Dogme 95
In 1995 a school of filmmakers in Denmark set out to make a new movement. The movement was to be an opposition to mainstream Hollywood films and the kinds of films that are influenced by the Hollywood system. The two foremost responsible for the movement were Lars Von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg. The name Dogme 95 was given to the movement, and it has proven to be one of the more important movements in recent film history.
The first thing the group did was write the Dogme Manifesto. They attack the French New Wave saying the year 1960 was enough. They claim the authorship theories created by the founders of the New Wave was nothing more than bourgeois romanticism and therefore not true. They exclaim that Dogme 95 is not about the individual.
The Manifesto then talks about how technological film has gotten. They embrace the digital revolution because it means that anyone can make a film. Many Dogme films to this day are shot on DVCAM because it best works with the rules set out by the group. They also looked down on technology for making films more extravagant and showy. The Dogme group never wanted their films to be like that. They never wanted their films to “be an illusion.”
So how would one get a film the way they wanted it to be? Simple, they came up with the Vow of Chastity. The Vow contains ten rules. Each of the rules must be followed for a film to be considered a Dogme film. If all the rules are followed then the filmmaker receives a certificate signed by Vinterberg and Von Trier. Many Dogme films show this certificate at the start of the film.
The rules are fairly simple. Shooting must be done on location, with no props bring brought to the location. No dubbed soundtrack of any kind. Handheld camera work only, no tripods or dollys can be used. The film must be shot in color. Use of optical work and filters are not allowed. No superficial action can take place within the film. Temporal and geographical alienation are not allowed. Genre films are not allowed. The film must be shot with a 35mm lens. And lastly, the director must not get any credit on screen. Following these ten rules are all one needs to make a Dogme film.
Vinterberg directed the first Dogme film, The Celebration. The second, The Idiots, was directed by Von Trier. Neither has directed another Dogme film since. As of now there are twenty-five films that have received the certificate. These films come from several different countries including, the United States, France, Spain, Argentina, Norway and Italy among others.
The rules set out by the group must be followed. However, a problem arises. One of the rules is that no genre films can be made. But by implying all of these rules a certain new genre is made with every Dogme film. There are only so many kinds of films that can be made within these guidelines. Many of the films are intense dramas. Others are lighthearted romance films or screwball comedies. There is not much else.
There is a certain heart to the Dogme movement. It shows the skills of the filmmaker and the screenwriter. And it is impossible to produce a good Dogme film without good actors. Some of the performances in Dogme films are mind-blowing. The films have a more theatrical feeling to them because of the way the rules are set out. They allow for capturing the accidental and using it as art. This is a film version of modern art in many ways. It is most certainly high art, if nothing else.
Dogme is like freestyle filmmaking. The handheld work is freeing for the director and camera operator to play with things in different ways. In addition shaky camera work gives a documentary feeling to the film, which in turn brings the audience into the story on a much deeper level. Even in shooting there is a more documentary or lively feeling. Although the Vow is restricting, is a way it is also a release for the filmmaker. It is also a challenge.
Many people think the Dogme group is just out to make a name for them selves. This may be true, but it does not take away from what they have done to the film world. Before Dogme came around there was not a significant film movement for some time. The impact it has had on film has been excellent.
The Dogme group does not even take them selves too seriously. No one has ever made more than one Dogme film. It is not like a rule to live by forever. It is simply a way to make film that has a very deep meaning to the medium. Of course they know how famous they have become and that the world now looks to them. That does not make their accomplishments any less.
Lars Von Trier gets the most credit for Dogme. This is probably because he has had the most international success, with his films like Breaking the Waves and Dancer in the Dark. Both of those films carry elements of Dogme in them. Von Trier has not returned to the old way of filmmaking just yet. He is still experimenting with things. Especially his camera works, both of those films are mostly hand held camera work. Which add to the films emotional blows. One Dogme rule that Von Trier does not seem too interested in any more is no credit to the director. At the start of Dancer in the Dark when the overture ends, the title is only over shadowed by Von Trier’s name in huge letters.
Few Dogme films get large distribution but still the movement is important. It opened new venues for new and old filmmakers alike. Sometimes it seems like everything has been done, and it is so refreshing when something new comes along. Dogme 95 was one of those refreshing breaths of fresh air that the film world so desperately needs.
Written by David Bohnert
Copyright 2004.