1. JessicaTremlett
StudentNo.1107047
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European Art Cinema - MSL509
3500 wordAssignment
Focussing on Dogme95, a movement that emerged out of the desire of Danish directors Lars
Von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg to reinvigorate cinematic practices both in Europe and
beyond, discuss how European filmmakers have responded to the challenges of globalization
and the intensification of Hollywood’shegemony in the European market
Dogme95 iswhat I like torefertoas the ‘Dada’of Europeancinema,anundeviatingandforceful
“attack on ‘entertainment’cinemaaspartof a broaderattack on the whole of ‘consumer’society
(TheEuropean Cinema Reader,2002, p.79).”The predominantideathatstemsfromEuropean
Cinemaisthat the existingtrendof moviemakingistoproduce filmsthatpacifyandlull societyinto
whatGodard refersto as ‘pleasurable dreams,’ thatdivertthe audience fromthe militancyof reality.
Lars VonTrier and ThomasVinterbergelected toparrythis utopianfilmculture byadoptinga novel
‘avant-garde’ technique inthe cinematicrealm;arguably the mostsuccessfulEuropeanArtdirectors
at the forefrontof avast seaof filmmakerswhowantedtobolstersuchpractices.
It shouldbe notedthatdespite usingDogme95asthe pivotal notionaroundwhichIwill construct
thisessay,thisdoesnotsuggestDogme95to be the only manifestoworthmentioninginthe clash
betweencommercial andcounter-cinema.
It couldbe arguedforexample thatRicciotto Canudo’s ownmanifesto‘ManifestodaSete Artes’
chiefly suggestedfilmtobe “a superbconciliationof the Rhythmsof Space (the PlasticArts) andthe
Rhythmsof Time (Musicand Poetry) – (The birth of theSixth Art,1911) and was the firstto raise
questionsaboutthe theoryof film.
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The backlashagainstthe supremacyof commercial cinemahas beenunrelenting,continuing for
decades,movementsrose andfell overnumerouscountries, some of theseincludeFrenchNew
Wave,AmericanUndergroundCinemaandOberhausen(asexamples).Iwill use Oberhausentoset
some useful contextforDogme95,andalsobecause the establishmentof Oberhausen was
noteworthy inthatitofferedwomenthe opportunitytotake partin the makingof films (thisis
significantinthe responsetothe risingamplificationof Hollywood).
“Such fixedandendlesslyrepeatedimagesof women were consideredtobe objectionable
distortionsthatwouldhave anegative impactonthe female spectator (FeministFilmTheory,Anneke
Smelik).It isa movementwhich eventually aidedinpavingthe wayforDogme95filmmakersto
explore muchmore divisiveissuesatthe time of itsown establishment.
The abilitytoproduce filmswitha16mm camera (whichwere lighter,cheaper andproduceda
differentkindof aesthetic) became acceptable touse,asopposedtothe marginalizationof a35mm
camera, reflectingthe Vowof Chastity’srule yearslater “‘For the firsttime,anyone canmake
movies’ –it wasseenas an invitationto make use of new,portable,user-friendlyandrelatively
inexpensive digital videotechnologiestofilm everydayreality,justasearlierfilmmakers,from
NouvelleVague toDirectCinema,hadusedthe portable 16mmcamerato filmonthe streets.”
(Simmons, Playing theWaves,p.14)
Because of this there was a sudden rushed saturationof womenaround 1968 attemptingtorecount
theirhistorythroughthe expressionof film“peoplebegantoreallyconcernthemselveswithwhat
laterbecame as a discipline,aboutwhichthere werealotof booksas well,namelywomen’s
history…before thenitwasa kindof annex,everydayhistory,nottobe takenseriously.These were
topicsfromthe kitchen,evenfromthe nursery.Thesewere notareasthathad beentakenseriously
before”(Jutta Brucker– 2002 Interview).
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Thisis indeedevidentinshortmotionpicturessuchas ‘Eine Fraumit Verantwortung(A woman with
responsibilities,Ula Brockl)’and ‘EinBlickunddie Liebe brichtaus’(OneGlance and LoveBreaks out,
Jutta Bruckner).’
Althoughthese filmsare amere pixel inthe vastimage of the feministmovementinEuropeanfilms,
theywill doas a swift example.
