“If something is boring after two minutes, try it for four. If still boring, then eight. Then sixteen. Then thirty-two. Eventually one discovers that it is not boring at all.”
— John Cage
Sátántangó’s first few minutes provide an unsubtle hint that we’re in for a slow and gloomy slog, though you would expect that from any film by Béla Tarr. The Hungarian master, currently retired (he insists), is an international star who never set out to make a crowd-pleaser, even if his primary characters are pleasure-seeking proles at large in the swampy ruins of the post-Communist Eastern European Bloc.
Sátántangó commences with a wide, stagnant shot over a muddy paddock, a congregation of cows rooted in puddles in the near distance. The cows are themselves pretty interesting to observe, especially as one or two appear aware of the camera. They saunter toward the edges of the frame, and the camera bestirs itself,...
— John Cage
Sátántangó’s first few minutes provide an unsubtle hint that we’re in for a slow and gloomy slog, though you would expect that from any film by Béla Tarr. The Hungarian master, currently retired (he insists), is an international star who never set out to make a crowd-pleaser, even if his primary characters are pleasure-seeking proles at large in the swampy ruins of the post-Communist Eastern European Bloc.
Sátántangó commences with a wide, stagnant shot over a muddy paddock, a congregation of cows rooted in puddles in the near distance. The cows are themselves pretty interesting to observe, especially as one or two appear aware of the camera. They saunter toward the edges of the frame, and the camera bestirs itself,...
- 2/8/2024
- by Jessica Almereyda
- The Film Stage
We here at IndieWire care deeply about animals. So much so, in fact, that we racked our brains, debated among ourselves, and got into shouting matches over the relative merits of our favorite four-legged movie characters (okay, maybe not that last part).
A few ground rules came into play when whittling down our selections. Live-action animals made the cut, as did CGI creations in live-action films; fully animated productions, however, did not (sorry, Dante from “Coco”). We’ve been blessed with many great cinematic creatures in recent years, some of whom are no longer with us. Lucky, then, that their work is immortalized onscreen.
20. Marvin, “Paterson”
There are many reasons why Jim Jarmusch’s remarkable “Paterson” shouldn’t have worked, but principal among them is its heavy reliance on an actual performance from an English Bulldog. The story of a bus-driving poet (Adam Driver) from New Jersey, the film follows...
A few ground rules came into play when whittling down our selections. Live-action animals made the cut, as did CGI creations in live-action films; fully animated productions, however, did not (sorry, Dante from “Coco”). We’ve been blessed with many great cinematic creatures in recent years, some of whom are no longer with us. Lucky, then, that their work is immortalized onscreen.
20. Marvin, “Paterson”
There are many reasons why Jim Jarmusch’s remarkable “Paterson” shouldn’t have worked, but principal among them is its heavy reliance on an actual performance from an English Bulldog. The story of a bus-driving poet (Adam Driver) from New Jersey, the film follows...
- 3/30/2018
- by Michael Nordine, Kate Erbland, David Ehrlich, Jenna Marotta, Jamie Righetti, Chris O'Falt, Anne Thompson and Steve Greene
- Indiewire
Looking back on this still-young century makes clear that 2007 was a major time for cinematic happenings — and, on the basis of this retrospective, one we’re not quite through with ten years on. One’s mind might quickly flash to a few big titles that will be represented, but it is the plurality of both festival and theatrical premieres that truly surprises: late works from old masters, debuts from filmmakers who’ve since become some of our most-respected artists, and mid-career turning points that didn’t necessarily announce themselves as such at the time. Join us as an assembled team, many of whom were coming of age that year, takes on their favorites.
Upon the release of The Man from London, one might have been hard-pressed to consider Béla Tarr and his co-director Ágnes Hranitzky genre filmmakers beyond the broad designation of “European art house cinema.” While still fitting snugly...
Upon the release of The Man from London, one might have been hard-pressed to consider Béla Tarr and his co-director Ágnes Hranitzky genre filmmakers beyond the broad designation of “European art house cinema.” While still fitting snugly...
- 1/1/2018
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
Operating somewhere between Bergman and Tarkovsky, Béla Tarr has been a wholly original inspiration for remodernist filmmakers for his spiritually exploratory form of cinema that revels in extremely long takes and the dire desolation of humanity itself (see his 7.5 hour epic Sátántangó). With his longtime editor, Ágnes Hranitzky, Tarr co-directed what may turn out to be his final feature, the brutal, coldly intense paragon of philosophic, but to-the-point filmmaking, The Turin Horse. Pushing his craft to the bleakest edge of mankind, Tarr masterfully paints the maddening monotony and utter futility of waking up day after day in austere black in white. This is dark stuff, people. Real dark. And sadly, Tarr is said to be leaving cinema (directing) on this high, bleak note.
The film begins with a spoken word preface that tells the tale of Friedrich Nietzsche, in 1889 in Turin, Italy, observing a cab driver whipping his stubborn horse.
