MANDERLAY — * 1/2 — Bryce Dallas Howard, Danny Glover; narrated by John Hurt; not rated, probable R (sex, nudity, racial epithets, vulgarity, violence, mild profanity, brief gore).
"Manderlay" improves on 2003's "Dogville" in only one respect: At 133 minutes, it's nearly an hour shorter than its three-hour predecessor.
This already controversial drama is yet another anti-American screed from Danish filmmaker Lars von Trier, who's become more than a little tiresome with all his cinematic bashing of the United States and its political policies. (In addition to those two films, he also wrote the accusatory "Dear Wendy," which supposedly examined the U.S. obsession with guns and violence.)
This time around von Triers examines race relations. Bryce Dallas Howard replaces Nicole Kidman in the role of Grace, a young woman of privilege who's wandering around the country, experiencing various forms of prejudice and intolerance.
Having escaped from the narrow-minded community of Dogville, she now finds herself in the southern city of Manderlay, in the company of slaves. The Manderlay residents don't really trust her, though given the way she arrives you really can't blame them. But that doesn't stop her from trying to improve their lives and trying to free them from slavery.
To call the film stagy is putting it mildly. Aside from the credits sequences, all the action takes place on a sound stage, with minimal sets and furniture. (One of the founders of the no-frills "Dogme" filmmaking movement, von Triers eschews special effects and post-production gimmickry).
The filmmaker also has actor John Hurt serve as the film's "voice," though a patronizing narration style doesn't help make von Triers' pointed observations any more effective.
As for Howard, the daughter of filmmaker Ron Howard, she doesn't embarrass herself with her performance, but the rather exploitative sex scenes are embarrassing and certainly leave nothing to the imagination.
"Manderlay" is not rated but would probably receive an R for a fairly graphic scene of simulated sex (as well as other sexual contact), full female nudity and brief partial male nudity, use of racial epithets, crude sexual talk, violence (a shooting and some forms of punishment), scattered use of mild profanity (mostly religiously based), and some brief gore. Running time: 133 minutes.
E-mail: jeff@desnews.com