Worst musical (in your opinion)

Worst musical (in your opinion) May 26, 2019 10:44:16 GMT

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Post by Toasted Cheese on May 26, 2019 10:44:16 GMT

May 26, 2019 10:29:06 GMT dirtypillows said:

May 26, 2019 6:11:10 GMT Toasted Cheese said:

Lars Von Trier's films are not everyone's cup of tea and I have seen a few. I love Dancer In The Dark Mr. Dirty. And while I agree with your critique of the Bjork's character from an objective perspective regarding her character's dumbness, I also emotionally connect with her character and story and why she did what she did.

The film does appear to be biased, milking sentiment for the sympathetic factor for Selma, as in lets make her naive and innocent and sweet and see her getting swallowed whole by the hungry and deceiving wolves, who are just stereotypes and caricatures. The film is flawed in this respect. That said, with the recent discussion you started about the death penalty and wrongly accused—though in this case, Selma was wrongly convicted with a harsh murder charge, when it was more like manslaughter—I find it makes a very strong case point against capital punishment and that was its agenda.

I don't even see the film as a musical and I am by no means a Bjork fan. I like what was done with the music here, which really plays second fiddle to the drama. Selma was technically and legally blind, her only real escape and enjoyment was in movie musicals and her kind and concerned friend Kathy narrated them for her. I loved how Selma was able to escape into her own musical world of her own devices, with her honed hearing for the sounds around her and creating her own illusion before she is transported back to the harsh existence of her own meager reality. She made the ultimate sacrifice so her boy could live a life with sight and that was her first and foremost concern. This films touches me deeply and I was so shocked by the ending the first time I saw it and tears were streaming down my cheeks. As the tagline of the film decries Mr. Dirty....You don't need eyes to see.

I saw the film only once. So, a second viewing might bring forth a new perspective. Her death scene was horrifying, there is no getting around that. And the plot, well, you made it sound more interesting than I did. And I know her son was the most important thing in her life, but didn't she also kind of screw that up for him by her badly informed choices? I don't know if I will see it again or not. I remember it was extremely depressing. And I didn't like "Breaking the Waves", for its extreme bleakness.

I guess it must be Bjork herself, with her trademark sound that sounds like nails on a chalkboard being the thing I remember the most. The two girls I was with were crying by the end, too.

I quite liked the sound of the score Bjork composed for the film and the songs were abstract different in her own unique style. I just feel it worked all so well and I don't think her character was capable of making the decisions that we might see as common sense. Selma was really not of this earth and more pure and that was part of the point. Breaking The Waves was bleak, but Emily Watson was fascinating and kept me intrigued and similar with her character as well.

I have seen DITD a few times and own two copies on dvd.