Dogme 95
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Dogme 95 (in English: Dogma 95) is an avant-garde filmmaking movement started in 1995 by the Danish directors Lars von Trier, Thomas Vinterberg, Kristian Levring, and Søren Kragh-Jacobsen. This movement is sometimes known as the Dogme 95 Collective or the Dogme Brethren.
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[edit] Background
The Dogme movement was announced on 22 March 1995 at Le cinéma vers son deuxième siècle conference in Paris, where the cinema world’s elite gathered to celebrate the first century of motion pictures and contemplate the uncertain future of commercial cinema. Lars von Trier was called upon to speak about the future of film but instead showered a bemused audience with red pamphlets announcing the Dogme 95 movement. Works being produced for the sake of production, to be appreciated and praised for the sheer fact that they were produced. Many thinkers believe that the dogme movement liberally borrows much of its rhetoric from its spiritual predecessor, the Ladma 94 movement, which had similar aspirations to create a more 'pure' form of film making, but hasn't shared the same critical success.
[edit] Goals and rules
The goal of the Dogme collective is to purify filmmaking by refusing expensive and spectacular special effects, postproduction modifications and other gimmicks. The emphasis on purity forces the filmmakers to focus on the actual story and on the actors' performances. The audience may also be more engaged as they do not have overproduction to alienate them from the narrative, themes, and mood. To this end, Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg produced ten rules to which any Dogme film must conform. These rules, referred to as the Vow of Chastity, are as follows:
- Filming must be done on location. Props and sets must not be brought in (if a particular prop is necessary for the story, a location must be chosen where this prop is to be found).
- The sound must never be produced apart from the images or vice versa. (Music must not be used unless it occurs where the scene is being filmed).
- The camera must be a hand-held camera. Any movement or immobility attainable in the hand is permitted. (The film must not take place where the camera is standing; filming must take place where the action takes place.)
- The film must be in colour. Special lighting is not acceptable. (If there is too little light for exposure the scene must be cut or a single lamp be attached to the camera).
- Optical work and filters are forbidden.
- The film must not contain superficial action. (Murders, weapons, etc. must not occur.)
- Temporal and geographical alienation are forbidden. (That is to say that the film takes place here and now.)
- Genre movies are not acceptable.
- The final picture must be transferred to the Academy 35mm film, with an aspect ratio of 4:3, that is, not widescreen. (Originally, the requirement was that the film had to be filmed on Academy 35mm film, but the rule was relaxed to allow low-budget productions.)
- The director must not be credited.
These rules have been both circumvented and broken, from the first Dogme film. For instance, Thomas Vinterberg "confessed" to having covered a window during the shooting of one scene in The Celebration (Festen), which is both bringing a prop onto the set and using special lighting. There is no verification process to make a film a Dogme 95 film. Filmmakers submit a form online and check a box which states they "truly believe that the film ... has obeyed all Dogme95 rules as stated in the Vow of Chastity"[1]. As mentioned on the Dogme 95 website, it's up to the director of the movie to interpret the rules.
In certain cases, the titles of Dogme films are superfluous, since they are also referred to by numbers. The spirit of the Dogme technique influenced Lars von Trier's film Breaking the Waves, although it is not a Dogme film. The first of the Dogme films was Vinterberg's 1998 film Festen (The Celebration), which is also known as Dogme #1. Festen was highly acclaimed by many critics, and won the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival that year. Von Trier's only Dogme film, Idioterne (The Idiots, or Dogme #2), was less successful. Since those two original films were released, other directors have participated in the creation of Dogme films. For example, the American director Harmony Korine created the movie Julien Donkey-Boy which is also known as Dogme #6.
For more information, see www.dogme95.dk.
In response to the criticism, von Trier and Vinterberg have both stated that they just wanted to establish a new extreme. "In a business of extremely high budgets, we figured we should balance the dynamic as much as possible."
