Danes were active slave traders for several centuries, but Denmark was also the first country to abolish slave trade in 1792; they had little to fear by the way as they were not very successful in the trade dominated by France, The Netherlands, England and Portugal. One of its current inhabitants, Lars Von Trier, has decided to make a movie about the period after official abolishment of slavery in the American South.
In his former Golden Heart-trilogy Von Trier made distinct movies around one theme. This trilogy touches more themes, but they have the form in common. Like in Dogville, the stage with its imaginary buildings and chalk lines is used to indicate that the US is an artificial country without a soul. We have the division in eight chapters and also the same narrative ironic voice-over of John Hurt. This time the setting is even sparser, although height is put to better use, for example in some overhead shots (flock of swallows) and the location of Mam's (Lauren Bacall, playing the matriarch of the plantation) room high above the working rest.
The opening (and closing shot) is immediately one of the better ones in the whole movie: We see a map of the US, then look at the car of Grace and her father driving it from Colorado to Alabama, the camera zooms in and we have actually watched the stage all the time (or an illusion of that). Arriving on the Manderlay plantation, they discover that slavery is still common good despite the legal wrong by that time. A debate follows between Grace and her father, as she wants to free the slaves and let them start their own business with their newly obtained power. Her father is cynical about this idea and they decide to split for a while (they also split the gang) to let Grace try this in his eyes doomed experiment.
With the help of part of her father's force, she frees the slaves (meanwhile the owner dies as indication of the end of slavery) and with the help of her father's lawyer sets up a company where every former slave shares equally. As soon few are willing to work, Grace's treatment of the new employees gets harsher and she starts to hold meetings where they have to vote on outstanding issues and are in this way forced into democracy, cooperation and education (a parallel to the force-feeding of democracy in Iraq). A book is found by Grace in Mam's bedroom stating details about how to keep the slaves under control (they are classified in 7 groups, the number seven also very prominent in Dogville with the figurines). When hard times fall on Manderlay after a sandstorm, the donkey Lucifer is slaughtered to save a sick child (no, we don't see the donkey dead). Lucifer is meant here as Satan and as an old woman eats the food she ends up being sentenced to death. Grace takes the role of executioner, but before the execution tells several lies to her, indicating her slippery slope from idealism to betrayer of her own ideals. As successful harvests emerge, the force Grace used as a backing is no longer needed and they leave except for Grace. But the tragedy only continues as the roles soon reverse with another turn of events (the surprise ending) where Grace at one time ends up whipping a former slave and being made a permanent member of the corporation by the same voting system she once imposed. Then Manderlay breaks form, and with the arrival of her father reveals a more comical side, probably because rumors has it that the next part Wasington will be a comedy. The car moves on to Washington.
Manderlay is also partly loosely based on the preface of the book Histoire d'O (Udo Kier in both movies by the way). So another part of Manderlay relates to the sexual fantasies Grace has about the slaves, especially when projected at Timothy, 'the proudly ni*ger'. The fantasies being just that, as reality will show.
Manderlay basically relates three themes: Slavery, Idealism vs. Pragmatism (Grace vs. Grace's father or even Wilhelm) and the philosophical view on mankind and liberty. Grace is the idealist well-known from other Von Trier-movies and is once again the victim of that idealism as more selfish (Wilma, Timothy) people destroy that idealism and finally the pragmatism (slavery as the lesser of two evils) of Wilhelm wins over to continue the slave system in a more modern form. The link to the present being that African Americans are free slaves in the modern world, as only the means to impose that system have changed. But Von Trier also criticizes people for not fighting that system and go along with it as lazy citizens. To confirm that the end credits contain again images of racial poverty and violence, but also African-American leaders (and to confirm the Iraq-link Bush and 9/11 are thrown in).
Danny Glover as Wilhelm and Isaach De Bankolé as Timothy both give strong performances, but Bryce Dallas Howard is not of Kidman's stature: Her facial and body expression is more limited and she has a less interesting diction and delivery. As Von Trier generally treats his actresses in a harsh way, there is a parallel with the story of Grace.
In comparison with Dogville however Manderlay touches fewer themes and does not have the same amount of layers of interpretation present in the story. Manderlay is less ambiguous and ambitious, also in the camera-work. Add to this the feeling that this seems far more rushed in making (several editing discontinuities), I can not see them on the same level, although Manderlay is still an interesting and intelligent movie.
