Who here has seen "Werckmeister Harmonies"?

I don't think it's ever been discussed here. But then again, it's very hard to see this film, as it's only available via Region 2 DVD.

Anyway, I'm eager to discuss it with folks who have seen it, but it's hard to discuss without spoilers. It's one of those films you should go into knowing nothing. It's one of those surreal experiences on par with Songs from the Second Floor and Eraserhead and Andrei Rublev. It's one of those stormy seas of the cinema... you just need to stand in front of it and let the waves wash in and crash over you, leaving you drenched, battered, bewildered, a bit freaked out, exhausted, and in awe. And covered in seaweed.

I'll be happy to discuss this with you after I rewatch the DVD. Gotta finish my Lancelot du Lac essay first, though.

So help me, I think I fell asleep for a few minutes while watching this at the Cinematheque a year or two ago -- but if the movie didn't start 'til after 9pm, then that might explain it. (Falling asleep during a late show happens sometimes.) The only things I remember are that justly lauded opening scene and an image of some stark-naked old guy. Oh, wait, is this the one with the whale in the city square, too?

I would probably see it again if I could.

That's the one, Peter. And that whale is one of the spookiest things ever filmed.

There is also a riot sequence near the end of the film that is masterfully filmed without cuts, and it's horrifying.

Since this is in the A&F top 100, I thought some here might want to know this is being released on Tuesday from Facets. It appears Netflix will have it as well. A strangely beautiful film.

Excellent. I've only seen it once, more than a year ago, and I can recall most of the film fairly vividly.

YES -- this means that I will have seen ALL of the 2004 Top100! Then on to 2005!

"The disc's image suggests the print was beaten to a pulp by the film's angry mob. Detail is practically nonexistent and the pixel-ridden blacks almost make it impossible to make out anything that transpires on screen... Facets Video has allowed their staff of pigeons to crap on Bela Tarr's film monument."

http://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/dvd_review.asp?ID=871

So weird. What would explain this? I didn't think Facets had a reputation for making lousy DVDs.

Facets is a great cinephile institution, but it has a lousy reputation for its DVDs...they definitely follow the quantity over quality paradigm and many of their releases are rare and important fims with sub-standard transfers. (Witness The Decalogue when compared to other regions.)

Sounds like the UK Artificial Eye disc is still the best way to see this on video.

Yikes, thanks for pointing that out Doug. It really is too bad. I'm no expert, but the UK disc looks pretty great to me. Strange that there would be such a difference in quality.

The only real problem with Artificial Eye's release is that it's non-anamorphic. Actually, the initial release was anamorphic--but incorrectly framed at 1.78:1. They re-issued it in it's proper aspect ration of 1.66:1, with a boost in sharpness to boot, but they kicked the anamorphic transfer. Quite a shame.

But, yea, avoid the Facets release. Facets is serviceable for obscure gems that aren't quite as reliant on their visuals, but they're generally to be avoided when other alternatives are available.


As a side note, Artificial Eye is going to be releasing Tarr's Satantango as well (though who knows when--they're prone to copious delays). No details on the specs/supplements, but hopefully they'll give it the anamorphic treatment. It's similarly framed at 1.66:1, but I know AE transfered last year's release of Kiarostami's Taste of Cherry anamorphically despite the troublesome 1.66:1 framing, so one would think they'd apply the same to Tarr's opus. We'll just have to wait and see.

So, um, is the Facets release the one at NetFlix? Because I about wet myself with excitement when I finally saw it listed there and now my hopes are being dashed. I've been wanting to see this ever since J. Robert reviewed it for the Phantom Tollbooth a while ago. Should I not even bother?

It's your call, Michael. Just know that it is far from an optimal presentation. J Robert and I both saw the film on pristine 35mm prints in theatres and found it to be extremely immersive. I can't imagine what it would seem like as a bad digital transfer on a small screen.

But if you have a Netflix account, it might be worth trying...

I guess my other option is to wait and hope for something better eventually.

This is what makes poor DVD releases so egregious. Facets has the rights to the film on video in the US, and anyone else like Criterion who would even want to release it would have to purchase the rights from them, if they're selling, at whatever price they ask. And Criterion doesn't specialize in contemporary films, anyway.

