Voila! Finally, the Dogville
script is here for all you quotes spouting fans of the movie directed by Lars Von Trier and
starring Nicole Kidman, Lauren Bacall, James Caan, Paul Bettany, Patricia
Clarkson, yadda yadda. This script is a transcript that was painstakingly
transcribed using the screenplay and/or viewings of Dogville. I know, I know, I still need to get the cast names in there and I'll be eternally
tweaking it, so if you have any corrections, feel free to
drop me a line. You won't
hurt my feelings. Honest.
This is the sad tale of
the township of Dogville
Dogville was in the Rocky Mountains
in the US of A
Up here where the road
came to its definitive end
near the entrance to the old
abandoned silver mine
The residents of Dogville
were good
honest folks and
they liked their township
And while a sentimental soul
from the East Coast had once dubbed
their main street ELM STREET
though no elm tree had ever
cast its shadow in Dogville
they saw no reason
to change anything
Most of the buildings were
pretty wretched
more like shacks, frankly
The house in which Tom
lived was the best, though
and in good times might almost
have passed for presentable
That afternoon
the radio was playing softly
for in his dotage
Thomas Edison Senior
had developed a weakness
for music of the lighter kind
Ladies & Gentlemen...
the President of the United States
Tom, do me a favor will you?
The radio?!
Just because the music's over
and you might risk hearing
something useful?
l thought that's why
we have the radio?
Well, l need a rest, as you know
Mock me if you like
Tom's father had been a doctor
and now received a modest pension
so it was no great disaster
for Tom to drift about
not doing anything in particular
Tom was a writer...
at any rate by his own lights
Oh, his output as committed to paper
was so far limited to the words
great and ''small''
followed by a question mark
But nevertheless
meticulously archived in one of
his many bureau drawers
Bye, Dad
Evening Master Tom
Good evening, Master Olivia
Hey, don't forget
about the meeting tomorrow
Noooo
ln order to postpone the time at
which he would have to
put pen to paper in earnest
Tom had now come up with a series
of meetings on moral rearmament
with which he felt obliged
to benefit the town
- Hi kids
- Hi Tom
Good evening Chuck
Will we see you
at the meeting tomorrow?
Well l could do without your lectures
You know Vera
Wouldn't give me
a moment's peace till l said yes
Who gave Moses that bone?
lt's still got meat on it
Jason did
Jason gave that mutt
a bone with meat on it?
When did we last see meat?
Next time you waste good food
l'll take your knife away
l would of known it was
you give'n meat to eat
Moses was meant to be hungry!
Too keep watch
Keep watch in Dogville?
What's there to steal?
These are wicked times, Tom Edison
Soon there'll be folks by
with even less than us
lndeed ...
Tom was busy enough,
even though formally speaking
not yet busy with writing a piece
And if a body found it hard to grasp
what profession he was busy at
he'd merely reply ''mining''
For although he did not blast
his way through rock
he blasted through
what was even harder ...
namely the human soul ...
right into where it glistered!
- Hey, Martha
- Hello, Tom
Listen, there all comin' so you
just have those benches ready
Yes, they're ready
Oh, but Tom, l repeat
if you need to use my organ
l got to get special permission
from the regional director, Tom
Martha, and l repeat
we don't need the organ
We can be spiritual without
singing or reading from the Bible
lt's almost seven
don't forget your bell now
l imagine that'll do, Ma Ginger
l don't think it's good for the soil
with all the raking and hoeing
lt's the soil
that gave life to us all
Don't give me any of your lip
Thomas Edison Jr.
l'll hoe as l darn well please!
Yeah, and spoil the whole thing!
l agree with Tom
Yeah, well he likes eating
my pies don't you
Well they're tasty
no doubt about it
Yeah, so when it comes to hoeing
who's right Tom, you or me?
l'm not so sure it's that simple
He's got you there Ginger
You can not resist, can you Gloria?
Hey Ben, l'll get the doors!
l'll be fine Tom!
Are there any news
from the freight industry?
ls everything going to hell
there too?
Don't poke fun
at the freight industry
lt was seven o'clock precisely
as Martha chimed the hour
And Tom was due to play checkers
with his childhood friend Bill Henson
Bill was dumb and knew it
Far too dumb to qualify
as an engineer
he was certainly sure of that
After listening for a while to
the piledriver down the valley that
Ben insisted was working on
the foundation of a new penitentiary
Tom headed for the Henson home
in order to inflict upon Bill
yet another humiliating
defeat at checkers
Some folks might say the opportunity
to meet Bill's older sister
Liz was more of a draw than
the checkerboard
and they might be right
lt was a fact that in
the Henson home lay another horizon
A horizon just as alluring
as the one beyond the valley
A horizon bound by Liz Henson's
luscious curves
A sweet, painful, seductive abyss
- Hey Liz
- Hey Tom
Must you come by
every single day?
Huh!? lt'd be a lot more fun if someone
interesting appeared for a change
You know l really am so lonesome
in this town
The moment my fiancee writes that
he's gotten thatjob in Bolder, l'm off
Then the whole lot of you will have to
find some other girls skirts to peek up
ls uh, Bill in?
Well, isn't he always?
He studies and l help out
with the glasses
Even though everybody knows that
l'm the clever one
- Hey Mrs. Henson
- Good evening Tom
Checkers time, Bill ol' Buddy
Was that?
You didn't hear the bell?
As usual Bill tried to fake
his way around actually playing
He had not yet fully comprehended
this meeting business, he claimed
Maybe you should
just let them be?
l don't think so...l...l...
What if they're just fine...
as they are
You think they're fine?
l don't think so l think there is a lot
this country has forgotten
l just try and refresh folks memory
by way of illustration
So...so the illustration for tomorrow?
l don't know
See if the people of Dogville have
a problem with the acceptance
what they really need is
something for them to accept
something tangible
like a gift
Why in the heck would
someone up and give us a gift?
l don't know
l'm gonna have to do some thinking
Wait wait...the...
we're missing a piece
We won't be able to play
My mind is sharp tonight
'Night, Bill
Despite considerable effort
on his part to prolong things
Tom had achieved the triumph
at the checkerboard pretty quickly
lt had started to rain and the wind
had become a regular gale
when Tom strolled home
through Elm Street
lf Tom were to prove that the citizens
of Dogville had a problem receiving
in his lecture the next day
he sorely lacked an illustration
a gift...
Bill might have been right
it hadn't exactly rained gifts on
this particular township
There was no doubt in his mind
They were gun shots
The pile driver in the marshes
didn't sound like that at all
The shots had come from down
in the valley
or perhaps from Canyon Road some
place in the direction of Georgetown
He listened for more shots for ages
But they were not repeated
A tad disappointed
Tom sat down
on the old lady's bench to think
To hang onto the feeling
of danger for a moment
But it wasn't long before his thoughts
were back on his favorite subjects again
and in the midst of the storm
they metamorphosed into articles
and novels and great gatherings
that'd listen in silence to Tom after
the publication of yet another volume
that scourged
and purged the human soul
And he saw men- and among
them even other writers-
throw their arms round one another
as through his words
life had opened up for them anew
lt hadn't been easy
But by his diligence and application
to narrative and drama
his message had gotten through
And asked about his technique
he would have to say but one word
lllustration
Tom could have spent another
half hour or more on the bench
but another unusual noise roused him
lt was Moses barking
Oh, that wasn't unusual in itself
but it was the way
he barked that was new
His barking was not loud
but more of a snarl
as if the danger was quite
close at hand
and not merely a passing
raccoon or fox
As if the dog were standing face to face
with a force to be taken seriously
Hey Lady!
l wouldn't go up there if l were you
l know the mountain well
l doubt if l'd get away
with my life
lt's a very nasty drop
ls there another way?
Yeah
Where?
Back down the way you came from
Back down to Georgetown
Why do you need to get out
of the mountain?
Did you have anything to do
with those gunshots?
Help me
- help me please!
- You can hide in the mine
ln there!
Hey where's this road headed to?
No where, it's a dead end
if you want to pass
turn around go back
by way of Georgetown
this place
it's called Dogville
Dogville? Well it figures
it's a stupid name
if l ever heard one
Hey we're look'n for somebody...
Oh really, who might that be?
My boss wants to talk to ya
- Young man
- Yes Sir
l'm looking for a girl
She may have made her way
to your town in her confusion
l don't want any harm to come to her
you see she's very precious to me
Well Sir, uh nobody's been
through Dogville recently...
Moses would have barked
He's very suspicious of strangers
Ah ha...that's very wise of Moses
Please take my card
and if perhaps
you see a stranger
give me a call
l am in a position to offer
a considerable reward
Yes, sir, thank you...
Uh...say was it you
that fired those shots?
Well they're gone
You want to come out now?
You want a cup of coffee
before you go mountain climbing?
That would be nice
The beautiful fugitive's name
was Grace
She hadn't chosen
Dogville from a map
or sought out the township
for a visit
Yet Tom felt right away
that she belonged
Shall l take the bone?
She could have kept her
vulnerability to herself
but she had elected
to give herself up to him at random
As...Yes...a gift
Generous, very generous
thought Tom
You want to eat?
- You must be hungry?
- l can't
l don't deserve that bread!
l stole that bone
l haven't stolen anything before
So now, now l have to punish myself
l was raised to be arrogant
So l had to teach myself these things
Well, it may be best
for your education
Grace, in this town...
in these times
it's very impolite not to eat
what's set before you
l'm so sorry
Who were the men in the car?
Why would they want
to hurt you?
The man in the back of the car
he's the boss
l saw his face
He gave me his telephone number
Told me to call if l saw you
l'm sure he'd offer you a big reward
if you told him where l was
Yeah
Where's you're family?
l don't have a family
All l had was a father
But those gangsters
took him away from me
What if l said
you could stay here?
Here?
But even if you meant it
it's impossible
lt's a very small town
l have to hide
- People will ask questions
- Well, it might not matter
Not if they all wanted
to help you too
Are you saying that
everybody in this town is like you?
