with kidman put through as much suffering as the heroines of dancer in the dark and breaking the waves, the new usa trilogy clearly distances itself from the golden hearted trilogy with kidman in the end turning into an old testament avenging angel, no longer turning the other cheek a la the new testament, but raining down her wrath on those who have done her wrong. it is this biblical split - between old and new testaments - that is at the heart of the film, and which makes dogville's story a universal one and the anti-american critics seem more blind than mckay.
taking the split between the god of the old testament and the god of the new testament as the centre of the film, james caan plays the old testament god (father), while nicole kidman (grace) plays the part of jesus. the people of dogville, into which she has been cast, are given a biblical test. biblical allusions abound, not least in the chain around grace's neck which leaves her looking like christ climbing up to calvary as she pulls the wheel the chain is attached to around the town. when the townspeople fail the test set them (playing out enroute the seven deadly sins), the vengeful god of the old testament turns up and offers his daughter a simple choice: vengeance or continuing to turn the other cheek. the film's subtlety - and it is subtle - comes in the fact that grace must admit that such vengeance is an act of arrogance - so even when you're rooting for her to exact some form of revenge on the town's folk, you're rooting for arrogance. try reconciling those two ideas in your head on the bus home and see how far you get.
taking the split between the god of the old testament and the god of the new testament as the centre of the film, james caan plays the old testament god (father), while nicole kidman (grace) plays the part of jesus. the people of dogville, into which she has been cast, are given a biblical test. biblical allusions abound, not least in the chain around grace's neck which leaves her looking like christ climbing up to calvary as she pulls the wheel the chain is attached to around the town. when the townspeople fail the test set them (playing out enroute the seven deadly sins), the vengeful god of the old testament turns up and offers his daughter a simple choice: vengeance or continuing to turn the other cheek. the film's subtlety - and it is subtle - comes in the fact that grace must admit that such vengeance is an act of arrogance - so even when you're rooting for her to exact some form of revenge on the town's folk, you're rooting for arrogance. try reconciling those two ideas in your head on the bus home and see how far you get.
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