Search - Dancer in the Dark on DVD

MPAA Rating: R Content Advisory: Violence, Adult Situations, Not For Children Movie Release: 2000 DVD Release: 03/20/2001 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV - Closed Captioned Edition: Special Collection Audio Tracks: English Subtitles: English SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 2 hrs 21 mins Studio: New Line Home Video Members Wishing: 5 Genres: Drama, Musical, Melodrama, Musical Drama

Reportedly the third in acclaimed director Lars von Trier's "Golden Hearts" trilogy (preceded by Breaking the Waves and The Idiots), this film is a hip reworking of the classic Hollywood Musical, starring international pop diva Bjork. Set somewhere in rural Washington state, Czech immigrant Selma (Bjork) works in a pressing plant, struggling to make ends meet for herself and her 10-year-old son, Gene (Vladica Kostic). Her best friend is coworker and fellow European Kathy (Catherine Deneuve). While outside work, she is maintaining a cautious friendship with local yokel Jeff (Peter Stormare). She also landed a starring role as Maria in an amateur production of The Sound of Music. Selma's life would be one of relative contentment if it were not for the ugly secret she harbors -- she is on the verge of blindness due to a genetic disorder, and her young son will suffer the same fate without an operation. Selma has quietly been stashing away money for the surgery and has already amassed $2,000. When her savings, squirreled away in a can in the kitchen, suddenly disappear, she confronts her cash-strapped landlord Bill (David Morse). Of course, like all musicals, the plot periodically takes a backseat to the seven production numbers, including a show-stopping sequence in Selma's factory. Shot entirely on digital video, the film reportedly used up to 100 cameras for each musical number. Dancer in the Dark received top prizes at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival including Best Actress for Bjork and the coveted Palme d'Or for Best Picture. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide

Björk - Selma
Catherine Deneuve - Kathy
David Morse - Bill
Peter Stormare - Jeff
Joel Grey - Oldrich Novy

Dancer in the Dark, shot in large part on digital video, works perhaps even better on DVD than it did in the cinema. The 2.40:1 widescreen picture is sharp and bold. Sound quality is superb, with Bjork's emotionally charged songs and the movie's dialogue and sound effects coming across dynamically on both the 5.1 and DTS audio tracks. Director Lars von Trier's artistic vision is not compromised in the slightest. The supplemental material is better than average, though judging by the press coverage of the rocky relationship between von Trier and Bjork, more behind-the-scenes footage would have been welcome. Two audio commentaries are available. The one shared by von Trier, producer Vibeke Windelov, artist Per Kirkeby, and technical supervisor Peter Hjorth is certainly interesting, though von Trier displays little of his usual hyperkinetic self-analysis. Choreography Vincent Paterson, who almost labels himself a co-director, provides insightful thoughts on the other commentary track. Paterson also dominates the two mini-documentaries. "100 Cameras: Capturing Lars von Trier's Vision" is perhaps too technical, but it's still worth a look for behind-the-scenes tidbits about pre-production of the train-based musical number. "Choreography: Creating Vincent Paterson's Dance Sequences" is overlong, but it entertains via its wealth of production footage. "Alternate Scenes" concentrates solely on the musical numbers, and there's not really enough variation from the final cut to provide much substance, but "I've Seen It All Version 3" entertains in its rapid-edit glory. The theatrical trailer is blurb-heavy and gives away far too many important plot points. "Selma's Music" provides much-needed instant access to the movie's nine musical numbers via song titles, while "Scene Selections" gives instant access to the DVD's 30 chapters via still frames and chapter titles. The interactive menus are stylish and appropriate to the movie's tone and bleak subject matter. ~ Tim DiGravina, All Movie Guide