The film begins with a spoken word preface that tells the tale of Friedrich Nietzsche, in 1889 in Turin, Italy, observing a cab driver whipping his stubborn horse.
- 7/17/2012
- by Jordan M. Smith
- IONCINEMA.com
The Angels' Share (15)
(Ken Loach, 2012, UK/Fra) Paul Brannigan, John Henshaw, Gary Maitland, Jasmin Riggins, Roger Allam, William Ruane. 101 mins
If anyone can cut it at Cannes, Ken can, and this recent surprise Jury Prize-winner sees Loach doing what he does so well: dignifying ordinary lives and chronicling social history as it happens. The tone is a little lighter this time, though, as we follow a violent young offender's potentially fruitful encounter with the whisky industry, thus bringing together the best and worst of Scotland.
Prometheus (15)
(Ridley Scott, 2012, Us) Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron. 124 mins
With all the zealous promotion and yet tight secrecy, this long-awaited Alien prequel couldn't live up to fans' expectations, could it? There's no way of telling at the time of writing, so let's just say it'll be a brilliant triumph, and a complete disaster.
The Turin Horse (15)
(Béla Tarr, 2011, Hun/Fra/Ger/Swi/Us) János Derszi,...
(Ken Loach, 2012, UK/Fra) Paul Brannigan, John Henshaw, Gary Maitland, Jasmin Riggins, Roger Allam, William Ruane. 101 mins
If anyone can cut it at Cannes, Ken can, and this recent surprise Jury Prize-winner sees Loach doing what he does so well: dignifying ordinary lives and chronicling social history as it happens. The tone is a little lighter this time, though, as we follow a violent young offender's potentially fruitful encounter with the whisky industry, thus bringing together the best and worst of Scotland.
Prometheus (15)
(Ridley Scott, 2012, Us) Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron. 124 mins
With all the zealous promotion and yet tight secrecy, this long-awaited Alien prequel couldn't live up to fans' expectations, could it? There's no way of telling at the time of writing, so let's just say it'll be a brilliant triumph, and a complete disaster.
The Turin Horse (15)
(Béla Tarr, 2011, Hun/Fra/Ger/Swi/Us) János Derszi,...
- 6/1/2012
- by Steve Rose
- The Guardian - Film News
The opening event of Béla Tarr‘s The Turin Horse may, perhaps, set up false expectations for many a viewer — set over a pitch-black screen, a coarse-grained voice-over recounts the demise of the life of Friedrich Nietzsche, which, according to the story (as well as popular belief, in some sense), was initiated by the philosopher’s lamented reaction to a cab driver’s whipping of an unresponsive horse. The incident took place on January 3, 1889, and was followed by ten years of catatonic inactivity for Nietzsche.
The most obvious reason why this introduction might tweak viewers’ expectations in the wrong direction is the presence of words. While the curtain-raiser is sustained, without imagery, by an off-screen articulation, the rest of the film — maybe ever-so-slightly ironically — is the exact opposite. It’s image-driven, with unimaginably long takes (often exceeding five minutes) and with an almost complete aversion to dialogue. Even the one...
The most obvious reason why this introduction might tweak viewers’ expectations in the wrong direction is the presence of words. While the curtain-raiser is sustained, without imagery, by an off-screen articulation, the rest of the film — maybe ever-so-slightly ironically — is the exact opposite. It’s image-driven, with unimaginably long takes (often exceeding five minutes) and with an almost complete aversion to dialogue. Even the one...
- 2/9/2012
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
Chantal Akerman (center), Almayer's Folly World Cinema Selections Almayer's Folly: Chantal Akerman loosely adapts Joseph Conrad’s novel set in Malaysia, the tragic tale of a failed European trader and his "mixed blood" daughter. Dir Chantal Akerman. Cast Stanislas Merhar, Marc Barbé, Aurora Marion, Zac Andrianasolo. Belgium/France. U.S. Premiere. Alps: Dogtooth director Yorgos Lanthimos returns with a tale of a group offering an unusual service for grieving families: They inhabit the role of the recently deceased. Dir Yorgos Lanthimos. Scr Yorgos Lanthimos, Efthimis Filippou. Cast Aggeliki Papoulia, Aris Servetalis, Ariane Labed, Johnny Vekris. Greece/France. U.S. Premiere. CARRÉ Blanc: One of the strongest debuts in years, CARRÉ Blanc is a dystopian sci-fi vision of a world with limited resources and limitless cruelty. Dir/Scr Jean-Baptiste Léonetti. Cast Sami Bouajila, Julie Gayet, Jean-Pierre Andreani, Fejria Deliba, Valerie Bodson. France/Luxembourg/Russia/Belgium/Switzerland. The Day He Arrives:...
- 10/23/2011
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Above: a similar shot as the one at the focus of this article, though from a different sequence in The Turin Horse and sans shawl.
