Dogma 95

I find Von Trier’s idea of what cinema should be very refreshing.  I get tired of flashy Hollywood films that are only made to rake in cash.  The stories are usually completely lost in the visual effects and bad acting.  Stories can be told simply and without all of the packaging that most films seem to have.

            These dogma 95 films have a documentary feel to them, although I recognized several of the actors in Julien Donkey-Boy, I felt they portrayed their characters very realistically.  However there is one part of the manifesto I’m not sure I agree with.  It says, “The “supreme” task of the decadent film-makers is to fool the audience.  Is that what we are so proud of?  Is that what the “100years” have brought us?  Illusions via which emotions can be communicated?”  Isn’t that what artists’ do though?  According to Plato, artists are deceivers.  So why can’t film be deceiving?  The act of looking at a flat image on a screen is itself a deception.

            Other than the whole “illusion” thing, I am really interested in this type of filmmaking.  I feel like The Vow of Chastity is great.  It’s like a set of basic rules you must follow and I feel like all art needs rules, otherwise it is untrained and ignorant.  It’s like breaking things down to its simplest form before exploring them to their fullest potential.