They're good people
You know, they're honest people
They've all been in need themselves
They might well turn you down, but
l think it would be worth
the trouble to ask
But l got nothing
to offer them in return
No l think you have
plenty to offer Dogville
To call the mood of
the audience at
Tom's morale lecture
in the mission house
the next day ''enthusiastic'' would
have been going too far
But they had come
And Tom had launched
himself fearlessly
into his endeavor to illustrate
the human problem
To receive
The subject was obvious
But quite dreadfully ill-considered
by this young man
To compensate
for his lack of preparation
Tom made diligent use of
his technique of lashing out
somewhat haphazardly
in all directions
His father peered around
covertly to gauge the mood
and sensing that the assembly
was not entirely happy
with this rather direct criticism
he decided to forestall any protests
Now l'm sure that
you wish us well Tom
But um of any town
l believe this one has
a very fine sense of community
Living side by side
we all know one another
l'm a pretty fairjudge of
character myself
Honestly, Tom, you've done it again
Made us come here
to listen to a lot of nonsense
What do you think you are
some kind of philosopher?
Observant, that's what l am
Lazy, l would say
We shovel snow together
We shovel snow together?
Yeah
Every household clears
their own front walk
Yeah, l gotta allow that
Tom's right on that
lf roads don't get cleared properly...
l'm sorry Tom
you're going to have to
come up with something
better then that
The whole country
would be better served
with a greater attitude of openness
and acceptance
You're not suggesting that
we all wouldn't
help out if someone needed help
No that's not the point
that's not the point
We care for human beings up here
We would probably never find out
Since nobody seems to
want to admit that there's a problem
Let me illustrate
Now l'm not going to use something
that's already happened
l'm going to use something
that's just about to happen
And, after providing a quick summary
of the events of the previous evening
to the astonished people of Dogville
Tom went down to the mine to retrieve
the fugitive from her hideaway
Allow me to introduce Grace
Grace these are
the citizens of Dogville
Hello
Tom has told us about
your predicament, miss
l really don't want to put
any of you in jeopardy
Why don't you just go to the police
they can take care of gangsters!
lt's theirjob
l, l don't know
if that's such a good idea
The transportation
business would uh...
Ben!
These men, they have
powerful connections
Even with the police
Do you think we should give
sanctuary to a fugitive?
A fugitive that gangsters
wanna get a hold of
That would put us in pretty pickle
Easy Claire...
think of your asthma
Dogville is a good place to hide
that's for certain
Exactly the only way up here
is Canyon road
That could easily be watched by
Ma Ginger's- excuse me-
nosey cousin who
lives only yards
from the turn off
She has a telephone
Martha you could ring the bell
tell the town if people were coming
But Tom, l chime the hours
what if people get confused
with all the ringing?
Come now Martha, surely
we can use our old bell to save a life
if need be
Why should we?
Because we care, Chuck
We care for other human beings
No, that ain't what l mean
How do we know that this woman
is telling us the truth?
Maybe these gangsters
did shoot at her
but that don't make her
somebody to be trusted
He is right
Why would you trust me?
l trust you!
Tom, we're not gangsters
We mind our own business
we don't ask nothin' from nobody
So at last you admit it!
lf only there where some way
we wouldn't doubt
the young lady's word
Some way to know her
Then l think we would
all ignore the risk
But there is a way!
You said it yourself
By living side by side with her
Dad, you are such a
fine judge of character
How long would it take
a good man like you, to unmask her?
A week? Maybe two?
Surely we can offer her two weeks!
And if after that time
so much as one man cries out
BE GONE! l promise
l'll happily send her packing myself
Well, if Master Tom think
this is right for us, and
for the community,
then that will do for me
He might be young
but his heart is right
And l've known his heart
for as long as it's been beating
No more words were spoken
at the town meeting in the mission house
But it had been decided
they all felt, that the fugitive
would be given two weeks
And they would all be able to
look at themselves in the mirror
and know that they had done
what they could
indeed, and perhaps more than
most people would have done
So that very afternoon Tom took Grace
on a stroll down Elm street
to introduce her to the town
''he loved''
Well, This is were
Olivia and June live
June is a cripple...
They live here as a token of
my dad's broadmindedness
Chuck and Vera have seven children
and they hate each other
Next door we have the Hensons
They make a living from
grinding edges off
cheap glasses to try to make them
look expensive
And here we have Jack Mckay
Now, Jack Mckay is blind and
the whole town knows it
But he thinks he can hide it by
never leaving his house
ln the old stable Ben keeps his truck
He drinks
And he visits the whorehouse
once a month
and he is ashamed of it
Martha she runs the mission house
until the new preacher comes
which will just never happen
That leaves Ma Ginger and Gloria
They run this really expensive store
where they exploit the fact
that nobody leaves town
Used to leave to go vote, but
since they put on the registration fee
about a day's wage for these people
they don't feel
the democratic need anymore
Those awful figurines say
more about the people in this town
than many words
lf this is the town
that you love
then you really have
a strange way of showing it
All l see is
a beautiful little town in
the midst of magnificent mountains
A place where people have
hopes and dreams
even under the hardest conditions
And seven figurines
that are not awful at all
Calling Dogville beautiful
was original at least
Grace was just casting one more
look at the figurines she herself
would have dismissed
as tasteless a few days earlier
when she suddenly sensed
what would best
have been described
as a tiny change of light
over Dogville
They are keeping an eye on you
lf you love them already
they might need a little persuading
You've got two weeks
to get them to accept you
You make it sound like
we are playing a game
lt is
We are
lsn't saving your life
worth at little game?
What do you want me to do?
Do you mind physical labor?
No!
Dogville has offered you two weeks
Now you offer them...
The next day was
a beautiful day in Dogville
The tender leaves on
Ma Gingers's gooseberry bushes
were unfurling despite wise
Tom's misgivings as regards
her gardening methods
But more than that
this first day of spring
had also been picked to be
Grace's first ever day of work
The day in which she was to
set off around Dogville
and offer herself one hour per
household per day
Excuse me
l would like to offer you my help...
if there is anything that you need?
A carburetor that don't leak...
alright here, let me take that
Maybe l could help
around your home?
l don't really have a home, Miss
Just the garage
l'm in the freight business
The road is my home!
l'm ready, good morning!
Miss Olivia has got a home
She is looking to help out
in somebody's home
A cleanin' lady for a cleanin' lady?
You be talkin' nonsense
Mister Ben!
Have a good day!
Alright, see ya later on!
And off Ben went to Georgetown
with
the weekly shipment
of glasses that
Mr. Henson had so laboriously
cleansed with
his polisher of any trace of
their cheap manufacture
So Grace turned into the alley
which went by the exotic name
Glunen Street
to knock on the door of the blind
but only too vain-man
Yes?
Good morning Mr. McKay
My name is Grace
l was wondering if there is
anything l can do for you?
Oh, that's very kind of you
Grace, but...
l was thinking that perhaps
because of
the situation that you are in
What situation am l in?
Hmm...Well you are...
you are on your own
Oh, l have been on my own
for so long
Anything, that you might need?
l'm sorry!
Have you ever noticed
the wooden spire
on the roof of the mission house?
At o'clock in the afternoon
it points a shadow
at Ginger's grocery store
right at the O in OPEN
on the sign in the window
Maybe it is telling people that
it is time to go shopping for supper
Goodbye, Mr. McKay
Goodbye, Grace!
Grace's interview with Jack McKay
proved sadly symptomatic
of the attitude in Dogville
Reserved but friendly
not without curiosity
Only Jack had expressed his ''no''
concisely and precisely
Martha needed a monologue almost
an hour long to arrive
at the same conclusion
Oh my goodness...l,
l...l'd have to think of
work for you to do
because l have barely
enough work myself
So not very much later
Grace had ended up
next to Ma Ginger's
gooseberry bushes,
in a mood that was
not particularly good
She could not tell
a gooseberry bush from a cactus
but the meticulous order
in the yard appealed to her
such as the metal chains
placed there in order to shield
the second and third bushes
lest anybody decided to
make use of the deplorably
time- honored shortcut
to the old lady's bench
Grace pulled herself together
and headed towards the store
Hello!
Hello, we don't need any help
here either l told that to Tom
Wow, it doesn't matter anyway
because there is nothing l can do
l have never worked
a day in my life, so...
You know, if you put some aloe
on those hands of yours
they'll be better by the morning
lt's the wood shavings
l really do hate them
But l do believe
l'll take your advice
Your hands are surely the most
alabaster hands l've ever seen
Here comes Tom
How lucky we are...
- Hi all, Will.../- Hello Tom
- Grace, How is all going?
- Not very well l'm afraid
- Really?
No, nobody needs any help
Well, l thought
that might be the case
His plan to make everybody like me
has run in to a few problems
because nobody wants me
to work for them
l would really like
to offer something in return
You're all running
a terrible risk having me here
l mean, l am willing to learn
There must be someone
who needs help
Mr. McKay's sight is not so good
Yes, l went to Mr. McKay
l went to Martha
and to Chuck and Vera's,
and nobody seems
to need any help
They all think
everyone else needs something
and not themselves
Funny, that's exactly
what Tom said
l suppose he's pleased
- Well...
- Just to prove him wrong
maybe you can lend a hand here!
But Ginger, there really isn't
anything we need done
Perhaps there's something
you don't need done?
Anything we don't need done?
Something...
something that you would like done
but that you don't think is necessary
What on earth would that be?
Maybe... maybe
the gooseberry bushes
The gooseberries are just fine
thank you very much
No, not yours
The ones that planted
themselves in the tall grass
We don't grow anything there
Exactly
A bit of tidying up
Who knows, those bushes
might one day bear fruit
Yeah, that's true, that's true
Who knows
All right, girl
Those alabaster hands of yours are
hereby engaged to weed
the wild gooseberry bushes
Thank you!
