Lars Von Trier's Manderlay DVD Review: A Hidden Gem

Manderlay was almost completely overlooked and unsupported during its miniscule US theatrical release early this year, even though it’s the follow-up to writer/director Lars von Trier’s somewhat well-regarded Dogville. While that’s usually a sign of a weak film not worthy of release, Manderlay proves to be a hidden gem that deserves to be discovered on dvd.

Picking up directly after the events in Dogville, Manderlay follows returning heroine Grace as she travels through the Deep South in the 1930s with her shady father and his associates. When they come across the isolated Manderlay plantation, Grace discovers a cause for her to champion, much to the dismay of her father. 

As it turns out, the plantation has continued the practice of slavery 70 years after the Emancipation Proclamation, and Grace makes it her mission to educate and liberate the slaves. She soon discovers that she has far more to learn from the slaves than they do from her, leading to some surprising results to her liberation experiment.

While the film is a continuation of von Trier’s “USA – Land of Opportunities” trilogy (projected to conclude with Wasington), the principal recurring characters are not played by the same actors who originated the roles in Dogville. This may be the biggest negative perception about the film, as Dogville’s impressive Nicole Kidman is replaced by relative newcomer Bryce Dallas Howard in the lead role. 

To confuse matters further, new characters are played by returning actors who had different roles in Dogville, including Lauren Bacall, Chloe Sevigny, and long-time von Trier favorite Udo Kier. The sole constant is John Hurt, once again participating as the narrator.