Both ‘A womanwithresponsibilities’and‘One Glance andLove Breaksout’ snubthe ideathat
womenare merely tobe subjectof ‘looked-at-ness’(Mulvey,1989,p.19) and ‘free the lookof the
camera intoitsmaterialityintime andspace andthe lookof the audience intodialecticsand
passionate detachment(Mulvey,1989, p.26).’ They explore the restrictionof female social mobility,
the struggle againstpatriarchy,and‘the obsessive pursuitof love unmindful tothe costof the
womenthemselves(O’Sickey, p.84) by “adoptingmontage techniquesfromSergei Eisenstein,the
notionof Verfremdung(distanciation) of BertoltBrechtandthe modernistaestheticof Jean-Luc
Godard (Smelik,p.492).”
Because of thisit wasverymuch an indispensablecomponentof political filmmaking.There wasa
newkindof necessity tonotjustreflect(asthiswouldnotinclude self-reflexitivity,whichdealswith
metafictionalfilms, adynamicthatisfundamental tofeminism) buttoconstructthe ‘truth’of the
societal coercion of women,unlike the narrativesoftengeneratedinHollywood,where women
seemedtorevel invoyeurismandaudienceswould ‘mindlessly’engageinincessant‘scopophilia’
(the desire tosee).
Both OberhausenandDogme95were remarkable inthat bothdidnotrebuff female filmmakers,and
presentedtheirsexualityin filmsin amuchmore natural way.AlthoughDogme95at the outsetwas
establishedin1995 andthus,feminismwasverymuchan entrenched ideal withinculturebythat
time,itcoagulatedwhatOberhausenhadbegunwithitsownmanifesto. “Indoingso,it
accomplishedsomethingmore radical thansimplyfreeingwomenfromthe tyrannyof the romantic
comedy.Plentyof genres,like actionandscience fiction,assumeapredominantlymale audience;
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Dogme releasedcreatorsandviewersfromthose genderedassumptionstoo…bydenouncinghigh-
pricedspectacles(props,CGI,the abilitytouse movieswithinthe genre sector etc),VonTrierand
Vinterbergwere counteringatrendtowardthe hyper-masculinisationof film(Bernam, 2015,What
Dogme Didfor WomenDirectors).”Itcouldalsobe arguedthat the subtractionof suchcostly visuals
discardssuperficialityanddistractionstothe wayside andstripsthe filmrightdowntothe very core
of humaninteraction, experience andunprocessedemotion.
To summarise,thisinitself couldbe argued tobe anuncompromisinglyindividualistresponsetothe
escalationof commercial filming.Firstly, the ideathatwomenwere presentedasanythingother
than ‘objects’wasparticularlyaudacious (ToDie For,Clueless,ShowgirlsandMightyAphrodite were
particularlyfamousaroundthistime) andattemptingtorelease womenfromthe cliché’sof beingan
actress. Lone Scherfigtold RichardKellywhenhe askedwhatitwaslike tobe the firstfemale dogme
director,‘Ican’t thinkwhatit meanstobe a womanin thissituation,Ihave noideawhatthe
alternative is’ (TheNameOf ThisBookis Dogme95, 2000, Kelly).
It shouldalsobe brieflynotedthatDogme95hadthe definitive advantage of bothwitnessingand
learningfromthe ascentanddescentof many movementsoverthe yearsandthusit couldbe
arguedhad a higherchance of long-termsurvival.
SubjectsbornfromfeministEuropeancinemawere ahuge juxtapositionwiththe feminine cultureof
“1960’s andearly1970’s inparticular,at a time whenthe polemicssurroundingthe ‘popularculture
of Hollywoodwereattheirheight’” whohad(toputit inperspective)justbroughtinthe Barbie Doll.
“Art Cinemawasoftendefinedasthe ‘enemy’…andthe kindof cinemathathad to be fought
(Fowler, 2002, p.103)”
Due to a numberof reasonsbrewingoveratwenty-five yearperiod,(more filmswere made abroad,
ticketsbegantosell forlessthana dollaretc) there wasdesperationto generateprofitbackintothe
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industry.