Around...like this, you see
Anything to close them...
just be careful, that's all
After a few of the wild little gooseberry
bushes had given up the ghost
in the care of Grace's, as yet
unpracticed alabaster hands
things began looking up
with the weeding
and the town
ln fact, it turned out
there were not so few things that
the other townsfolk of Dogville
didn't need doing either
As Ben had no home
Grace's domestic experiments
were absolutely things he didn't need
but he put up with them anyhow
appearing with astonishing punctuality
when the act of domesticity
had been completed
no matter how unpredictable
business hours
in the freight industry
might otherwise have been
as hitherto
they had coped splendidly
with Olivia's excellent
diaper arrangement
lf Jack Mckay had needed
a partner for conversation
he would surely have gone out and
gotten one for himself in the town
So it was not out of need
that he allowed Grace
to sit with him
in his dark parlor
with the dramatic drapes on
one wall for lengthy
discussions regarding
the underestimated qualities
of the light on the East Coast
As Martha wouldn't dream
of burdening the parish with wear
and tear of the pedals and bellows
while waiting for the new priest
to be appointed
she practiced without
a note ever leaving the organ
and was therefore not really
in need of anyone to turn her pages
And God knows that
Mr. and Mrs. Henson's son
did not need any help with his books
and that the family had taken
Grace in for her own sake
And although Liz's hands had improved
through Grace's good counsel
Thomas Edison was a doctor
and of indisputable health
and he did not need care,
or help with the pills from the medicine
closet with its many secrets
Actually Chuck was the only one
''not yet hooked,'' as Tom put it
Hooked?
You sound so arrogant!
Arrogance is the worst thing!
He doesn't like me
And he has every right
to feel that way
Yeah Listen! Luckily
l have prepared a Trojan horse
A what?
A Trojan horse
We can get in by way of Vera...
There is this...
lecture tomorrow in Georgetown
given by some professor
Some intellectual thing
But not so intellectual
he can't tour the provinces with it
Anyway, the point is
Vera she would do anything to go
but she's got no one to mind
Achilles while she is gone
She trusts the girls mastering
their iambs and pentameters
but not with the little one
So this is where you come in
l said that you could watch him
tomorrow afternoon
Now, l will try and stall her
on her way home
and with a bit of luck
Chuck'll get back before she does
and you can use the time
and all your charm
to try and win him over
l'll happily mind Achilles
if Vera will let me
But if he doesn't like me
he doesn't like me
Tom really was enchanted
by this unusual, mysterious, creature
And even though
she did not satisfy his curiosity
by saying anything about her past
so as not to put anyone in danger
she still fitted
Tom's mission to educate
Dogville on the subject
of acceptance
like a glove
Tom felt content
Grace had been
dangling over the edge
and he had been the one
to pull her back onto the path
lt gave him
a fine sensation of mastery,
new for him in terms of
the opposite sex
and his feelings unleashed
the best in his burgeoning love
- Hello
- This is Dahlia, Olympia
Diana, Athena, Pandora, Jason
Achilles
Go play
Your children are lovely
They are good kids
And l love them
Please don't say such nice things
about the kids
l cry too easily
Both in sorrow and in joy
- Hey Vera
- Oh, Hi!
- Shall we go?
- l'm ready
Thanks for leaving the map out
l'd a plum forgot it, l'm sure
How did you know
l was going that far?
The last time l saw the thermos
it was on the doorstep
and the map was beside it
so l just thought
when l saw the thermos
this time and no map, but...
You are a sweet girl, Grace
Sweet as Miss Laura
Who's Miss Laura?
You gave yourself away again, Ben
l think Miss Laura is what
Ovid might call a Maenad
don't be ashamed, Ben
We all have the right to make
the most of our lives
l'm sure that
those ladies in those houses
they bring a lot ofjoy
to a lot of men
Ain't nothin' l'm proud of
lt really ain't
l know what you are doing here
You do?
You want people to like you
so you don't have to go away
You are very smart
Yes, l like it here in Dogville
Do you want me to read to you?
About the Cyclops?
l don't like the Cyclops
Two eyes are prettier
Like yours
lf you want my Ma to like you
and let you stay
You'll just have to be nice to me
Maybe you should help me
clean up instead
Ma says l don't have t work
'cept in my head
Oh, but what about if l ask you
- Please?
- Ok
What are you doing here?
Didn't l tell you
we don't need no help from you?
Ma asked her to mind me and Achilles
Quiet! Get out!
The lot of you
The same nonsense!
They'd have done
just great in Antiquity, no doubt
How is it going otherwise
with the fooling act?
l wasn't trying to fool anyone
l mean Dogville
Has it got you fooled yet?
l thought you were implying that
l was trying to exploit the town
Wishful thinking
This town is rotten
from the inside out
and l wouldn't miss it
if it fell into the gorge tomorrow
l see no charm here
But you seem to
Admit it you've fallen for Dogville
The trees, the mountains
the simple folk
And if all that ain't got you fooled yet
l bet the cinnamon has
That damned cinnamon
in those gooseberry pies
Dogville has everything that
you ever dreamed of in the big city
You are worse than Tom
How do you know
what l dreamed of?
You're from the city yourself
aren't you?
That was a long time ago
l am not that stupid anymore
l found out that people are
the same all over
Greedy as animals
ln a small town
they're just a bit less successful
Feed 'em enough
they'll eat till their bellies burst
That's why you wanted
to get rid of me...
because you can't stand that
l remind you of what it was
you came here to find
l'm telling you for the last time
to get out of my home
Moses don't like you
And l don't like you
The kids are going crazy enough
from their ma's teachin'
Thank you, Grace!
The two weeks
had passed far too quickly
Grace had enjoyed herself
All she could say was that
she was fond of them all
including the folk
who had greeted her
with reluctance and hostility
Even though she might not have won
everybody over completely
or even half way, as Tom put it
She cared for Dogville
and she had shown
the town her face, her true face
But was that enough?
During Jack McKay's
long lecture that evening
she had found herself in
a heart- searching mood
Whether heart- searching or
concern for her future was the cause
the result was that the otherwise
so lovable Grace
indulged in a pretty shady piece
of provocation
So you agree that
the windows of St Bridget's
at the first time you saw them
didn't live up to their reputation
l don't think it is
the positioning of the church itself
Maybe it's the light in Los Angeles
and the mosaic glass
in those windows
they kind of collide
l remember thinking that
l think we've talked
long enough about
the way we remember
seeing things
Don't you?
Why don't we talk
about something
that we can see right now?
There is not much to see
around here
Wretched town
Why don't we talk
about the view?
l don't go out much
The sun and my skin
Yesterday l was walking
in Chuck's apple trees
lf you go right up
to the edge of the cliff you
just manage to peer round
Ben's garage
and you get a view of your house
from the side facing the gorge
Well
l didn't realize that there was
windows behind there
Huge windows
There must be a wonderful view
Would you mind if l opened them?
You're no fool, Miss Grace
You're no fool
You probably see that
those curtains are hard to open
Sorry!
And obviously concluded
that it's because
- l'm sorry
- they're not used very often
But the view's good
entrancing even
So,
ask me, why a man
who loves the light
hang these heavy curtains?
Yes, l'm blind
Not weak sighted, not myopic
Blind
So
please go
and let me be that on my own
ln Switzerland they call it
the Alpenglunen
That's the light that reflects
from the highest peaks
after the sun goes down
behind the mountains
And now it's gone
lt was in complete silence
that the people of Dogville
turned up for the meeting at the
mission house two weeks to the day
since the beautiful
fugitive had come to town
Grace was standing beside Tom
watching them convene
and knew inside herself
that this might well be the last time
she would see these now
so familiar faces
She had at least two of them
against her
and even one would
have been too many
Welcome, good people of Dogville
Two weeks have passed and it is
time for your verdict
ls it right that
she should be here while we talk?
Well, Mrs. Henson
when Grace first came
she made no attempt to
hide her weakness from us
So l think it is only right
we be as open with her
tell her to her face
if we want her to leave
No, Mrs. Henson is right
Nobody should be prevented
from speaking their mind
out of politeness
l'll wait at the mine
And if the vote says that l should
leave then l'll take the path
across the mountains
while it's still light
And the things l've borrowed
if you could return them
to everybody
Of course!
Nobody has to see me before l go
Martha if you will just ring
the bell then l'll understand
l don't... how do...want me
to ring the bell?
Just ring it for every vote
that lets me stay
l will count
And if it doesn't reach fifteen
then l'll leave
Tom is anxious
to speak in her behalf
but l think he's had
his allotted time, we know his view
We respect it
And now he must respect ours
Grace pulled her bundle out from
under the bureau to change
into her own clothes
only to discover
that somebody had been in it
and left a loaf of bread
Next to it was
a folded sheet of paper
lt was a map Tom had drawn
He had known where the bundle was
and had put it there
lt showed the path
across the mountain
And all the dangerous spots
were furnished with witty
horrific little sketches
But there was more
Several people had
had the same idea
They had eased gifts
into the bundle for her
Jason's beloved little
penknife lay there
all polished and shiny
And a pie from
Ma Ginger and Gloria
And some clothing and matches
and a hymnal
Grace opened it at number
where Martha always had trouble
with the fingering
And between the pages
lay a dollar bill!
Martha alone could not
have afforded it
Grace had friends in Dogville
That was for sure
Whether they were few or many
did not matter a jot
Grace had bared her throat
to the town
and it had responded
with a great gift
with friends
No gangster could deprive her
of this meeting
with the township no matter
how many guns in the world
And should the strokes of the bell
not reach
she knew now that she meant
something to the town
and that her stay
had been of significance
Not much, perhaps
but nevertheless
a trace she had left
And the first in her young life
in which she took pride
Grace stiffened
as the bell began its toll
Fourteen, Grace counted
So McKay must have voted
for her after all
And if so, why not Chuck, too?
Everyone?
- Chuck!
- Chuck!
Everyone
l think they like you here
The period of spring
and early summer
proved a happy one for Grace
Martha rang the hours
conducting her through the day
So she could serve as eyes
for McKay
a mother for Ben
friend for Vera
and brains for Bill...
