Manderlay

Manderlay is the second film in Lars Von Trier's brilliant USA - Land of Opportunities trilogy. Manderlay stands as a powerful, intensely clever statement. As told only the way an outsider to the United States could. With significant insight & a pleasing amount of dark humour woven between. An exceptional film.

The themes of Manderlay are brilliantly sketched. It works as an expert jigsaw. The screenplay links are often profound. As always in a story-telling masterpiece, the tangents are vast. Shooting off in incredibly varied directions from the central tale. Inspired.

Lars Von Trier is a moral relativist. This will offend & reduce the message for many. I urge the viewer, whom is so inclined, to attempt to put this aside. I believe the effort will be worth it. A film that anyone interested in the USA should see.

On the negative side of the ledger. The camera work. I always find it difficult to adjust to wonky hand-held images. I appreciate that an effort at realism is being made. Nevertheless, it is an adjustment I have to make. Often, I will try and put myself as a third person. When the characters walk off talking, I try to make myself want to go. This must be a large part of the purpose of hand-held hell. Or I stare at the top of the screen and watch with slight periphary. The film-maker is either urging one to join or forcing it. The line between the two is very fine. Often, it lurches suddenly from one to the other. It seemed to work it's box office effect in the horrendous Blair Witch Project.

Still on camera work, I detest the sudden zoom. As soon as a person speaks. It is very tiring. Not necessarily in the visual sense. I am reminded of an infant craning it's head toward every movement & sound. It is an incredibly nasty effect that causes me no amount of irritation. I feel cheapened & used by having to be told what to look at. I used to enjoy Boston Legal until this became cause de jour.

As soon as I was engrossed in the story, about 20 minutes in, I didn't notice the shoddy camera anymore. Whether this is because it stopped, I don't know. The rest of the film was superb. Dogville was fantastic (with the same qualms - Von Trier is persistent with his Dogma). Manderlay finely matches it.

Starring Bryce Dallas Howard, Danny Glover, Willem Dafoe & Lauren Bacall

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