor.

The film's best performance overall easily goes to Bjork in her first film in many years since she's done film work as a child in her native Iceland. In her first adult performance, Bjork brings a heartbreaking, sympathetic performance that is filled with lost innocence and anguish. The character of Selma is a complex yet flawed character as she brings the escapism in everyone through musicals. Bjork even comes livelier in the musical interludes with her thick Icelandic vocals while in the final act, she comes out with a gripping performance that is so powerful, it will leave you in tears.

Dancer in the Dark is a spectacular, genre-bending film from Lars von Trier. With a great cast led by Bjork and Catherine Devenue along with wonderful musical interludes, the film is among one of von Trier's more accessible film as well as one of his strangest. While it has a look that is strange despite the dated look of the digital photography, it is a film that is very abstract and dream-like. In the end, Dancer in the Dark is a superb film from Lars von Trier.

Lars von Trier Films: The Element of Crime - Epidemic - Medea - Europa - The Kingdom I - Breaking the Waves - The Kingdom II - Dogme #2-Idioterne - Dogville - The Five Obstructions - Manderlay - The Boss of It All - Antichrist - Dimension (2010 short) - Melancholia - Nymphomaniac - The House That Jack Built - The Kingdom: Exodus - (Etudes)

Related: The Auteurs #7: Lars von Trier

© thevoid99 2012