And one day it had occurred to Grace
to tread the pedals herself
so to get Martha to agree to play
a couple of proper notes
just to empty the bellows, naturally
so that they wouldn't be left under
pressure and thus be spoiled
And now they had tacitly agreed
that as long as it was Grace
who trod the pedals
Martha could play
without feeling any guilt
To Tom's pop
the old doctor
who imagined he had
a new ailment every single day
and was thus increasingly addicted
to the simpler coordination tests
from his medical school days
she had to be severe
telling him that there was
nothing wrong with him
And now, since the town
had agreed that
everyone was to give according
to his abilities
she received wages, not much
but enough to save up for
the first of the tiny china figurines
from the row of seven that
had stood for so long gathering dust
in the window of the store
And she dreamed that in time
she would be able to acquire them all
Slowly those alabaster hands
turned into a pair of hands that
could have belonged to anyone
in any little rural community
And weeks later
she triumphantly moved into a place
Tom and Ben had secretly restored
namely the old mill
which had once held
the town's ore crusher
but of which only
the heavy flywheel now remained
Thanks
That's what l am talking about
with the freight industry
Miss Laura had thrown that out
it was no use to anybody
A good thing, in the wrong place, but
with my truck...you know
You shouldn't poke fun
at the freight industry, that's all
No, you're right Ben
They shouldn't
Grace!
What?
l just had to tell you that
l had a really selfish reason
for voting to keep you in Dogville
What was it?
lt was such a relief
when you turned up
and you were the one
all the men had eyes for
You know, Tom and them
l've had to put up with it
for so long...
Frankly, l just didn't have
the energy for it anymore
They'll always
have eyes for you Liz
You know that
They will
You are beautiful
The very latest development
now that summer was at its peak,
was that Grace
had been given leave
to help Chuck
in the orchard
And every day at
once their work was done
she could appreciate
that actually McKay was right
the shadow of the spire
did indeed point
at Ma Ginger's store
But today the tower
did not only announce
that it was time
to go shopping
but also, by a signal which nobody
despite Martha's initial concern
could have confused
with the ringing of the hours,
a warning that somebody
was approaching via Canyon Road
from Georgetown
For the first time in living memory
law enforcers had come to Dogville!
Good evenin' sir
ls this the whole place?
- There a town hall?
- No
l got me a notice to paste up
We got the mission house
That do you?
Sure
What'd she do?
Missing! That's all it says
l guess somebody's been
missing her
Heard tell
she was last seen around here
We're putting these things up
all over the county
And if somebody sees her
they ought to go to the police?
l guess that's the idea
These men were never gonna
give in easily
Now these posters they hang
all over in the county
Which means nobody suspects
she's right here with us
But it was a policeman, Tom
lsn't it a duty to respond
to the police?
l mean, legally speaking
l'm sorry, l just...
when l get upset
She's just a missing person
She hasn't done anything
He even said so
l think you should
vote again
Why, we can't resort to plebiscites
time and time again
Now come on
Who's really got cold feet because of
a picture on a piece of paper?
The th of July came
with huge clouds of seeds
from some remote meadow
gracefully floating down Elm Street
in the early evening
Today was a day for celebration
Nobody was to worry about
the hard times
And Grace could stop at
Ma Gingers window quite content
to ascertain that only two of
the little china figurines remained
and were thus the only two
she had not yet been able to
save up enough to purchase
lt looks great, girls
Grace, could you put in
a couple of hours with me
in the orchard again today?
lt's really nice down there
with the sunshine!
Chuck, it's the fourth of July!
What are you talking about
sunshine for?
Have you turned into
a romantic like me?
We're gonna have fun
And in the winter we'll all starve...
Even Ben's taking the day off
- Hi!
- Hi, Tom!
Grace You've got a moment?
Now?
l've got something
interesting to tell you
Well, it has to be quick
l've got so much
going on in my head...
That must be very tiring for you!
l think l've done a pretty good analysis
of the folks in this town and
l think l understand them
in a meaningful way
But when l come to decipher you
l get absolutely nowhere
You know Liz
Liz is easy to read
And there was some attraction
between us,
but as l can see right through her,
intellectually l mean
l can see right through her
My desire is purely
of a physical nature
But with you
it's more...
it's more complicated
What are you trying to say?
No, l should get it
clear in my head first, l mean...
Are you trying to say that
you're in love with me?
No l wouldn't...
love is...lt's not
lt's a big word...yeah
Yeah
That's good
Because
l think that
l am in love with you, too
Very interesting, isn't?
l mean it's interesting
in a psychological
Did they call you?
l think they are...
calling you
l didn't hear them
No
You should probably
get back anyway
l will see you at the wedding
Next celebration
This year l didn't bring
any notes with me
Because l'm not gonna pretend
l can read them
Which brings me to a point
A point l wanna make
And that point is
you Grace
Yes, you have made Dogville
a wonderful place to live in
As a matter of fact
somebody tells me they ran into
grumpy old Chuck
down the street
and he was actually smiling
Well, l've never seen
your smile, Grace
but l will bet you
l could describe it
Because it obviously
has every color
that's refracted
from the shiniest prism in the world
You probably have
a face to match that
Does she have a face
to match that, Tom
- Yes, Sir
- Hmm?
- Yes, sir!
- l bet she does
We are proud to have you
among us
And we thank you
for showing us who you are
Here's to you, Grace
Stay with us
as long as you damn please
A police car has
just been seen in town and
it has just made the turn up
Canyon road!
So he will be here any minute
Shall l ring the bell?
No, Martha
Grace probably heard
We'll get rid of 'em quickly
don't worry
Should have been celebrating myself
if this hadn't come up
Have to change
this missing person notice
lt's that lady again
That's why she disappeared
She's wanted in connection with some
bank robberies on the West Coast
When did these
robberies take place?
Last couple of weeks
You don't get much
news up here, do you?
My dads radio only plays music
Well
all l know is that
they say she's dangerous
and that anyone with
any information about her
had better call us pronto
That's the law
Two weeks!
Can't be our girl, Tom
- No, she's been here all the time
- Right!
She couldn't have done
what they are accusing her of
No, that's true, Tom
you are right
Still it's an unpleasant business
just the same
Grace was the same
and so was the town
That the gangsters had fixed
to have charges made against Grace
in their efforts to neutralize her
came as no surprise
But everything had changed
a little, yet again
l'm telling you, you have exactly
the same kind of little lump
in exactly the same spot
on the other side of your back
- Really!
- l can only assume
that it belongs on your body
but you're the doctor
so...
Well, it's very unlikely
Don't you think that a cancer would
develop in such precise symmetry
Mr. Edison, please
- We've been over this so many times
- Anything is possible
l think you have to accept the fact
that you are an exceptionally healthy
elderly gentleman
l'm gonna restjust the same
l'll see you in the morning
l hope so
What? What did they say?
Well
they couldn't really argue
that anything had changed
But by not telling the police
they felt
they were committing
a crime themselves
- l think l should leave
- No
Enough is enough
l suggested the opposite
You did
From a business perspective
from a business perspective
your presence in Dogville
has become more costly
Because it's more dangerous
for them to have you here
Not that they don't want you
since they feel
there should be some
counterbalance,
some quid pro quo
That sounds like words
that the gangsters would use...
There is also
more of an incentive
if you don't wanna stay
See, with all those
wanted posters
hanging around the place
l can hardly think of anywhere else
you could hide
So what's the counterbalance
that you suggested?
They wanted you
to work longer hours,
but instead
what l proposed is that
you just pay a visit to folks
twice a day now
That way it would seem
that you're willing to contribute more
without actually lengthening
your day too much
lt's just a way of heading off
any unpleasantness
Well, it sounds
it sounds a little peculiar
and difficult to put into practice
That's what l thought
Martha she said she would
ring her bell every half hour
so you could keep track
of your new schedule
Then they are all willing
to let me stay?
No
See, Mrs. Henson she also
thought we should cut your pay
Merely a symbolic gesture
You see the word dangerous
on that poster worried her
l'm willing to do
whatever it takes
lf l have to work
harder, longer hours
for less pay
Then l'm willing to do that
of course l am
l just wanna be sure
that they wouldn't prefer
that l left town
Of course not
You think this is for the best?
l know it is
l have to get some sleep
My days are gonna be
much busier now
Sorry
Tom
l just need to know something...
You know the card
- that the man in the car gave you...
- Yeah
Did you show it to anyone?
Come on Grace!
l burned it first thing
l've been so silly
Of course you did
lt's alright, it's alright
No, it's not alright
l hate it for you to see me like this
l can't bare that l'm doubting you
l'm sorry, goodnight
Everybody was really against
any changes to Grace's
working conditions at all
when the subject occasionally
came up in conversation
Oh, Ben had declared in sympathy
that he wouldn't accept any more
work than before
and Grace was grateful for that
even if he was a bit drunk
when he said so
Busy minutes became busy hours
and busy hours became busy days
And irrespective of whether
they thought the idea of increasing
Grace's services had any fairness
and justification to it or not
it didn't seem to make
anyone any happier
More to the contrary
Grace, oh
You have to be more careful
Liz wasn't very careful either
but she didn't break our glasses
l think you need to understand that
Mr. Henson works very hard
to grind off
any traces of the moulds
And it makes the glass weak
- l thought you knew that
- lt won't happen again
Of course, l'll pay for it
No, of course not
You don't have to pay us for it
We'll get over it
And off she went again
to keep her appointment with Chuck
to free the last tree trunks
from the grass
in order to keep
the ever busy mice away
She was in a hurry and took the shortcut
between the gooseberry bushes
only to be brought up by a shout
Grace
Yes
l didn't see that you just
raked the path, l'm sorry
lt isn't that l've just raked it
The idea is that people can pass
around the bushes completely
l prefer it that way
as you should know
l thought that
these chains were put up
to make a path
between the bushes
They were put up there
to protect the bushes
lt is not supposed to be a pathway
But everyone goes this way
Dear, that's right
They have been living here for years
You haven't been here that long
Are you saying, that l am less
entitled to use the shortcut
because l haven't always lived here?
No, of course not
No, l just thought it pleased you
to be here, that's all
Go on, go on, it's alright
l'll see you this afternoon
and l'll rake those bushes like they've
never been raked before, l promise
l'm sorry about that branch
There were so many apples on it...
l should have cut that branch
but l got greedy
ls it greedy to want to
feed your family?
So how come you don't like me?
Why do you ask me that?
When l get close to you
you edge away
- No, l don't
- You did so
When we were thinning
the seedlings in the bottom row
How am l supposed to show you
what l do if l ain't
allowed to touch you?