Contrastingthis, Bruckerstatesthatthe production of EuropeanArt filmswas“neverconnectedtoa
desire forwealthandfame.”Itcouldbe arguedthat thisverystatementiswhatkeepsHollywood
fromcompletelydominatingthe Europeanmarket,since fiscal gainisnotinunderthe intensive eye
of the respective Avant-Garde director. His/Herpredominant rationaleisto“force the truth outof
my charactersand settings…atthe cost of any goodtaste and any aestheticconsiderations(TheVow
Of Chastity – Dogme95).”Howeverthisisnotto say that Dogme95is a tactic usedto make low-
budgetfilmsbyanymeans.A dogme95 filmcanrange fromanythingtoa dollartoa hundredmillion
dollarsaslong as the Vowof Chastityif followed,shouldanyviolationsbe committed,theymustbe
confessed.
Followingonfromthis,adoptingthe Vow of Chastity meantrejectingthe luxuriesof commercial
filmingalmostaltogether(filters,non-diegeticsound,special lightingandsoon) and relevant
directorshadto force prominence oncertain aspectsof filmingtechniques,particularlyplot,location
and character,“if youhave some limitationswhenyouwork,likethese rules…then youare forcedto
use your imagination(Von Trier, 2000).”
Thisultimatelymeantthat taxing,controversialandsometimes disconcertingissueswere explored,
and actingcouldnot be customized tothe filmsneeds “we haven’ttakenanythingawaybecause it
was ‘badtaste’or because itdoesn’tfitwiththe idea’sorscript.”
VonTrier’s“Idioterne”(1998) is particularlycontentiousatthe time of itsrelease because itwasfar
flungfromtrendy commercialisedfilming.The notionof agroupof mentallyable adults ‘spazzing’ (a
termusedin the film) inpublicplacescauses the spectatortofeel uncomfortable ontheirbehalf,
and disabilityjuxtaposedwithliberal sexuality (specifically:the orgyscene) isnotanideal that
mesh’scomfortablywith Hollywood’s more self-effacingandamorousdepictionsof sex, for
example,DemiMoore andPatrickSwayze in‘Ghost’(1990) or eventhe more outlandishfilms(by
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Hollywood’sstandards) suchas‘Striptease’(1996) and‘Americanbeauty’(1998).
HarmonyKorine’s‘JulienDonkey-Boy’(1999) shareswith‘Idioterne’the notionof mental illness,a
subjectbefallentothe backcatalogue of Hollywood’spreferable plottypes(perhapsaside from
‘Rainman’ 1998).
VonTrierstatedthat he feltitwasimportantnotto hide awayfrom suchsubjectsjustbecause you
are ‘afraid’of them,“you’ll findall of myanxietieswithin myfilms,Iwouldforce myactorsto do
whatI was afraidof.”
Thisbecomesa patternwithinthe Dogme95group,eachfilmchallengesandinvestigatessubjects
such as mental illness, sex,disability,alcoholism,domesticabuse andsoon.
As conveyed,this loosely unveilsanotherof the multi-facetedsidesof EuropeanArtfilm, the
contrast of purposesbetweenthisandcommercialisedfilmingis tremendously dramatic,Dogme95
filmmakersproducedvisualsbased solelyonadrive toexpress andexplore anddidnotnecessarily
have a preferredreading, where asHollywood producesonaprofitforprofitbasis “[Hollywood’s]
goal is the productionof goodsthat are profitable andconsumable.Itoperatestoensure its own
reproduction.(Adorno,1991), as mentioned earlier.
VonTrierinitiatedandcommercialised the ideathatthe hand-held‘cinemaverite’style couldbe
integratedinto dramaticfeature films,conveyedin 1996’s ‘Breakingthe Waves.’Conventional
directorsbegantoexplore usingthisfreshand pioneeringapproachthroughostensiblyspontaneous
filming producingfilmssuchas ‘Full Frontal’ (2002) andSpike Lee’s ‘Bamboozled’(2000).
An agitatedhandheldcamera,aseeminglyamateur,joltingeditorial technique andthe grainylook
particularonlyto that of a home-made video.A castthat buildssteadilyfromtypical,well-meaning,
social beings before relapsingintosenseless savagery,withscenesthatare prolongedand
purposefullydesignedtomake the spectatorfeel uncomfortable, asconveyedinfilmssuchas King
Lear (2000) and Festen(1998).“If the characters inthe Hollywoodstructure are the mainmotivators
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of change inthe narrative and have well definedtraits,goals,andobjectives,inthe Dogme
structure,the character's objectivesare obscure andtheirtraitsdonot have a particularfunctionin
the plot(Giralt).”
