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Essay Quiz
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1

In 1938, American playwright, Thornton Wilder wrote a play called Our Town. Wilder borrowed the minimalist conventions of the Asian Theatre to represent a small American town. A ladder for instance, served to suggest that a character was speaking from the second story of a house. This is an example of Theatricalism. Recently film director Lars Van Tier similarly did away with the trappings of Realism, and chose very consciously to depict a small American town in a style reminiscent of Wilder's Our Town. His film was called Dogville. Enter the following Dogville website: (http://www.tvropa.com/Dogville/) and notice how the ground plan literally turns into the set. (You'll understand this better by going to the website!) Finally discuss what you think might be gained by directors or playwrights who choose to simply suggest the environment rather than depicting the entire setting.

NOTE: You might also read Stephen Holden's review of Dogville in The New York Times at: http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/26/movies/26DOG.html?ex=1111813200&en=ff7809df7f8dba29&ei=5083&partner=Rotten%20Tomatoes





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