You tried to kiss me
Vera never took
any interest in the apples
She hates the orchard
This is the first time
l've ever met anyone
who understood about the apples
Sorry it made me so happy
- lt's alright
- No, it ain't alright
l reckon the stuff about the apples
is just words in your mouth
lf you can't really
share my pleasure
l do
Vera wants me to picking apples from
trees that are barely in the ground
Things take time
That's love
Seeing what they need
Respecting those needs
lf anyone understands that it's you
At least l thought so
l do understand that
But you edge away
when l get close
Why do you find me
so repugnant?
l don't find you repugnant
Don't be upset
l'm sorry if l doubted you
lt won't happen again
l promise you
l wouldn't make that promise
if l was you
When you fended me off
a thought came into my mind
that made me ashamed
A thought that you would
hate me for
l would never hate you
Never
What?
Chuck, l've treated you unfairly
lt's alright to have angry thoughts
l thought of turning you in!
l thought of blackmailing you
into respecting me
lt means that much to you?
lt does, doesn't it?
You've really been alone up here
haven't you?
You haven't had anyone
to comfort you
And l should ask you
for forgiveness...
Still friends?
Sorry! Were you asleep?
No!
- Do You want me to leave?
- no, l was just resting
Awful lot to do here in Dogville
considering...
nobody needs anything done
Jason wants to sit on my lap
all the time
l think you're doing
a wonderful job
You give us all so much
What Mr. McKay said
right on the button...
right on the button
He tried to put his hand
on my knee today
Oh, he is blind after all
Probably an accident
And Ma Ginger
got angry at me for
running cross the gravel path
Well good
She gets angry at me
Which just means that
you're one of us now
You can see through it all
can't you
l'll tell you, l'm gonna be asleep
in two minutes
What if l don't want you
to go to sleep?
l don't think you
have a choice tonight
l do love you, Grace
l'm glad you love me
l love you, too
l really do
No l mean, l yearn for you
when l am not with you
l yearn for you even
when we're alone like this
l yearn to be even
closer to you...
to touch you
the way that people...
We have our whole lives
ahead of us
The thing that l love about you is that
you don't demand anything of me
That we can just be together
Yeah
Yearning will only make it better
Thank you for your words
your wise, wise words
Your welcome
Do you want your shoes off?
Jason
what are you doing here?
That's wrong
The words have to be
divided differently
Stop it!
How's that for dividing
the words?
This is not a good day
Everybody should leave
Everybody except Jason
Jason, l wanna talk to you alone
What is it?
What's going on?
- l can be very bad
- What?
l bet my pa told you
l don't think that
l think there is another
reason for this
l'd love to have you
on my lap all the time
but l can't
not with the others here
When somebody can't do all the things
they'd like to do for others
sometimes the people
they promised get mad
That's what Mrs. Henson says
Yes, that's true
l suppose l know why you won't
let me sit in your lap anymore
- Why?
- Because l've been mean lately
Oh, come on
l'm sure you have
your reasons for that
l have been mean to the others too
even baby Achilles
And he's so tiny
he can't put up a fight
- lt's not right
- No lt's not
l got it coming to me
l know
l deserve a spanking
What? l should hit you?
l'm not gonna do that
Your mother doesn't believe
in physical discipline
- l'm not gonna hit you
- l know
She'd be awful mad
if she found out you whipped me
Oh, l just said
l won't do that
lt's good having ma
on your side
right?
lt'd be pretty serious
if she turned against you
l am the way l am
lf people in this town
don't like me, then
there is nothing l can do about that
l feel bad
l need to be punished
The fact is, l wouldn't have
any respect for you
if you didn't give me a spanking
l don't care how much fun
you think it would be
l'm not gonna spank you, Jason
ln that case
when Ma gets home maybe
l'll just have to tell her you hit me
But l just said that l wouldn't!
l reckon Ma'll take my word for it
lf you give me that spanking
nobody's ever have to know
Stop it, get away from Achilles
Stop it!
l gave his crib a shove
lt's not my fault
that it didn't tip over
Don't you touch him
Move away from the crib
Stop it, Jason, stop it!
All right, you want a spanking?
l'll give you a spanking, come here
come here
- There, there we go
- That wasn't hard
lt's gotta be hard
or it isn't punishment
All right
Harder!
Oh, this is...come on
All right, that's enough
That is enough punishment now
Maybe l should go stand in the corner
and be ashamed?
l don't care!
Stand in the corner
Do whatever you gonna do!
Hey, there is pa!
He's early
l hope there is nothing wrong
Just as Dogville had done
from its open
frail shelf on the mountainside
quite unprotected from
any capricious storms, Grace, too
had laid herself open
And there she dangled
from her frail stalk
like the apple
in the Garden of Eden
An apple so swollen
that the juices almost ran
And once again
the police had come to Dogville
l said l'd tell you
to save Martha the confusion
about the ringing
But l forgot They're already down
by Canyon Road
The fellow in the other car is from
the Federal Bureau of lnvestigation
- You forgot!
- Yeah
lt is the busy time
for the apples you know
The FBl?
They were most interested in hearing
what l'd seen in the past six months
anything related
to that wanted poster
They asked me if l'd seen
any signs in the woods or
anyone camping out there
God only knows what
that woman's capable of
You know
she is not capable of anything
Well, that's what you say
But it sure didn't sound that way
coming from the laws
That's why l felt
l had to tell 'em what l knew
What did you tell them?
Well, l thought l'd seen something
in the woods recently
An item of clothing to be exact
lt turned out that it was
just an old hat Tom had lost
- But it could've been this
- John, give me
Expensive, by the feel of it
and your initials on it
l imagine they'd draw the same
conclusion from this as anybody would
l told the law it'd take me
no time at all to find this
piece of clothing
l reckon we got us ten minutes
maybe fifteen
'fore they start knocking on doors
l wouldn't try to run away
They are sure to see you
Why would l wanna
run away, Chuck?
l wouldn't try to holler either
Why would l wanna do that?
lt wasn't me
who wanted you here
You were far to beautiful
and frail for this place
You tricked me into feeling
that l meant something to you
lt's your own damn fault
l need your respect, Grace
You have my respect
- l want your respect
- Don't...
This is wrong
lf l can force the flowers
to bloom early in spring
l can force you...
Please
Stop it
Please, please, please
please don't, please, please
Please look at me
Look at me, talk to me
We're friends
You are my family
stop it
Chuck, you seen Grace?
She's at my place
- ls she busy?
- Not anymore
Go right in
Yet again Grace had made
a miraculous escape from her pursuers
with the aid of the people
of Dogville
Everyone had covered up
for her including Chuck
who had to admit that
it was probably Tom's hat
he'd mistakenly considered
so suspicious
That evening Tom had sensed at once
that something had taken place
But had to plead with Grace for ages
before she finally broke down
and unburdened herself
- l have to confront him, l mean
- No
- l have no choice
- No
No one will accept
what he did to you
- No one...
- l don't want you to
l came here with
all these ideas and these
stupid prejudices
He is not strong, Tom
He looks strong
but he's not
l'm gonna start looking for a way
to get you out of here
The end of the summer
had come
And in Elm Street
the second clutch of Dogville's
scatty squirrels scooted in and out
of the legs of children and
grown ups alike searching in vain
for Elm Street's non- existent elms
The heat had turned the soil among
the goose- berry bushes to stone
but Grace did not complain
She threw herself into her work
happy that it was something you could
actually grasp between your fingers
Hey, Liz! Hey Vera!
Better watch out, Grace
Vera's got it in
for you today
What are you talking about?
Maybe you thought
he wouldn't tell me?
Who?
You hit Jason
l did
But how could you
do such a thing?
l know it sounds implausible
but he was asking for it
lt's true, Vera
he's always asking for it
l should have done that
myself a long time ago
- Liz!
- lt' s your fault
- the way you've spoiled him
- l know how much you love him, Vera
So do l...
lt won't happen again
lt really won't
No, l know it won't
because l'll never
leave them with you again
That'd be far too dangerous
for any child of mine
l've been tired
Well, maybe you should see
about sleeping at night
like most folks do
Sleeping at night?
Martha saw a certain
Tom Edison Jr.
sneak out of her shed
early this morning
Grace, you won't hear anything from me
about whipping that idiot kid
And l'm also grateful
to you for turning
Tom's wandering eye away
from my skirts, but
on the other hand l'd expected
more from you than that
But if that's the kind of thing
you're after
then l'm sure, with your
innocent looks you will do
just fine in a place like Dogville
lt's not what l'm after, Liz
Oh, no?
We all saw you take his hand
to the picnic
Maybe that wasn't flirting?
Yes, maybe l was flirting
Next day, the weather changed
The fog came rolling down
from the mountains
And although there were
no sunsets to be seen
McKay thought it best
that she sat by him anyway
She had sat by Jack McKay
so many times now
but Jack had not got better
atjudging the distance between them
On the contrary
where fingers alone
had previously brushed
her young flesh
now it was a hand that remained
in place throughout the allotted span
The hours in the orchard were long now
for the harvest was underway
And Grace had long since given up
arguing with Chuck's perception
that respect for cultivation
harvest, and fruit could be directly
measured in provision of carnality
Though reluctant to
leave Grace alone
Tom wandered
around quite often now
lost in thought as he tried to crack
the problem of possible escape
And as Grace's wages no longer
found their way to her purse
he had stepped in
and together
they had triumphantly picked up
the last of the seven figurines
from Ma Ginger's window
What's the matter?
Nothing
Are the police on
Canyon Road again?
No
This is just girl talk
lt's funny you should mention
Canyon road though...
right, Martha?
She was just there this morning
- Yeah
- On the way home from church
You see so much more on foot
You know, when you're in a car
you never notice the apple orchard
for example
You can only see it
from one spot on Canyon Road
Do you know that spot, Martha?
Yes l do
And
did you stop there to enjoy
the view this morning? lt's harvest time
you know, in the orchard after all
The old masters always
loved a good harvest theme
Redolent, with fertility
not to mention
sensibility or even eroticism
But how silly of me
to ask you that Martha
because you already
said you did
She saw you, Grace
She saw you
Behind this pile of broken limbs...
with Chuck...