Thisis significantbecauseitpointsoutapatternin the ‘characters’inthe Dogme films,we discover
looselybasedaspectsof theirlivesbuttheirpersonalitiesdon’tholdanyimportance tothe narrative
of the respective film.Thisallowsthe narrative tobe asliberal aspossible,since there isnocause –
effectrelationshipforthe filmmakertoconcernthemselveswith.The aspectof realismiswhatmust
eventually prevail.
Thiscontrasts withHollywood’s extremelystylized,highdefinition cinemaandthe way
commercialisedfilmspresentitself well-ordered‘successionof fragmentsof imagedreality…the
orderingof imagesandtheirdurationonscreendeterminingit’simport(Fowler,2002, p58),’ since
Dogme rejectsthis style of mise-en-scene infavourof adebatablymore ‘unsightly,’perhapsless
easyto watch style of camerawork.
This style wasmetwithsome opposition giventhat“there issome provocationbecause…especially
inEurope,you as an artistshouldbe allowedtobe completelyfree(Dogme95Documentary,2000).”
However,the very significantandprincipal disparityof censorshipand self-regulationbetween
counter-cinemaandHollywood’s ownattemptstoduplicate itisfirstandforemost whatmaintains
the vast difference betweenboth“Iwill make filmsaboutwhatIwant,whenIwant…If people don’t
like it[Idioterne] Icouldn’tcare less.”
The distinctionhere is withregardstothe publicdemandandhighinvestments,commercial movies
cannot affordthe opulence of time. Anothermajordifference is the lackof ‘gatekeeping’in
Dogme95 films,where ascommercial filmingoftenpossessesahighdegree of restrictionand
control, “when,inthe processof constructingshootingandmouldingthe montage elements,we are
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selectingthe filmedfragments(Fowler,p.29)”debatably protectingitsspectatorsfromthe
truthfulnessof realism, where as Dogme filmsdonotinthe slightest.
The repercussionsreceivedbyDogme95was foreseeablesince itscontroversial featsinfilm were
boundto angerthe modernlitigiouspublic,butmany(i.e filmstudents,Europeanartfilmfollowers,
etc) alsoarguedthat while ‘itwasabouttime someone stirredupsome trouble’ (Simons,2007)
othersclaimedthatVinterberg,VonTrier andfellow filmmakerswere too indistinctregardingtheir
ownmanifesto andtheirclaimsweren’tpragmaticenough, “The Manifestorulescomprisingfilm
style prescriptionsare toomeagre toinferthe aimof perceptual realism.The emphasisison
prohibition,suchasthat of ‘special lighting’,andof optical workor filtersinpost-production.There
are a numberof rules specifyingthatfilmingmustbe done onlocation,thatthe film mustbe in
colourand that the camera mustbe hand-held,butthese alone are notenoughtoconclude that
‘filmictechniquesare regardedasthe mainobstacles tothe creationof genuine films’orthat
‘technical devicesare identifiedas cosmeticsthatcreate illusions’(Christensen 2000b) (Simmons,
p.18).”
VonTrierand VinterbergthemselvesadmittedThe Vow Of Chastity waswrittenwithinfortyfive
minutes with‘continuousburstsof merrylaughter’ signifyingthatperhaps itwasno more
momentousthanansatirical gesture anyway,simplyformingamovementforthe sake of rebellion,
rebellingwithoutcause.Othershave arguedthatDogme95claimsto workunderthe guise of
counter-cinemabutin fact, is merely bornof an exceptionally victorious publicitystunt“if youput
your filmstogetherandmake a manifesto andcall yourself ‘Free Cinema’ andmake alot of very
challengingstatements –thenof course youwrite the articlesforthem, andthey’re veryhappyto
printthem.You dotheirwork forthem (Simmons,p.13)”statingthatreportersandpublicitywill
come to you gleefullyandunreservedly.
So,then,reflectively, Itcouldbe arguedthatthe backlashthe movementreceivedwasexpected,
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possiblyevenencouraged,because withoutoppositionthereisnometa-narrative inwhichDogme95
can exist,itneedsthe bourgeoiscinematowhichitobjectsinorderforit to have meaning.
