Manderlay

"Liberation. Whether they want it or not."

2005 2h 18m DA

👍

6.9

SOLID

★6.9TMDB · 418

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In 1933, a young woman and her father discover an Alabama plantation whose inhabitants live as if slavery had never been abolished. Feeling a sense of duty to those behind the heavy gates, she stays to liberate the people and see them through their first harvest. With four of her father's colleagues and a lawyer, she faces the daunting task of resurrecting the place known as Manderlay.

“Liberation. Whether they want it or not.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Bryce Dallas Howard
Grace Margaret Mulligan
Isaach de Bankolé
Timothy
Danny Glover
Wilhelm
Willem Dafoe
Grace's Father
Michaël Abiteboul
Thomas
Lauren Bacall
Mam
Jean-Marc Barr
Mr. Robinsson
Geoffrey Bateman
Bertie

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Lars von Trier
Writers: Lars von Trier, Sune Elskær
Languages: English
Countries: Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, United Kingdom, Italy

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 5% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 21 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 8 countries: Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, United Kingdom, Italy.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "USA: Land of Opportunities Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CAST

Did you know

236+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Lars von Trier, shot by Anthony Dod Mantle. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Joachim Holbek. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Molly Malene Stensgaard shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Lars von Trier directs. Anthony Dod Mantle behind the camera. Joachim Holbek scores. Molly Malene Stensgaard cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, United Kingdom, Italy. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 5% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
2Released 21 years ago.
3International production across 8 countries: Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, United Kingdom, Italy.
4Part of the "USA: Land of Opportunities Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
5236+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.
6Directed by Lars von Trier, shot by Anthony Dod Mantle. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by Joachim Holbek. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor Molly Malene Stensgaard shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Bryce Dallas Howard and Isaach de Bankolé and Danny Glover carry the top of the cast.
10Marketing tagline: "Liberation. Whether they want it or not.".
11IMDB entry: tt0342735 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
12Classified under 10 themes, including "southern usa", "slavery", "plantation", "sequel".

The technical file

Cinematography: Anthony Dod Mantle
Original score: Joachim Holbek
Editing: Molly Malene Stensgaard
Costume design: Manon Rasmussen
Makeup / hair: Sara Meerman
VFX supervisor: Peter Hjorth
Sound: Per Streit
Runtime: 138 min · 2h 18m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $14,200,000
Box office: $674,918
Return: 5% of budget
Original language: DA
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Manderlay (2005)

Part of

USA: Land of Opportunities Collection

The USA: Land of Opportunities Collection was a proposed trilogy by Danish filmmaker Lars von Trier. It was supposed to include Dogville (2003), Manderlay (2005), and a final film Wasington which was never made.

Also by

Lars von Trier

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Andres Gomez2014-10-03
★ 6/10
Interesting social / psychological experiment following the trail of Dogville but not as round and imaginative as the previous one.

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