He said it wasn't the first time
you'd made advances towards him
He never told me before because
he wanted to spare my feelings
He's a withdrawn
and primitive man
but at heart he's loyal
And he is good
What do you want
with my husband?
l don't want anything
with your husband
or anybody
What about Tom and
the handholding at the picnic?
That's different
l like Tom
But you don't like Chuck
Liz and Martha are behind me
when l tell you that l'm going to
have to teach you a lesson
l believe in education
- Vera!
- No, l believe smashing
them is less a crime
than making them
Vera, remember
how l taught your children...
- What?
- Remember how happy You were
when l...
- When you what?
- When l taught your children
about the doctrine of stoicism
and they finally understood it
All right, for that
l'm gonna be lenient
l'm going to break
two of your figurines first
And if you can demonstrate
your knowledge
of the doctrine of stoicism
by holding back your tears
l'll stop
Have you got that?
ln her lifetime Grace had had
considerable practice
at constraining her emotions
and would never have believed
it would be hard to control them now
But as the porcelain
pulverized on the floor
it was as if it were
human tissue disintegrating
The figurines were the offspring of the meeting
between the township and her
They were the proof
that in spite of everything
her suffering had created
something of value
Grace could no longer cope
For the first time
since her childhood
she wept
Grace went to see Tom
that very night
and informed him
that she was ready to follow
his advice and leave
the township
And since Tom had
just made up his mind
that a third party would be needed
to ensure the success of an escape
they agreed that Ben possessed
the greatest potential
But it was a case where money
was required, Tom concluded
and estimated that considering
the times and all
ten dollars would suffice
for Ben and his truck
- But we don't have ten dollars
- No, we borrow it
From whom?
From Dad
He has more than
that in the medicine closet
l talk to him in the morning
and arrange a loan
But you have a word with Ben
it's the end of the week
he's bound to be flat broke
Tell your father
that l will pay him back
Of course
Thank you
You are always rescuing me
l can't believe you go on
being there for me
Goodnight
You should get some sleep
Grace went to see Ben
next morning
When Grace presented the payment
as compensation between friends,
Ben, did not object too heartily
considering the trouble
he could receive
from the rest of the townspeople
when they realized what had happened
Perhaps they'd all be relieved that
she was out of their lives
but somehow
Grace wasn't too sure of that
Ben agreed to drive her
even though he wasn't out to profit from
other folks' misfortunes, as he put it
l don't wanna profit
from other folks misfortunes
No
The fact was that Ben would have driven
to the gates of Hell and back
for ten dollars
And the criminal aspect bugged him
less than Grace would ever
have guessed
he had freighted
all kinds of things in his day
The plan was for Grace
to hide among the apples
Knowing the exact time to harvest
is the greatest art of all
Chuck had said
and the time had come
For the apples and for Grace
Grace, where've you been?
lf l'd displayed the same
indifference to the timing of my chores
l'd be in for a whippin'
Now get a move on!
l'm sorry, Olivia
l had to talk to Ben
about something
June is near to bursting
She can't use the pot on her own
as you well know
lt ain't fitting' to toy with herjust 'cause
she's crippled and can't help herself
The evening before the escape
Tom tactically thought it best
not to press his desires of the flesh
too hard upon Grace
and instead he adopted
a more sensitive approach
But there is a right
and a wrong time to plant seeds
and you can't plant
seeds in the winter
That's true
But l love you...
- l know
- And you love me
and we will meet again
in love and in freedom
Absolutely
l shouldn't be ashamed
wanting you should l?
lt's nothing to be ashamed of
No...
- No...
- No, its lovely
lt's lovely that
we want each other
- But not this way
- No...
lt's not right
The next morning when Grace
wanted to slip down to Ben's
as invisibly as possible
it seemed to Grace that the entire township
was up and about at the same time
Grace
Yes, Vera
lf you think that
by hitting my child
you can get out of working for me
think again
Why don't you just come by
as planned, and we'll
find something where
you won't be able to harm anyone
At twelve o'clock?
Yes Why are you taking your
copious belongings
around with you?
Afraid you are gonna
loose them?
Grace, Ben's hauling apples today
so we won't be loading glasses
But that don't mean
you're off work
Dad wants you to repack
the whole last load
Maybe you can do it better
and we'll have an extra crate
An old crate like that may not
have much value in your eyes
but this is Dogville
We're not wealthy here
And if your hands get
a bit red, well
l've got a tip about
something you can rub on'em
Grace
Oh, Martha
We have to wash the flagstones
at the foot of the steps again
Dirt has gone and blown
under the door
l can't get the door open
Where have you been?
Harvest is the holiest time
of the year
Does it not sound like something
you could have said
l'll be down in a minute, Chuck
l'll bring the crates down
Good
As Grace hastened to the garage
she grew more and more pleased
with the decision to keep her
departure under wraps
There was actually quite a bit
of work Dogville didn't need doing
that its residents would have to
carry out for themselves in future
Yeah, er, Grace
l don't like having to say this
but l'd like to ask if l could
have the money up front
See, it's always the way
in the freight industry
Once you deliver a load
you ain't got much to bargain with
if you catch my drift
Of course
Here's the money
Not that this is
a professional job, of course
- Don't get out...
- All right, Ben
till l give the say- so!
Canyon Road snaked down
the valley and away
and Grace went too
and with every bend
the township and its noises
faded ever more
mercifully behind her
- ls something wrong?
- Yeah
There are a hell of a lot of
police up ahead
l wasn't expecting that
lt's more dangerous
than l thought
We'll have to go back
Back?
No, we can't do that
lt's just...if this was
a professional transportjob
you know
paid proper like
it'd be a lot easier, but...
But it has been paid for
Yeah, but, in the freight industry
carrying dangerous load
it cost more
A surcharge, they call it
lf this were a professional job
l could just charge you
But Ben
l don't have any more money
Oh, that's no good then
You said once
you said once, that there aren't
many pleasures in my life
And you know...
l go to Miss Laura once a week
And you got me to see that
it weren't nothing
to be ashamed of
And see...
l was gonna go there tonight
And of course it costs me
l mean
not as much...
not as much as a surcharge for
for dangerous goods, but
but still...
it does cost me, you know
No, Ben, please don't
lt's not personal
Grace lt's not personal
l just... l have to take
due payment that's all
l don't have a...
l don't have a choice
l can't puck the freight industry
can l
We're parked in the square
in Georgetown
Right outside the church
You'd better keep
your voice down
No, Ben
This ain't somethin'
l'm proud of Grace
Don't go thinking that
Grace fell asleep
on the long highway
Thanks to her healthy ability to push
any unpleasantness around her far away
A generous God had blessed her with
the rare talent of being able to look ahead
And only ahead
And later when the truck slowed down
about to reach its destination
and she slowly
returned to consciousness
she had no way of knowing
how long she had slept
All she knew was that she would be
happy to see the light of day again
And then she heard the dog
All your fondness for apples
seems less and less believable
You've bruised 'em
We had a meeting last night
at the mission house
They said you might be going to
try to run away
So when l discovered you'd
hidden yourself away
on my truck
l didn't have no choice
but to bring you back to Dogville
ln the freight industry
we can't take sides
lt didn't help Grace
that the first theft ever
registered in Dogville
had taken place
the previous evening
when most people were assembled
for the town meeting
Old Tom Edison Senior
had had a considerable sum of money
stolen from his medicine closet
and suspicion soon fell on Grace
who had apparently been planning an escape
that would surely require funding
Grace chose to remain silent
in the face of these new charges
And then Bill, who had lately
improved his engineering skills
to an astonishing degree
had, by way of his first design
implemented a kind of escape
prevention mechanism
Beautiful it might not have been
but effective
he dared say it was
Grace, we don't like
having to do this
We don't have much of a choice
if we are to protect our community
Could you...do you mind moving?
Try moving
lt works
We had to make this heavy enough
so that it can only move
where the ground's level
And the ground is level in town
May l go now?
l have to figure out
how l'm going to get into my house
Or is that part of the punishment
having to sleep outdoors?
No, no, no, Grace
Don't think of this
as punishment
Not at all!
Bill, he made the chain
long enough
so that you can sleep in your bed
Grace, six o'clock
Yes, Mrs. Henson
l couldn't run the risk
of Dad turning me down
But, they think it was me
that took the money
'Cause l told them so
You did what?
First they suspected me
but then l convinced them
that it was you, since you were
the one using the medicine clock
Why?
Because l'm here to do
the thinking for you, if we
are to have the slightest
chance of getting you out of here
they can never know
how close we really are
They can't know
l'm trying to help you
lf they knew it was me
that took the money
l wouldn't be here
talking to you now
Please don't disappear, Tom
l need you
l'll break this one...
with some thinking
lt was not Grace's pride
that kept her going during the days
when fall came and
the trees were losing their leaves
but more of the trance- like state
that descends on animals
whose lives are threatened
a state in which the body reacts
mechanically
in a low, tough gear
without too much painful reflection
Like a patient passively
letting his disease hold sway
And now that
Vera had received proof
that it was in fact Chuck
who'd forced his attentions on Grace
she was meaner than ever
Had Grace had friends in Dogville
they too
fell like the leaves
Most townspeople
of the male sex
now visited Grace at night
to fulfill their sexual needs
lt had occurred to the children
to give the bell an extra ring
every time such an act
had been consummated
much to Martha's confusion
But since the chain had been attached
things had become easier for everyone
the harassments in bed did not
have to be kept so secret anymore
because they couldn't really
be compared to a sexual act
They were embarrassing the way it is
when a hillbilly has his way with a cow
but no more than that
Tom saw everything
lt pained him, and the sexual visits
were a particularly severe blow
Goodnight
But he supported her
as best he could
the way a spider supports
when it has been tangled in
its own web by the wind
Tom!
Everything l tried to do
went wrong
l can't come up with the answer
l was looking for
You'll come up with it, you'll see
You're very clever
We provoked them
l wouldn't worry about it
We provoked them, now it is time
for us to provoke ourselves
What do you mean?
l mean
by showing them some trust
lt all started with a meeting
so it will be logical to end it with one too
You'll talk and they'll listen
They can't refuse to listen
What will l say?
