In association with

Werckmeister Harmonies / Damnation [2001]
from Artificial Eye
starring Lars Rudolph, Peter Fitz, Hanna Schygulla, János Derzsi, Djoko Rosic
directed by Béla Tarr, Ágnes Hranitzky

Features:

• Black & White
• PAL
• Widescreen

Customer Reviews:

• Avg. Customer Rating: 3.5 / 5.0

• Damnation
  One of the worst films I have ever seen . I am not doubting the creative images and some of the shots are amazing , but how many times can one director use the very slow pan to the right or left in one film ! for the last 20 minutes of this film I was in physical pain

• I couldn't believe the frail woman could have so much blood in her
  This quote from Damnation lifted straight out of Shakespeare (Lady Macbeth on the murdered Duncan). No surprise, Bela Tarr adapted Macbeth the year before he made Damnation.
  I enjoy avant-garde cinema. Truffaut, Kurosawa, Lynch, Fellini, Tarkovsky, Von Trier, you name it. My wife boggles at some of the material I am willing to sit through - sprawling, angst-ridden films by thin, angst-ridden auteurs, but Bela Tarr is, in my humble opinion, a straw man. If you want something grey and existentialist... more info

• Two Bela Tarr Classics
  Damnation (1987): stricken by hopelessness a man seeks salvation in his desire for a woman, who he then betrays to the authorities, betraying his own humanity in the process.
  Werckmeister Harmonies (2000): a strange carnival comes to town during a corrupt election which erupts into mob violence.
  Arty black & white; very long takes; very slow pans & zooms; characters muttering profound aphorisms; a general mood of existentialist angst. At first Bela Tarr seems like a throwback to the days... more info

• Very unique and unusual films
  "Werckmeister Harmonies" and "Damnation" are two of the strangest avant-garde films that I have ever seen. Heavily influenced by Tarkovsky, they make his films appear light hearted and mainstream in comparison.Both of them are filmed in black and white and they are extremely slow moving ,plot free, and contain minimal dialogue and characterisation. The films generate an atmospheric mood of desperation and depression by a combination of very long takes mostly featuring morose Hungarians and stray dogs... more info

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