Thisis significantsinceitproposesthe question:IsDogme95 nomore or lessreal thanHollywood
itself?Iscounter-cinemaanymoreauthenticthancommercial cinema? “Dogme'sclaimthatrealityis
capturedby spontaneousacting,handheldcamera,natural lighting,directsound,jump-cutediting,
no special effects,nofilters,etc.doesnotfree the groupfroma new inventedartificiality.”Orit
couldbe arguedthat the ideaof the filmmakersearching forsense andinterestwithoutinterfering
withthe worldwe see infrontthe lensiswhat lendsDogme itsrudimentarystyle“grain,jump-cuts,
a rawnessof technique thatcrossescertainavant-garde practices(Giralt,Dogme andthe Realityof
Fiction).”
The whole affairwasbornof a chaotic scheme anyhow,amanifesto writteninunderanhourand
has proventobe largelyratherunstructured throughrigorous examination wasperhapsnot
intendedtobe takenseriously anyway,butthenperhapsitwas imperative inasocietal sense, to
persuade otherstobecome mavericksandrejectorthodoxy. Naturallylikemostproteststoaccepted
culture,Dogme95couldnot survive the postmodernworldas admittedbyVinterberg,“Itstartedas
an attemptto avoidmediocrityandtocreate energy;a riot;and itslowlybecomesacceptedand
therebydies.WhichIthinkisnatural butsad.”
In thisessayI have concludedthe waysinwhich EuropeanArtcinemahasdifferentiated,responded
and challengedthe orthodoxmode of commercial cinema.
Counter-cinemastemmed fromaneedforresourcefulness,self-determination andunrefined
insurgence againstthe culture industry, itsindividualitylieswithinthe factthatit‘devolvesagency
to the learner(Thornbury),’byembracingthe notionthatthe authoritycanbe the learner
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themselves, the factthathe or she can take charge of his or her ownart is a factor not emblematic
of Hollywood.
“Dogme'srepresentationof "reality"challengesHollywood'srealismintermsof narrative andpraxis.
Technicallyspeaking,Dogme 95interestistohighlightwhatthe average Americanfilmoverlooks”
(Bordwell,56-64).
It couldbe arguedthat proposingrebellionthroughadifferentsetof rulesiseithertremendously
hypocritical orextreme individualistbrilliance,anditcannotbe doubtedthatDogme95 at the very
leastwas in some way inspirational.
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Bibliography
- Fowler,Catherine- The EuropeanCinemaReader,2002 (Routledge;18 July2002)
- Cook,Pamand Bernink, Mieke –The CinemaBook,2007 ( BFI Publishing;3rdRevisededition
edition;3Jan. 2008)
- Simons,Jan – Playingthe Waves:Lars VonTrier’sGame Cinema,2007 ( AmsterdamUniversity
Press;1 edition;9 Feb.2014)
- O’Sickey,IngeborgMajer- TriangulatedVisions:WomeninRecentGermanCinema,1998 (State
Universityof NewYorkPress;9 April 1998)
- Kelly,RichardT. – The Name Of ThisBook Is Dogme95 – 2000 (Faber& FaberFilm5 May 2011)
- Adorno,Theodor– The Culture Industry – 1991 (Routledge;2edition - 17 May 2001)
Webography
http://www.dogme95.dk/dogme-films/ (A listof the Dogme Films)
http://www.filmsite.org/90sintro.html(A Historyof filmfromthe 60’s – 90’s)
http://www.oberhausener-manifest.com/en/ (Interview withJuttaBruckner)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxlDm1eWssU(LarsVonTrierInterview)
http://www.annekesmelik.nl/TheCinemaBook.pdf (A sectiononFeministTheory)
http://www.kinema.uwaterloo.ca/article.php?id=110& (Giralt,Dogme,andthe realityof Fiction)
http://cim.anadolu.edu.tr/pdf/2004/1130847209.pdf
http://pov.imv.au.dk/Issue_10/section_4/artc2A.html
https://thedissolve.com/features/exposition/999-what-dogme-95-did-for-women-directors/ (Judy
Berman,What Dogme95 didfor WomenDirectors)
http://uffilmanalysisfour.pbworks.com/w/page/7284595/FAQ%20about%20DOGME%2095%20Films
(ThomasVinterberganswersquestionsaboutDogme95)