Everything, you'll say everything
- Everything?
- Yeah, the truth, the truth
Just the truth about
each and every one of them
l don't think they are
gonna want to hear that
l know, l know
lt is like a child who doesn't
want to take his medicine
They'll be furious at first
but in the end they'll see
it is for their own good
Just don't be hateful
Don't be reproving
lf anybody can do it
Grace, you can
They'll all realize
that this weapon
and this understanding and injustice
has only one true victim
and that's you
And from there it is only
one small step to forgiveness
You've done some hard thinking
Tom Edison
l'm sure it is
an excellent plan l'm sure
lf forgiveness was close at hand
in the mission house
they were all hiding it well
lt hadn't been easy for Tom
to get them there
Appealing to consciences
stowed farther and farther away
by their owners every day
as if they were as fragile
as Henson's glasses after polishing
had proved quite a task
But if one was going the others
might as well come along, too
so nobody could talk behind
anybody's back
Tom had set the scene
for Grace's speech
Now she'd have to sink or swim
and sincerity be brought to bear
While Grace addressed
the silent congregation
in the mission house
on Elm Street
the first of the early autumn
snowstorms embraced the town
The snowflakes dusted down
over the old buildings
as if this were just any old town
And they played in the branches and twigs
from which the apples had hung
but luckily the harvest was home
and via the freight industry
had found a market
despite the ever disappointing prices
Grace had presented
her story with clarity
She had not embellished
or understated
And just as she finished the snowflakes
all at once stopped tumbling down,
leaving Dogville clad
in the daintiest
whitest blanket of snow
imaginable
l don't think it went very well
lt's fine, you did good
The snow had come early
perhaps too early
A misplaced augury of conciliation
Tom looked around, worried
Vera's teeth were clenched
She was the first to speak
Copious lies
- Just lies
- Yes, Tom
l doesn't accord with the perception
l got of this town and its residents
l'm a doctor, damn it
l don't need anyone to tell me
if l'm sick or not
What do you have to
say for yourself, Tom?
Maybe it's time you picked sides!
Are you for us, or against us?
Liz is right
We've been far
too indulgent with Tom
Tom, l got to tell you
Even l have trouble defending that girl
With your help, which l prefer to think
was accidental, Tom...
She has managed to spread
bitterness
and troubles throughout
this whole town, she has to go
- How do we get rid of her, Tom
- So, how do we do it, Tom?
l agree, Tom
You brought her in here
You got to figure out
how to get her out
Without her lies
and accusations spreading
l asked you here to listen
You only came
to defend yourselves...
l'm sorry
it's quite a blow to me
to see all of my friends
act this way
so uncivilized
Your plan didn't work out
very well did it?
- You'll think of another one
- No
No more plans l promise
They asked me to chose
between you and them
That's not difficult
on a day like today, l love you
You may be stronger, it's true
but the ideals
the ideals we share
You look exhausted
Lie down
l've chosen, Grace
l have chosen you
Now it is the time!
The time we've been waiting for
We free ourselves of Dogville
You're right
You are right, you are right Tom
lt'd be so easy to make love right now
They may kill us any minute...
lt would be the perfect
- romantic ending
- l know l feel it too, l love You
lt would be so beautiful, but
from the point of view of our love
so completely wrong
We were to meet in freedom
You're cold now, Grace
l've just rejected everybody
l've ever known in your favor
Wouldn't it be worth compromising
just one of your ideals
just a little to ease my pain?
Everybody in this town
has had your body, but me
We're the ones
supposed to be in love
My darling Tom
You can have me if you want me
Just do what the others do
Threaten me
Tell me that you'll turn me
in to the law, to the
gangsters and l promise you
you can take whatever it is
you want from me
l trust you
But maybe you don't
trust yourself?
Perhaps you've been tempted
You've been tempted to join
the others and force me
Perhaps that's why you're so upset
All l've ever tried to do
is help you
l'm just asking if you're afraid
that you could be so human
No, l'm not afraid of that
Not in the least
Good
Let tomorrow bring
what it's gonna bring
lt's not a crime...
to doubt yourself, Tom
but it's wonderful that you don't
l can't find the rest
Maybe l should go out
for a couple of minutes
Take a walk or something
l don't know
To get it all out of my system
Trudge the streets...
listen to the wind as it passes through
the woods up through the valley
and all that
You go to sleep though
You go to sleep
and l will be back
very soon
Of course it was
all a load of nonsense
lf anybody was capable of keeping
track of ideals and reality, he was
After all, it was his job
Moral issues
were his home ground
To think that he might doubt his own purity
was really to think very little of him
Tom was angry
And in the midst of it all
he discovered why
lt was not because of he'd been
wrongly accused
but because the charges was true!
His anger consisted of a most
unpleasant feeling of being found out!
lt was all quite a blow
to the young philosopher!
And realistically enough, he thought
that if the doubt was already present
it could grow
Perhaps so great that one day
it would prove detrimental
to his entire moral mission
Tom stopped
He almost began to shake
when the threat to his career
as a writer dawned upon him
lt didn't take him long
to agree with himself
that the risk was
too great to run
The danger Grace was to the town
she was also to him!
Tom did not like it
And he was man enough
to take action to prevent it
Fortunately Tom was
as conscientious as regards
his future profession
as he was practical
He allowed sincerity and ideals
plenty of room in his life
without getting ''sentimental'' about it
as he would put it
Throwing away a document
that might be of significance to Tom
and with him
future generations of readers
as the basis of a novel
or indeed a trilogy
was not an act
he was so stupid to commit
although he had to admit
that in a moment of weakness
he might have said he would
Before returning to the meeting
that night
Tom opened the little drawer he had open
the night of Grace's arrival
and found it still there
the card from the gangster
in the car
The next day the sun was shining
in the brisk autumn sky
and the snow was long since gone
For the first time for ages
the pile driver could be heard in
the marshlands as it hammered in the piles
of what might or
what might not be a penitentiary
Grace opened her eyes
after an almost unconscious sleep
and was confused...
Judging by the light coming
through the cracks in the walls
it had to be nearly midday...
The grey hour as Jack McKay
for some reason called noon in Dogville
being a man of many ideas
and proclivities
quite a few of which Grace
would prefer to remain ignorant of!
But why had nobody roused her?
Nobody had hammered
furiously at her door
Not a child had thrown mud into her bed
or broken her remaining windowpanes
Now she remembered
She recalled the meeting
the previous day
and puzzled still more
Why had she not been confronted
with the outcome of that meeting?
Or even killed?
lt was quite unlike Dogville to restrain
its indignation at any point
Perhaps things had turned out
well after all?
- Good morning, Mrs. Henson
- Well, morning
l would have come earlier
l overslept
Oh, never mind
Liz put her back into it this morning
We thought some time off
would be good for you
That was quite a speech
you made yesterday
lt gave us
all something to think about
Hello, Liz!
Hi, Grace
l overslept
Good morning, Miss Grace
- Good morning
- How are you this morning?
- l overslept
- Oh, that's all right
Tom
Tom, l think it's Grace
Hello, Grace, two seconds...
Good news
l went back to the meeting
last night
l wasn't going to let them
get off so easy, but
l'll be damned
if the mood hadn't changed
l wouldn't say we won exactly
not exactly
but l think something very good
can come out of this
- something very good
- Why didn't you come back and tell me?!
No, l did
l did, but you were asleep
And you know
you looked like you needed it
and that made me suggest that
maybe you should have some time off
And you know
not one single person objected
That sounds wonderful
l know it does, doesn't it
No, but the people of this town
they surprise me again and again
l might even have to revise
my theories a little bit
You know how much l hate
doing that kind of thing
You know, Grace, last night when l
came back and l saw you
lying there asleep so sweetly
l was suddenly inspired
l wrote the first chapter of a story
A story about a small town
Guess where l got the inspiration?
But l haven't come up with
a name for the town yet
Why notjust call it Dogville?
Wouldn't work
No, it wouldn't work
lt's got to be universal
Lot of writers
make that mistake you see
Hey, do you want me
to read it to you?
lf there is any love in it
it comes from you...
Would you be offended
if l said no
- No
- lf l really do have the day
to myself...l
No
No
Two people only hurt
each other
if they doubt the love
they have for one another
You can read it some other time
You sit down some place
and gaze out at the mountains
lt's what the girl in my novel does
- l'll see you later
- l'll see you
Good news
Sensibly,
Grace chose to hope for the best
rather than fear the worst
and planned to spend the day calmly
washing her clothes and herself
which for some reason or another
she was sure none of the characters
from Tom's fictitious township
would dream of doing
And then it was as if
Dogville just waited
Even the wind dropped
leaving the town
in an unfamiliar calm
As if somebody had put
a large cheese dish cover over it
and created the kind of
quietness that descends
while you are awaiting visitors
After two days off
Grace had been put back to work
but the quietness remained...
lndeed it intensified...
until on the fifth day
it swelled into a strange mood
that all of a sudden
brought all the citizens
to the street to listen
They asked each other
if the phone was really still down
or if they'd heard about Ben
having had to turn his truck around
on his way to Georgetown
that very morning
on account of a large tree
blocking the road
They were not worried...
Worried was not the right word...
And then Tom spotted the cars
- How many cars?
- Go, look for yourself, eight, eight
Tom has binoculars, but you can see 'em
with the naked eye
There must be at least eight!
l thought the road was blocked
They must have come through
before the tree came down
June's bed! The sheets need changing
l'll be there in a minute
Hello, June
Grace had just started on the bed
which June had soiled yet again
when an irritating feeling of wasting
her time forced itself upon her
And it was without thinking
she then said the words
Nobody's gonna sleep here
She didn't say them out loud
but even so she was startled by
the utterance that had urged itself upon her
Where had these ominous
words come from?
Darkness was falling as Grace made
her way home from work that evening
The people on the square
overlooking the valley
had finally given up hope of seeing
anything else now the light had faded
They trudged up Elm Street
in disappointment
- Tom?
- Hi, Grace
There were some cars, but
it's too dark,
we can't see any more
We haven't seen much of each other
Yah, l know, l've been busy
with my book, you know
Can l ask you something?
Yeah, anything
You couldn't bring yourself
to throw it away, could you?
