Dogme ’95 and Danish Cinema

I must say, of all the readings thus far in the course, Scott Mackenzie’s piece Film Manifestos and Global Cinema Cultures: A Critical Anthology has been of great interest to me, particularly the section regarding the Dogme ’95 film manifesto formulated by acclaimed (and controversial) Danish directors Lars Von Trier (The Idiots, Dogville, Melancholia) and Thomas Vinterberg (The Celebraton, The Hunt).

I found the idea of removing any attention to aesthetic or “superficial action” (as listed in the Dogme ’95 film manifesto), with a sole focus on story and characters very refreshing and even fun. Seeing these filmmakers given the challenge of creating films that work strictly within the constraints of the manifesto almost feels like a competition of sorts, making it especially exciting and adding an element of curiosity when viewing these Dogme films.

The first Dogme ’95 film produced: The Celebration (Festen), I had discovered over the past summer during a brief phase of exploration through Danish cinema. This all started after a good friend of mine introduced me to Nicolas Winding Refn’s first Pusher film. Like Pusher however, most of the Danish films I had seen thus far bared no association with the Dogme ‘95 manifesto (to which I had no knowledge of at the time).

When I first watched The Celebration, the lack of any aesthetic consideration and the handheld style of the film was thought of by me as nothing more than simply the limitations of a low budget, especially when juxtaposed with Vinterberg’s other major work The Hunt (which does not follow the guidelines of the Dogme ’95 manifesto). However, I recently had the privilege of watching the film for a second time in class, only now contextualized by my new knowledge of the Dogme ’95 manifesto, making it nearly feel like a new experience…

Watching The Celebration again (now within the context of the Dogme 95 manifesto), I found it to be quite inspiring just getting to see what they were able to accomplish story-wise within the constraints of the manifesto. While The Celebration has garnered worldwide praise over the years, there was never another Dogme ’95 as universally well received and the movement eventually faded out, but was never forgotten.

Scott Mackenzie, “Section 2: National and Transnational Cinemas” in Film Manifestos and Global Cinema Cultures.” Los Angeles: University of California Press, 2014: 109-111.

Lars Von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg, “Dogme ’95 Manifesto and Vow of Chastity” in Film Manifestos and Global Cinema Cultures.” Los Angeles: University of California Press, 2014: 201-202.