Essentially, when a company releases a DVD, they do it for all companies...at least until their rights expire, but that is probably many years down the road.

Usually, I'm of the belief that one should see a film in whatever format they can, even a poorly-transferred video, with the understanding that it's not fully representative of the movie and that the experience should be upgraded if possible. But for some films, the distance between optimal and reality is so extreme that it just might forgo seeing it at all. Not having seen this DVD, I can't say for sure in this case...but I have seen some horrendous Facets releases and wish I hadn't. (The Decalogue[ is actually not such a terrible transfer.) Again, given that you have a Netflix account, it's relatively painless to drop it in your queue with your next slate of titles.

I agree with Doug. I haven't witnessed Facets' release first-hand, but from what I've heard along with Facets usual standards for quality, I assume it to be terrible. What makes it worse is Werckmeister Harmonies relies so heavily on the world that Tarr evokes that to watch it in a botched presentation may be near impossible. Tarr has an ability to immerse his audience in a universe he's crafted probably better than any other contemporary filmmaker I'm aware of, and his work absolutely depends on this.

I would suggest giving it a rent, but if you're compelled to shut it down out of an inability to seriously engage it, don't give it any hesitation. Also, you may want to keep an eye on the AE disc (if you have a region-free, PAL converting machine)--it's a bit pricey being a double-discer (it's packaged with Tarr's impressive Damnation), but Amazon.uk had a sale last December-ish on many of their AE titles, and Werckmeister Harmonies was a steal at less than 8 GBP. It's not a definitive presentation, but it's the best home video release I'm aware of--and as Doug said, it's unlikely to see a re-release in the US anytime soon. The only possibility is if Criterion were to step in, but I can't recall them ever licensing any of Facets' titles, so this seems unlikely (though they have been rumored to being attached to Satantango). If the Facets release catches your interest, you may want to look into it.

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OK, help me out here. Why the love for this. I'll grant that it's surreal. But about 3 minutes of the mob marching? What's with the assault on the hospital? What is it even about.

The kind of thing that Tarkovsky lovers will be drawn to, but I'm not in that crowd.

(Hmm, this would have gone well in Uncle Ken's Rant Room)

I only recently discovered David Bordwell's blog, at which I've now read two long and informative posts. This one is all about Tarr.

Look what I get to see in a couple weeks...

THE MAN FROM LONDON
France , Germany , Hungary, 2007, 135 min, 35mm

Directed By: Béla Tarr
PRODS: Christoph Hahnheiser, Paul Saadoun, Gábor Téni, Joachim von Vietinghoff, Miki Zachar
SCR: László Krasznahorkai, Béla Tarr
CAM: Fred Kelemen
ED: Ágnes Hranitzky
MUS: Mihály Vig
Cast: Miroslav Krobot, Tilda Swinton, János Derzsi, István Lénárt, Erika Bók

With The Man from London's gorgeously composed long takes, moody black-and-white cinematography, slow and determined (deterministic?) pace, and hypnotic score, it is obvious we are back in the hands of master Béla Tarr, the Hungarian who stunned serious cinemagoers around the world with Sátántangó in 1994, and then followed that up with the equally mesmerizing Werckmeister Harmonies in 2000. Here, he and regular collaborator László Krasznahorkai adapt a noirish novel from Georges Simenon about a seaside railway switchman who finds his life turned upside-down when he witnesses a murder, recovers a suitcase full of cash and then, rather unadvisedly, decides to keep it.

While Tarr is nominally engaged in a narrative--the eponymous man from London is a gangster who comes to find out what happened to his money--he is, as always, more concerned with the aesthetics of film form and the lack of spiritual values in a godless universe than he is with story. Shooting on the island of Corsica--which immensely contributes to the otherworldly feel of the film--and using cinematographer Fred Keleman, whose talent for capturing the darker shades of grey and black is unsurpassed, Tarr creates a timeless nightmare replete with his characteristic weathered faces, monologues and virtuoso set pieces. Perhaps an acquired taste for some, Tarr remains one of the few iconoclastic cinema visionaries, and for this, cinephiles should be grateful.