Werckmeister Harmonies, a Hungarian film from director Bela Tarr, takes place in a small village. Janos is an optimistic young man who is eagerly awaiting a mysterious circus that is about to roll through town, carrying with it a giant, stuffed whale and a mysterious person known only as the Prince, who may possess some otherworldly talents. Everyone in the village besides Janos is fearing what the circus may bring after hearing awful rumors that the Prince's followers have been ransacking the towns that the circus visits.
The film's story, in this case, may be secondary to the images. In the 145 minute running time, Tarr uses only 39 shots. His camera floats as smoothly as if it were on air. This is especially evident in the 11 minute opening shot that shows Janos, in a pub, explaining how an eclipse works to a group of drunken villagers. The camera in this film is like the Energizer Bunny. It just keeps going and going long after you figured it would stop. But, the craziest thing about it is that it always works and never feels like a gimmick.
The images do have their fair amount of help, though. There is not a bad performance amongst this group of actors. And the fantastic score, by Mihaly Vig, complements the film perfectly. It all adds up to a completely enveloping, if not totally comprehensible viewing experience.
1 comment:
It certainly has some incredible shots in it, but I wasn't that engaged with it as a whole, to be honest. I liked the strange, almost creepy, atmosphere and I agree that the performances were good. I guess I just don't see why it has this reputation of being some sort of overlooked masterpiece. It was good, and has astaounding camera work, but I didn't think it was a great movie.
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