Dogma

Dogma (1999)

Timing: 2:10 (130 min)

6.923/10
2801

7.684/10
165731

7.3/10
240000

All about film

Video 10

Photo 118

Actors and characters

Release date

1999-10-04

Country

United States

Production

Lionsgate, Film4 Productions, Miramax, View Askew Productions, STK Films

Genre

Fantasy, Comedy, Adventure

Budget

$10 000 000

Revenue

$33 535 478

Website

http://www.dogma-movie.com/

Director

Kevin Smith

Actors

Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Linda Fiorentino, Salma Hayek Pinault, Jason Lee, Jason Mewes, Alan Rickman, Chris Rock, George Carlin, Bud Cort
All actors and roles (10)

Scenario

Kevin Smith

Producer

Scott Mosier, Jonathan Gordon

Operator

Robert D. Yeoman

Composer

Howard Shore

Artist

Audition

Editing

Kevin Smith, Scott Mosier
All team (52)

• The role of Loki was specifically written for Jason Lee, but due to commitments to other projects, he turned it down, instead playing Azrael.
• After meeting Bethany, Jay says: “I’m like Han, you’re Chewie, she’s Ben Kenobi, and we’re in this goddamn bar!”. This phrase is a reference to 'Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope' (1977).
• The transition between scenes is done in the same way as in 'Star Wars': a gradual shift from one shot to another.
• During filming, the project was known as “Bearclaw”.
• On the train, when Silent Bob grabs Bartleby, the latter shouts: “Schuyler Bob? You’ve completely lost it, Schuyler Bob!”. This phrase was not in the script and is an improvisation by the actor. Ben Affleck wanted to say “Silent Bob” in German, but instead something else came out: the fact is that 'schueler' in German means 'student'. Despite Affleck’s mistake, Kevin Smith decided to leave this scene in the film.
• In the opening scene, at the airport, Gwyneth Paltrow sits near Ben Affleck. We never actually see her on screen, as she wasn't planning to appear in the film even in a cameo, but was invited to the set by Ben Affleck.
• 'Dogma' was the fourth film in the so-called View Askewniverse. Other films include 'Clerks' (1994), 'Mallrats' (1995), 'Chasing Amy' (1996), 'Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back' (2001), and 'Clerks 2' (2006). All these films are united by common characters, plotlines, events, and contain numerous allusions and references to each other.
• According to Kevin Smith, Gillian Anderson was the initial choice for the role of Bethany.
• When Azrael tells Silent Bob to hit him with a golf club, he verbatim repeats a monologue from the film 'Howl': 'Come on, take it. Don't be shy. Take it. That's it. Consider it a gift. I'm feeling generous today, be brave. Come on, buffalo.'
• The film contains several references and allusions to George Carlin, including the name Rufus (his character from 'Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure' and 'Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey'), as well as quotes from his performances.
• When Azrael is talking to Bartleby and Loki in the children's world, you can notice a Madman toy in the background. Madman is a character created by Mike Allred, who did the comic book sketches shown in 'Chasing Amy'.
• Rufus talks about Viphany's past, mentioning a child named Brian Johnson. Brian Johnson is a friend of Kevin Smith who appeared in most of his films. Johnson is also a screenwriter and director, having directed 'Clerks' – the first View Askew film not directed by Kevin Smith.
• Rufus's line, 'Do I know him? That n****r owes me 12 bucks!' is an improvisation by Chris Rock.
• In the initial script versions, the dialogue between Loki and the nun was much more vulgar.
• All the angels wear the same clothes, differing only in color.
• Several Roman Catholic organizations called for a boycott of this film.
• The clothing of each of the angels (Metatron, Bartleby, and Loki) includes hoods, which symbolize their halos.
• Robert Holtzman, the film's set decorator, played the role of a police officer. There is also a character in the film named after him – Mr. Holtzman.
• The film contains references and allusions to various comics. For example, one of the members of the Infernal Trio is wearing a T-shirt with Hellboy on it; Bartleby says, 'Don't make me angry. You won't like me when I'm angry,' which is a reference to Hulk; and a Madman toy can be spotted in a children's world.
• In one scene, Jay and Silent Bob talk about searching for the fictional town of Shermer. This is a reference to John Hughes' films. Later, Rufus recounts the past of Bethany, mentioning a child named Brian Johnson. This was also the name of a character from John Hughes' film 'The Breakfast Club,' which took place in Shermer.
• Bill Murray and Adam Sandler were considered for the role of Azrael.
• After several failed takes of the scene where Jay was supposed to shout at God demanding explanations for what had happened, Kevin Smith told Jason Mewes to simply imitate Daffy Duck.
• The design of The Mooby restaurant's outdoor dining area was specifically created for the film. The shape of the area resembles a giant meat grinder.
• The execution scene in the boardroom was intended to resemble John Woo films, but Kevin Smith decided to abandon the idea at the last moment.
• After Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier learned that Alan Rickman was a big fan of the film 'Chasing Amy,' they immediately offered him the role of Metatron. After reading the script, Rickman asked only two questions: 1) will the film adhere to the script?; 2) will the wings be computer-generated or mechanical?
• Bartleby and Loki's mailing address is 345 Redemption Blvd, Milwakee. The address can be seen on the envelope containing the newspaper clipping.
• Kevin Smith really wanted Robert Rodriguez to direct the film. Robert liked the script, but believed it was too personal a story and insisted that Smith direct it himself.
