History YMMV / DancerInTheDark

* AwardSnub: Björk's performance was overlooked by the Oscars, though it was awarded the Best Actress prize at Cannes.

* AwardSnub: Bjork's performance was overlooked by the Oscars, though it was awarded the Best Actress prize at Cannes.
* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: The first dance number "Cvalda"; Selma (Bjork)'s elaborate dance number atop a moving train about [[MoodDissonance how she is going blind]] and no longer needs her glasses: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62pLY5zFTtc "I've Seen It All."]]
* HarsherInHindsight: The amount of HostilityOnTheSet discussion becomes this when Bjork would reveal that von Trier sexually harassed her as well during the production of the movie. It was also a factor in her refusal to return to acting, although she ''did'' state that she would like to do acting again, just ''not'' with von Trier.

* SugarWiki/SheReallyCanAct: Music/{{Bjork}} ''really'' surprised people for how well she was able to play the role of Selma. Even those who hate von Trier's work for his [[HobbesWasRight usual]] [[CrapsackWorld film]] [[DownerEnding traits]] will agree he did an amazing job with Bjork with this movie.

* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: The spontaneous, random hallucinations of musical numbers Selma experiences could be considered this.
** Averted by the fact that the movie is a musical. The musical sequences seem a little strange (in comparison to 'conventional' musicals), and can therefore give the impression of a BLAM, but do, in fact, make a lot of sense to the plot and message of the movie.

* OneSceneWonder: Joel Grey plays Selma's Czech musical idol.
* [[{{SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct}} She Really Can Act]]: Bjork ''really'' surprised people for how well she was able to play the role of Selma. Even those who hate von Trier's work for his [[HobbesWasRight usual]] [[CrapsackWorld film]] [[DownerEnding traits]] will agree he did an amazing job with Bjork with this movie.

* TheWoobie: Selma, just so much.

* LighterAndSofter: Barely, just barely. Relative to Von Trier's other films, this film at least grants the protagonist some semblance of a BittersweetEnding. [[spoiler:Yes she's unceremoniously and unjustly executed, but she manages to save her son's eyesight and dies with something resembling peace.]]

* TheWoobie: Selma... just Selma...

* DirtyCoward: Bill Houston fits this trope to a T. He could initially be perceived as a JerkassWoobie, given his somewhat understandable motives, but he quickly slides away from anything resembling sympathy [[spoiler:when he steals from an extremely-vulnerable Selma to placate his own ego, frames her for theft and tries to get her and her son evicted despite them doing nothing wrong, and ultimately dooms her by forcing her to kill him. Furthermore, he essentially brought all of his woes upon himself by refusing to take responsibility for his financial problems for fear of looking weak in the eyes of his wife. He openly admits to being too much of a coward to kill himself, yet in the same breath frames Selma even as he asks her to kill him, all because he's utterly incapable of confronting his own faults.]]

* HarsherInHindsight: The amount of HostilityOnTheSet discussion becomes this when Bjork would reveal that von Trier sexually harassed her as well during the production of the movie. It was also a factor in her refusal to return to acting, although she ''did'' state that she would like to do acting again, just ''not'' with von Trier.

* CrowningMusicOfAwesome: The first dance number "Cvalda"; Selma (Bjork)'s elaborate dance number atop a moving train about [[MoodDissonance how she is going blind]] and no longer needs her glasses: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62pLY5zFTtc "I've Seen It All."]]

* AmericansHateTingle: This movie got a bad reception in the UK and didn't sell well in there, arguably due to media surrounding the HostilityOnTheSet between Björk and Lars von Trier.

* AmericansHateTingle: This movie got a bad reception in the UK and didn't sell well in there.

* LoveItOrHateIt: Critical reception was (and still is) polarizing, with some praising it as being a masterpiece while others disregard it as being "melodramatic".

* TearJerker: Suggested double bill: this movie and ''GraveOfTheFireflies''.

* {{TearJerker}}: Suggested double bill: this movie and ''GraveOfTheFireflies''.

* {{Tearjerker}}: Suggested double bill: this movie and ''GraveOfTheFireflies''.

* LoveItOrHateIt: On ''The Movie Show'', Australia's equivelant of ''At the Movies with Siskel and Ebert'', David Stratton gave this 0 stars whilst Margaret Pomeranz gave it 5. This is the only time this has happened on the show. It was called "artistically bankrupt" by ''Variety'' and hailed as a "masterpiece" by many other critics. It caused a riot in the theater at Cannes.