[lbo-talk] Dogville: God Doesn't Bless America

[Yoshie Furuhashi]

>But as a critique of Christianity and his meek sacrifice on the 
>cross, it's brilliant and thought-provoking, especially in a time of 
>the Last Passion of the Christ.
>
>I was stunned at how few reviewers discussed the clear allegory of 
>the Kidman character as Christ, how at first she goes along 
>passively with all the abuse she gets, including HAVING TO DRAG A 
>LARGE OBJECT AROUND, and then is ready to forgive them all when her 
>"Father" shows up to rescue her, but instead reconsiders it and 
>takes revenge.
>
>Which considering the whole Rapture and destruction of unbelievers 
>sentiment in much of modern fundamentalism, it's an interesting 
>chord to hit.
>
>Nathan

This being a presidential election year, I'm happy to find something 
on which I agree with Nathan: Lars von Trier is not a realist but an 
allegorist.

The message of Dogville (Dir. Lars von Trier, 2003) is simple and 
stark: God Doesn't Bless America.

When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels 
with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before 
him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one 
from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he 
shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed 
of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the 
foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I 
was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me 
in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in 
prison, and ye came unto me.

Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee 
an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw 
we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or 
when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King 
shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye 
have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done 
it unto me.

Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye 
cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: 
For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye 
gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and 
ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.

Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an 
hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, 
and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, 
Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least 
of these, ye did it not to me.

And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the 
righteous into life eternal. (Matt. 25:31-46)

Lars von Trier has been occasionally criticized as misogynist, given 
his predilection for the spectacle of female suffering: the Emily 
Watson character in Breaking the Waves, the Björk character in Dancer 
in the Dark. Nicole Kidman, being a bigger star than Watson and 
Björk, manages to appear untouched by the degradations inflicted upon 
her character, which is in keeping with her character's allegorical 
role.

<http://montages.blogspot.com/2004/06/message-of-dogville-dir.html>
-- 
Yoshie

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