Coming soon to an iPod near you

Really--I cannot tell you how many times I have been on the subway at rush hour, gripping the pole in sad silence and thinking, "God, I wish I could watch just part of Lars von Trier's latest self-aware, anti-American allegory right now." I must not be alone, because indieWIRE's Eugene Hernandez reports that IFC Films has pacted with iTunes to make the first 10 minutes of von Trier's Manderlay available for download starting Friday.

This is kind of great, actually, because if I remember correctly, the first 10 minutes are just enough to confirm how much you are going to miss Nicole Kidman and James Caan, whose Dogville parts are reprised in Manderlay by Bryce Dallas Howard and Willem Dafoe. The video iPod's three-inch screen should be just small enough to lose their tiny car traveling on a map of the American South, and John Hurt's narration should sound appropriately tinny through those radical white earbuds. But if it will hold you over until February's release, IFC chief Jon Sehring is alllllll about it:

"The industry continues to adapt, from collapsing windows, to day-and-date initiatives, both of which we are aggressively establishing. Utilizing new technologies to cross promote and unveil product is a natural evolution, and we are thrilled to pioneer this with Apple."

Hey, I have a better idea. You know how IFC Center is always, like, empty? Why not charge two dollars to screen the first 10 minutes of the film there? I mean, it might not draw Three of Hearts-level crowds, but if we are "cross-promoting" our "product," you know it cannot hurt. Isn't that why it is there?