In his former Golden Heart-trilogy Von Trier made distinct movies around one theme. This trilogy touches more themes, but they have the form in common. Like in Dogville, the stage with its imaginary buildings and chalk lines is used to indicate that the US is an artificial country without a soul. We have the division in eight chapters and also the same narrative ironic voice-over of John Hurt. This time the setting is even sparser, although height is put to better use, for example in some overhead shots (flock of swallows) and the location of Mam's (Lauren Bacall, playing the matriarch of the plantation) room high above the working rest.
The opening (and closing shot) is immediately one of the better ones in the whole movie: We see a map of the US, then look at the car of Grace and her father driving it from Colorado to Alabama, the camera zooms in and we have actually watched the stage all the time (or an illusion of that). Arriving on the Manderlay plantation, they discover that slavery is still common good despite the legal wrong by that time. A debate follows between Grace and her father, as she wants to free the slaves and let them start their own business with their newly obtained power. Her father is cynical about this idea and they decide to split for a while (they also split the gang) to let Grace try this in his eyes doomed experiment.
With the help of part of her father's force, she frees the slaves (meanwhile the owner dies as indication of the end of slavery) and with the help of her father's lawyer sets up a company where every former slave shares equally. As soon few are willing to work, Grace's treatment of the new employees gets harsher and she starts to hold meetings where they have to vote on outstanding issues and are in this way forced into democracy, cooperation and education (a parallel to the force-feeding of democracy in Iraq). A book is found by Grace in Mam's bedroom stating details about how to keep the slaves under control (they are classified in 7 groups, the number seven also very prominent in Dogville with the figurines). When hard times fall on Manderlay after a sandstorm, the donkey Lucifer is slaughtered to save a sick child (no, we don't see the donkey dead). Lucifer is meant here as Satan and as an old woman eats the food she ends up being sentenced to death. Grace takes the role of executioner, but before the execution tells several lies to her, indicating her slippery slope from idealism to betrayer of her own ideals. As successful harvests emerge, the force Grace used as a backing is no longer needed and they leave except for Grace. But the tragedy only continues as the roles soon reverse with another turn of events (the surprise ending) where Grace at one time ends up whipping a former slave and being made a permanent member of the corporation by the same voting system she once imposed. Then Manderlay breaks form, and with the arrival of her father reveals a more comical side, probably because rumors has it that the next part Wasington will be a comedy. The car moves on to Washington.
Manderlay is also partly loosely based on the preface of the book Histoire d'O (Udo Kier in both movies by the way). So another part of Manderlay relates to the sexual fantasies Grace has about the slaves, especially when projected at Timothy, 'the proudly ni*ger'. The fantasies being just that, as reality will show.
Manderlay basically relates three themes: Slavery, Idealism vs. Pragmatism (Grace vs. Grace's father or even Wilhelm) and the philosophical view on mankind and liberty. Grace is the idealist well-known from other Von Trier-movies and is once again the victim of that idealism as more selfish (Wilma, Timothy) people destroy that idealism and finally the pragmatism (slavery as the lesser of two evils) of Wilhelm wins over to continue the slave system in a more modern form. The link to the present being that African Americans are free slaves in the modern world, as only the means to impose that system have changed. But Von Trier also criticizes people for not fighting that system and go along with it as lazy citizens. To confirm that the end credits contain again images of racial poverty and violence, but also African-American leaders (and to confirm the Iraq-link Bush and 9/11 are thrown in).
Danny Glover as Wilhelm and Isaach De Bankolé as Timothy both give strong performances, but Bryce Dallas Howard is not of Kidman's stature: Her facial and body expression is more limited and she has a less interesting diction and delivery. As Von Trier generally treats his actresses in a harsh way, there is a parallel with the story of Grace.
In comparison with Dogville however Manderlay touches fewer themes and does not have the same amount of layers of interpretation present in the story. Manderlay is less ambiguous and ambitious, also in the camera-work. Add to this the feeling that this seems far more rushed in making (several editing discontinuities), I can not see them on the same level, although Manderlay is still an interesting and intelligent movie.