Werckmeister Harmonies

Movie Info

Genre(s): Drama

Written by: Béla Tarr
László Krasznahorkai (novel The Melancholy of Resistance)
Péter Dobai, Gyuri Dósa Kiss, and György Fehér (additional dialogue)

Directed by: Béla Tarr
Ágnes Hranitzky

Release Date:
Theatrical: October 10, 2001
DVD: February 28, 2006

Running Time: 145 minutes, B/W

Origin: Germany / France / Hungary

Language(s): German and Hungarian (with English subtitles)

Summary

RATING: Not Rated

Starring Lars Rudolph, Peter Fitz, Hanna Schygulla, János Derzsi, and Djoko Rosic

Based on László Krasznahorkai's novel "The Melancholy of Resistance," this is an uncanny fable about powerlessness and tyranny. Set in a small Hungarian village at a moment of great crisis, a mysterious circus comes to town with a giant whale and news of an appearance by a Prince known for his strange powers. Soon the locals' emotions are stirred to a fever pitch of anticipation. (Anthology Film Archives)

Also On The Web: Internet Movie Database

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

What Our Users Said

Vote Now!The average user rating for this movie is 7.0 (out of 10) based on 40 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

sean k gave it a10:
Everything about this movie clicked for me. The acting was perfect, the long takes were mesmerizing, the symbolism was powerful, the metaphorical relationship of music to nature and man-made control, and everything else this movie had to offer was absolutely perfect. I loved it.

david g gave it a10:
If this is not among the top 10% of the thousands of movies that have been released in the world in the last hundred years, there must be a huge disconnect between popularity and quality: a problem with the idea of voting for the good itself.

nick p gave it a10:
Mysterious, dark and beautiful. I feel like I still don't fully understand it after watching it 3 times but still amazing.

Reza T gave it a10:
Abbas Kiarostami`s career died a couple of years ago when he started using digital Cameras. I was depressed for a couple of years as I felt true artistic cinema has died. Thanks to Béla Tarr I realized I was wrong.

Robert H. gave it a5:
Tedious beyond belief. the interest comes in watching someone struggle unsuccessfully to manufacture art. the kind of allegory on display here because there is so little context just comes off as silly. the kind of film I love to hate and for that reason worth watching.

Alex D gave it a9:
Reading user comments is hilarious. I love it when someone like Brad C. below stumbles unwittingly into a challenging experiment like this one, it flies over his head, and he ends up raging against his own befuddlement. Hey Brad: poorly filmed? Really? I know you were bored, but those long takes are objectively, undeniably masterful in execution. And pointless? I'd say you just didn't get any of its many, complicated "points." In any case, a completely mesmerizing experience, for those hip to Bella Tarr's out-there wavelength.

Dan B. gave it a2:
A huge disappointment. I'm all for very long takes and little plot--the films of Tsai Ming-Liang, for example, are mesmerizing to me--but I found this movie a chore to sit through.

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