• There were about eight versions of the script, one of which (the third) leaked online even before the film's release. This version caused the most protest from religious organizations.
• In one scene of the film, Silent Bob is reading a copy of USA Today. Kevin Smith met his wife during an interview she conducted with him for this newspaper.
• The footage showing the train from the outside was borrowed from the film 'Narrow Margin'.
• According to Kevin Smith, it was very difficult for him to work with Linda Fiorentino. It got to the point where they didn't speak to each other for days. Smith says he regrets not giving the role of Bethany to Janine Garofalo.
• The screenwriter, director, and one of the film's stars, Kevin Smith "participated" in a boycott of his own film, organized by religious groups. He stood in the crowd with a vulgar poster and even gave an interview to television under the name of his friend Brian Johnson. When asked, "What are you protesting?" He replied: "I don't know, but I was told, against "something bad".
• The role of God was written for Holly Hunter, but she was unable to participate in the film. Despite this, a reference to "The Piano" remained in the movie.
• Emma Thompson was also considered for the role of God, but she was unable to participate in the film due to the birth of her child.
• Originally, Alanis Morissette was supposed to play Bethany Sloan, but she couldn't do it due to her world tour. However, she still appeared in the film, playing the role of God.
• There were eight different script versions, but none of them mentioned God deciding to clean up the street after what the angels had done. This scene was included in the film at the very last moment.
• After Silent Bob throws the angels off the train, he says to the surprised passenger: “Fare dodger.” This is a reference to the film “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.”
• After God resurrects Bethany, Metatron says: “She’s got the technique. She heals. Makes you better, stronger, faster…” This phrase is a reference to the film “The Six Million Dollar Man.”
• Throughout the film, Silent Bob says three words (two in the Russian translation): “fare dodger” on the train; and “thank you” after Rufus speaks to Jay before returning to heaven.
• Kevin Smith wrote a draft of the screenplay in the early 1990s and planned to film "Dogma" immediately after "Clerks", the end credits of which state that "Jay and Silent Bob will return in 'Dogma'." However, Smith was not fully satisfied with the script and decided to postpone the project. He also wanted to make a film with high-quality special effects.
• After meeting Bethany, Jay says, "I'm like Han, you're Chewie, she's Ben Kenobi, and we're in this goddamn bar!". This phrase is a reference to "Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope" (1977).
• The transition between scenes is done as in "Star Wars": a gradual change from one frame to another.
• On the train, when Silent Bob grabs Bartleby, the latter shouts: "Schuler Bob? You've completely lost it, Schuler Bob!". This phrase was not in the script and is an improvisation by the actor. Ben Affleck wanted to say "Silent Bob" in German, but it turned out something else: the fact is that "schueler" in German means "student". Despite Affleck's mistake, Kevin Smith decided to leave this scene in the film.
• "Dogma" is the fourth film in the so-called View Askewniverse. Other films include "Clerks" (1994), "Mallrats" (1995), "Chasing Amy" (1996), "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back" (2001), and "Clerks 2" (2006). All these films are united by common characters, storylines, events, and contain numerous hints and references to each other.
• When Azrael tells Silent Bob to hit him with a golf club, he verbatim repeats a monologue from the movie 'The Howling': “Come on, take it. Don't be shy. Take it. That's it. Consider it a gift from me. I’m feeling generous today, be bolder. Come on, buffalo.”
• The film contains several references and allusions to George Carlin, including the name Rufus (his character from 'Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure' and 'Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey'), as well as quotes from his performances.
• When Azrael talks to Bartleby and Loki in the children's world, a Madman toy can be seen in the background. Madman is a character created by Mike Allred, who drew comics shown in 'Chasing Amy'.
• Rufus talks about Vefania’s past, mentioning a child named Brian Johnson. Brian Johnson is a friend of Kevin Smith who has appeared in most of his films. Johnson is also a screenwriter and director, having directed 'P.O.V.' – the first film from View Askew Studios not directed by Kevin Smith.
• Rufus’s line, “Do I know him? That n-word owes me 12 bucks!” is an improvisation by Chris Rock.
• The film contains references and allusions to various comics. For example, one of the Hellspawn Trio is wearing a Hellboy t-shirt; Bartleby says, “Don’t make me angry. You won’t like me when I’m angry,” which is a reference to Hulk; a Madman toy can be spotted in a children's store.
• In one scene, Jay and Silent Bob talk about searching for the fictional town of Shermer. This is a nod to John Hughes' films. Later, Rufus recounts Bethany's past, mentioning a child named Brian Johnson. A character in John Hughes’ film “The Breakfast Club,” which takes place in Shermer, also bore that name.
• After Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier learned that Alan Rickman was a big fan of “Chasing Amy,” they immediately offered him the role of Metatron. After reading the script, Rickman asked only two questions: 1) Will the film adhere strictly to the script?; 2) Will the wings be computer-generated or mechanical?