In the third shot of Bela Tarr's newest film, The Turin Horse, the haggard daughter (Erika Bók) of the titular horse's owner (János Derzsi) is seen removing her father's work clothing, replacing them with clothes for him to rest in so that he may lay down in bed. The shot starts with the camera looking up the length of the bed, which lays in the corner of the house underneath a small window, but as the scene progresses the camera tracks to the right in a semi-circle around the bed as the dressing continues, ending facing the bed perpendicularly, the small cot taking up the entire length of the 1.66 frame. Much of the Hungarian director's work of the last two decades has been made up of such choreography,...
In the third shot of Bela Tarr's newest film, The Turin Horse, the haggard daughter (Erika Bók) of the titular horse's owner (János Derzsi) is seen removing her father's work clothing, replacing them with clothes for him to rest in so that he may lay down in bed. The shot starts with the camera looking up the length of the bed, which lays in the corner of the house underneath a small window, but as the scene progresses the camera tracks to the right in a semi-circle around the bed as the dressing continues, ending facing the bed perpendicularly, the small cot taking up the entire length of the 1.66 frame. Much of the Hungarian director's work of the last two decades has been made up of such choreography,...
- 10/3/2011
- MUBI
Officials from the 61st Berlin Film Festival on Tuesday unveiled the Competition program for this year’s event. It includes 22 films, 16 of which will be competing for the awards.
In addition there will be two special screenings: In solidarity with the convicted Iranian director Jafar Panahi, his film “Offside” will be presented on Feb. 11, the anniversary of the Iranian Revolution. Also, the European premiere of Werner Herzog’s 3-D documentary “Cave of Forgotten Dreams” will be shown as a special screening in the Berlinale Palast.
The winner of the Golden Bear will be announced at the festival awards ceremony on Feb. 19.
The following is the complete Berlinale Competition program.
“A Torinói Ló” (“The Turin Horse”) Hungary/France/Germany/Switzerland
Directed by Béla Tarr
With János Derzsi, Erika Bók, Mihály Kormos
World premiere
“Almanya – Willkommen in Deutschland” (“Almanya”) Germany
By Yasemin Samdereli – debut film
With Vedat Erincin, Fahri Yardin, Aylin Tezel,...
In addition there will be two special screenings: In solidarity with the convicted Iranian director Jafar Panahi, his film “Offside” will be presented on Feb. 11, the anniversary of the Iranian Revolution. Also, the European premiere of Werner Herzog’s 3-D documentary “Cave of Forgotten Dreams” will be shown as a special screening in the Berlinale Palast.
The winner of the Golden Bear will be announced at the festival awards ceremony on Feb. 19.
The following is the complete Berlinale Competition program.
“A Torinói Ló” (“The Turin Horse”) Hungary/France/Germany/Switzerland
Directed by Béla Tarr
With János Derzsi, Erika Bók, Mihály Kormos
World premiere
“Almanya – Willkommen in Deutschland” (“Almanya”) Germany
By Yasemin Samdereli – debut film
With Vedat Erincin, Fahri Yardin, Aylin Tezel,...
- 1/19/2011
- by admin
- Moving Pictures Network
The Kevin Spacey/Jeremy Irons/Demi Moore financial drama joins 22 films in total, 16 of which will be competing for the Silver Bear. Unknown, the new Liam Neeson thriller with January Jones, will premiere Out of Competition at next month’s 61st Berlin Film Festival. That’s only fitting considering the Warner Bros movie was shot there. The 14 new films announced today join the 8 previously announced, including Opening Film True Grit and Coriolanus. Berlin Film Festival will run between February 10-20. The festival will also be staging 2 special screenings. Jafar Panahi’s Offside will be shown on February 11 out of solidarity of the jailed Iranian director. And Werner Herzog will premiere his 3D documentary Cave of Forgotten Dreams about prehistoric cave painting. In Competition A Torinói Ló (The Turin Horse) Hungary/France/Germany/Switzerland By Béla Tarr (Satantango, Werckmeister Harmonies) With János Derzsi, Erika Bók, Mihály Kormos World premiere Almanya -...
- 1/18/2011
- by TIM ADLER in London
- Deadline London
#52. The Turin Horse Director: Béla Tarr Writer(s): Tarr and László KrasznahorkaiProducers: Gábor TéniDistributor: Rights Available. The Gist: Freely inspired by an episode that marked the end of philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche’s career. On January 3,1889, on the piazza Alberto in Turin, a weeping Nietzsche flung his arms around an exhausted and ill-treated carriage horse, then lost consciousness.....(more) Cast: Volker Spengler, János Derzsi and Erika Bók. Why is it on the list?: It's moved up several spots from last year's 33 position and this might have to do with the fact we've learned absolutely nothing about the project over the course of 12 months. You have to be impressed by how tight-lipped they've been about this being his last picture. Release Date/Status?: It wasn't ready for Cannes last year, and you can be sure he's had enough time in post to complete the picture for this coming May.
- 1/13/2011
- IONCINEMA.com
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.