The number he gave you that night
You couldn't throw it away
l told you how dangerous
that man was
That was stupid
Stupid or not
Tom was soon
a passionate spokesman
for locking Grace
in her shed that night
lf the vehicles were indeed
a sign that the call
Tom had placed five days earlier
on behalf of the community
to the number indicated
on the card from
his bureau drawer
had at last led to action
and Grace was now to be
eliminated from their lives
it would surely look good
if the town had also locked her up
Grace was lying on the bed
when Jason was sent up with the key
Grace heard it turn in the lock,
but she was deeply
absorbed by arguments
and thoughts on matters
she had otherwise avoided
for the best part of a year now
From the moment when they'd finally
heard the sound of vehicles
starting one after the other from
the direction of the edge of the woods
things had moved rapidly
Tom had arranged a delegation
to provide a proper reception
Dogville might be off
the beaten track
but it was hospitable,
nevertheless
Welcome gentlemen, welcome
The town places itself
at your disposal!
l should have a large key to give to you
But l only have this small one
- Where ls she?
- Secured by this very key
Where is she?
Okay
lf you are wondering
about that sound
The driving piles
for the new penitentiary
Tell me, has the crime rate
really gone up in this country
as we are lead to believe
Maybe people just regard things
as criminal
because uh...because uh
they envy their success?
What's your opinion on the subject
Maybe you have none
l'll get the door...
Sorry
Voila! As the French might say
What the hell is this?
Who did that?
Billy, put your hand up
put your hand up
- Who's Billy?
- Come on, you just get your tools
lt's okay
- Open it up
- Okay
We felt safer
when she had the chain on
You are probably more adapted
at handling her kind
None of us feel able to accept money
forjust helping people
l mean not unless
it would make you feel
- better to divest yourself
- Shut the hell up!
Absolutely
Grace was no expert
in exclusive automobiles
Yet, she recognized
with no difficulty
the sound of the vehicle
that was rounding the corner
from Canyon Road
at that very moment
Alas, in Grace's memory
the legendary purr of
the Cadillac series C
was inextricably linked
with another
rather less sophisticated sound
that of gunfire
directed against her person
Don't
You need to justify your actions
before you shoot us
That's new
That could be interpreted
as weakness, Daddy...
l'm disappointed in you!
l'm not gonna shoot anybody
You shot at me before
Yes
l'm sorry, l regret that
You ran away
But shooting at you
certainly didn't help matters
Of course not
You're, far, far too stubborn
lf you don't want to kill me
then why did you come?
Our last conversation
the one in which you told me
what it was you didn't like about me
never really concluded
as you ran away
l should be allowed to tell you
what l don't like about you
That l believe
would be a rule
of polite conversation, you know
That's why you showed up?
And you call me stubborn
You're sure
you're not here to force me
to go back and
become like you?
lf l thought there was a chance
of forcing you
but of course
that will never happen
You are more
more than welcome
to return home and
become my daughter again
anytime and
l would even begin to
share my power and responsibility
with you if you did
Not that you care
So what is it?
What is it, the thing...
the thing that you don't like about me?
lt was a word you used
that provoked me
You called me arrogant
To plunder
as it were a God given right
l'd call that arrogant, daddy
But that is exactly
what l don't like about you
lt is you that is arrogant!
That's what you came here say?
l'm not the one passing
judgment, Daddy, you are
No, you do not pass judgment
because you sympathize with them
A deprived childhood
and a homicide really isn't
necessarily a homicide, right?
The only thing you can blame
is circumstances
Rapists and murderers
may be the victims
according to you, but
l call them dogs
and if they're lapping up
their own vomit
the only way to stop them
is with the lash
But dogs only obey their own nature
So why shouldn't we forgive them?
Dogs can be taught
many useful things
but not if we forgive them every time
they obey their own nature
So, l'm arrogant
l'm arrogant because
l forgive people?
My God
Can't you see how condescending
you are when you say that?
You have this preconceived notion
that nobody, listen
that nobody can't possibly attain
the same high
ethical standards as you
so you exonerate them
l can not think of anything
more arrogant than that
You, my child...
my dear child
you forgive others with excuses
that you would never in the world
permit for yourself
Why shouldn't l be merciful?
Why?
No, no, no You should,
you should be merciful
when there is time to be merciful
But you must maintain
your own standard
You owe them that
You owe them that
The penalty you deserve
for your transgressions
they deserve
for their transgressions
- they are human beings
- No, no, no
Does every human being need to be
accountable for their actions?
Of course they do
But you don't even give them
that chance
And that is extremely arrogant
l love you, l love you
l love you to death
But you are the most
arrogant person l have ever met
And you call me arrogant!
l have no more to say
You are arrogant, l'm arrogant
You've said it, now you can leave
And without my daughter,
l suppose?
Uhm...
- l said without my daughter?
- Hmm, yes!
- Well
- Yes
Well, you decide, you decide
Grace, they say you are having
some trouble here
No
No more trouble than back home
l'll give you a little time
to think about this
Perhaps you will change your mind
l won't
Listen, my love...
power is not so bad...
l am sure
that you can find a way
to make use of it in your own fashion...
Take a walk and think about it
The people who live here
are doing their best under
very hard circumstances
lf you say so, Grace
But is their best
really good enough?
Do they love you?
Grace had already
thought for a long time
She had known that if she were not shot
when the gangsters arrived
she would be faced with her father's
suggestion that she return
to become a conspirator with him
and his gang of thugs and felons
and she did not need any walk
to reconsider her response to that
Even though the difference between
the people she knew back home
and the people
she'd met in Dogville
had proven somewhat slighter
than she'd expected
Grace looked at the gooseberry bushes
so fragile in the smooth darkness
lt was good to know that
if you did not treat them ill
they would be there
come spring as always
and come summer they'd again
be bursting with the quite
incomprehensible quantity of berries
that were so good in pies
specially with cinnamon
Grace looked around at the frightened
faces behind the windowpanes
that were following
her every step
and felt ashamed of being
part of inflicting that fear
How could she ever hate them
for what was at bottom
merely their weakness?
She would probably have done things
like those that had befallen her
if she'd lived
in one of these houses
to measure them by her own yardstick
as her father put it
Would she not, in all honesty
have done the same as Chuck
and Vera and Ben
and Mrs. Henson
and Tom
and all these people
in their houses?
Grace paused
And while she did, the clouds scattered
and let the moonlight through
and Dogville underwent another of those
little changes of light
lt was if the light, previously
so merciful and faint
finally refused to cover up
for the town any longer
Suddenly you could
no longer imagine
a berry that would appear one day
on a gooseberry bush
but only see the thorn
that was there right now
The light now penetrated every
unevenness and flaw in the buildings...
and
in... the people!
And all of a sudden she knew
the answer to her question all to well
lf she had acted like them
she could not have defended
a single one of her actions
and could not have condemned
them harshly enough
lt was as if her sorrow and pain
finally assumed their rightful place
No
What they had done
was not good enough
And if one had the power
to put it to rights,
it was one's duty to do so
for the sake of the other towns
For the sake of humanity
And not least
for the sake of the human being
that was Grace herself
lf l went back and
became your daughter again
when would l be given the power
you're talking about?
- Now?
- At once
Why not?
So that would mean that
l'd also take on the immediate
responsibilities at once
l'd be a part
in the problem solving...
Like the problem...
of Dogville
We can start by
shooting a dog
and nailing it to a wall
Over there
beneath that lamp, for example
Well, it might help
lt sometimes does
lt would only make
the town more frightened,
but hardly make it a better place
And it could happen again
Somebody happening by
revealing...
...their frailty
That's what l wanna use the power for
if you don't mind
l wanna make this world
a little better
Yeah
That damn kid won't shut up
Says he wants to talk to you, Miss
Can we just shoot him now?
No, no, no
let me talk to him
What?
What is it?
A man can't really be blamed
for being scared now, can he?
No, that's true
No, l'm scared, Grace
l used you, and l'm sorry
l am stupid, l am
Maybe even arrogant sometimes
You are, Tom
Although using people
is not very charming
l think you have to agree
that this
specific illustration
has surpassed all expectations
lt says so much about being human
lt's been painful
But l think you also have to agree
it has been edifying
- Wouldn't you say?
- Not now, Tom
Not now
lf there is any town this world would be
better without, this is it
Yes?
Shoot them
and burn down the town
What?
Something else, honey?
There is a family with kids...
Do the kids first
and make the mother watch
Tell her you will stop
if she can hold back her tears
l owe her that
l'm afraid she cries
a little too easily
We've better get you out of here
l'm afraid, you've learned
far too much already
Are you cold, Sweetie
Do you need a wrap?
l'm fine
You want the curtains opened?
You don't need them anymore
What do you think?
l think we should open them
l think it's appropriate
No!
No, no
Oh, God, no!
No, no, no!
- Mom, dad!
- No!
- Dad!
- No!
Mom!
Mom!
Mom help! Help!
Mom!
Bingo Grace!
Bingo!
l have to tell you, your illustration
beat the hell out of mine
lt's frightening, yes
but so clear
Do you think that l can
allow myself to use it as a
inspiration in my writing
Goodbye, Tom
Some things you have to do
yourself
Really?
That one you're gonna have
to explain to me on the way home
Suddenly there was a noise
Not so persuasive and powerful
as it had been on
one rainy night in spring
but loud enough to work
its way through the final sighs of
the timber
that was rapidly burning out
lt came again
Everyone heard it
Grace was the first to recognize it
That's Moses
That's Moses, she said
and jumped out of the car
She quickly covered the distance
to the dog pen
over what
now the buildings were gone
could scarcely be called a street
and certainly not Elm Street
as there wasn't a tree left on
Dogville's little mountain ledge
let alone an elm
lt was Moses
His survival was astonishing
a miracle
No, no
No, just let him be
They will have spotted the flames
in Georgetown by now
Some one will come
and find him
He's just angry because
l once took his bone
Whether Grace left Dogville
or on the contrary
Dogville had left her
and the world in general
is a question of a more
artful nature
that few would benefit
from by asking
and even fewer
by providing an answer
And nor indeed
will it be answered here!