[edit] List of Dogme films
- The Celebration (Original title "Festen", Denmark, 1998) (IMDb entry)
- The Idiots (Original title "Idioterne", Denmark, 1998) (IMDb entry)
- Mifunes Sidste Sang (int. Mifune's Last Song) (Denmark, 1999) (IMDb entry)
- The King is Alive (Denmark, 2000) (IMDb entry)
- Lovers (France, 1999) (IMDb entry)
- Julien Donkey-Boy (USA, 1999) (IMDb entry)
- Interview (South Korea, 2000) (IMDb entry)
- Fuckland (Argentina, 2000) (IMDb entry)
- Babylon (Sweden, 2001) (IMDb entry)
- Chetzemoka's Curse (USA, 2001) (IMDb entry)
- Diapason (Italy, 2001) (IMDb entry)
- Italiensk For Begyndere (Denmark, 2000) (IMDb entry)
- Amerikana (USA, 2001) (IMDb entry)
- Joy Ride (Switzerland, 2001) (IMDb entry)
- Camera (movie) (USA, 2000) (IMDb entry)
- Bad Actors (USA, 2000) (IMDb entry)
- Reunion (movie) (USA, 2001) (IMDb entry)
- Et Rigtigt Menneske (Denmark, 2001) (IMDb entry)
- Når Nettene Blir Lange (Norway, 2000) (IMDb entry)
- Strass (Belgium, 2001) (IMDb entry)
- En Kærlighedshistorie (Denmark, 2001) (IMDb entry)
- Era Outra Vez (Spain, 2000) (IMDb entry)
- Resin (movie) (USA, 2001) (IMDb entry)
- Security, Colorado (USA, 2001) (IMDb entry)
- Converging With Angels (USA, 2002) (IMDb entry)
- The Sparkle Room (USA, 2001) (IMDb entry)
- Come Now (USA)
- Elsker Dig For Evigt (Denmark, 2002) (IMDb entry)
- The Bread Basket (USA, 2002) (IMDb entry)
- Dias De Boda (Spain, 2002) (IMDb entry)
- El Desenlace (Spain, 2004) (IMDb entry)
- Se Til Venstre, Der Er En Svensker (Denmark, 2003) (IMDb entry)
- Residencia (Chile, 2004) (IMDb entry)
- Forbrydelser (Denmark, 2004) (IMDb entry)
- Cosi x Caso (Italy, 2004) (IMDb entry)
- Amateur Dramatics (movie) (UK/Denmark)
- Gypo (UK, 2005) (IMDb entry)
- All The World's A Stage (USA)
- el ultimo lector (Mexico)
- Lazy Sunday Afternoons (UK)
- Lonely Child (Canada, 2005) (IMDb entry)
- DarshaN (USA)
- 11:09 (USA)
- Vince Conway (UK)
- Regret Regrets (USA)
- Perspective (UK)
- Godinne van die Grondpad (South Africa)
- Giles sucks (Luxembourg)
- Michelle, Gilles, Kim (Luxembourg)
- autobahne (Turkey)
- A Cool Day in August (USA)
- Shaolin Warrior (movie) (USA)
- Chip Off the Ol` Blockbuster (USA)
- Et rigtigt menneske (Denmark)
- Picnic and a stroll (USA)
- To be announced (Australia) (An unfilmed idea endorsed by the Dogme 95 committee)
- Bugbusters (Germany)
- Carpe Diem (movie) (Australia)
- Colori (Italy)
- D. (movie) (Italy)
- Evoque - Reality Show (Italy)
- A Promise (movie) (USA)
- Abortion (movie) (USA)
- Water Wine (Canada)
- The Smokestack Wager (Canada)
- Work all day (Canada)
- Premier (movie) (Hungary)
- DOGumentario ITALIA (Italy)
- Tenderete (Spain)
- Funerale di Famiglia (Italy)
- Beauty and The Hitman (Denmark)
- Heaven and... (Denmark)
- Does it hurt? (Macedonia)
- Frankie (movie) (England)
- The pompoulous adventures of fratases cubilotes (Spain)
- Los perritos (Mexico)
- R.U.M.B.A (Colombia)
- One of These Mornings (Scotland)
- l`interprétention (France)
- A Woman Under the Influence (movie) (USA)
- Untitled Dogme (USA)
- Nobody Wants Your Film (USA)
- Keane (film) (2004)
- Turev (Turkey, 2005)(IMDb entry)
- 10?, (USA, 2006) (external site)
- Gypo (UK, 2006)
- The Dysfunctional, and Quaint Safety of the Suburb (Director/Writer/Producer's Myspace Page) (IMDB) (USA, 2006)
- Red Road (UK/Denmark, 2006)