Werckmeister Harmonies

Name: Werckmeister Harmonies
Genre: Sci-Fi, Drama, Mystery, Thriller, Horror
Released: October 10, 2001
Duration: 145 min
Rating: 92
Cast: Lars Rudolph, Peter Fitz

2001

METASCORE

Universal acclaim based on 8 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 92 Ratings

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7.5

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7.5	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 92 Ratings

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Movie Details & Credits

Pierre Grise Distribution | Release Date: October 10, 2001

Starring: Lars Rudolph, Peter Fitz

Summary: 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 areBased 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)… Expand

Director: Ágnes Hranitzky and Béla Tarr

Genre(s): Sci-Fi, Drama, Mystery, Thriller, Horror, Crime

Runtime: 145 min

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

100

David Sterritt

This is as challenging as movies come, alluding to everything from philosopher Thomas Hobbes to the history of Western music. Read full review

100

V.A. Musetto

While Tarr's newest epic, Werckmeister Harmonies, isn't intended for the shopping-mall crowd, it is more viewer-friendly and will please adventurous moviegoers. Read full review

100

Edward Guthmann

An indelible statement on loneliness and spiritual thirst. Read full review

Lawrence Van Gelder

Mysterious, poetic and allusive, The Werckmeister Harmonies beckons filmgoers who complain of the vapidity of Hollywood movie making and yearn for a film to ponder and debate. Read full review

New Times (L.A.) Andy Klein

The pacing is slow, but the film is entrancing and earns a permanent place in the viewer's mind. Read full review

TV Guide Magazine Ken Fox

The film could easily be reduced to a parable of post-Communist Eastern Europe, but the allegory digs deeper into the very order of things, exemplified by 17th-century musicologist Andreas Werckmeister's arbitrary imposition of a "tempered" tonal system over naturally occurring tunings. Read full review

J. Hoberman

A work of bravura filmmaking. Read full review

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User Reviews

AndresZ.

Jun 16, 2007

Bela Tarr's surreal epic is an advance in pure avant-garde mastery - proof of Tarr's rise to power in Hungary. There are only 39 shots in the film, yet all are evocative of the presence of true magic. Along side with the great roles in the film, Tarr's mise-en-scene is Bela Tarr's surreal epic is an advance in pure avant-garde mastery - proof of Tarr's rise to power in Hungary. There are only 39 shots in the film, yet all are evocative of the presence of true magic. Along side with the great roles in the film, Tarr's mise-en-scene is flawless at capturing the fear and atmospheric in its perfectly realized milieu. By far, "Werckmeister Harmonies" is, in every sense of the word, a masterpiece.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful

davidg

Jun 13, 2009

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.

0 of 0 users found this helpful

ImreT.

Jan 11, 2006

If you want to keep something with you after walk out from the cinema, it's absolutely for you. I saw it last week, but I can't stop to say to my best friends "you have to watch this". I've never thought that a film can make so much questions for me like this.

0 of 0 users found this helpful

panfren

Aug 19, 2016

This is certainly one of the best films shot by Bela Tarr, and equally certainly his most accessible one. While it would be nice if the viewer had read previously the "Melancholy of Resistance" novel, on which the film was based, the film stands extremely well on its own- only the deliriumThis is certainly one of the best films shot by Bela Tarr, and equally certainly his most accessible one. While it would be nice if the viewer had read previously the "Melancholy of Resistance" novel, on which the film was based, the film stands extremely well on its own- only the delirium of Krasnahorkay's loosely punctuated, Ulysses-style text is absent.
Needless to say, people who think Hollywood flicks have any relationship to the seventh art should look elsewhere: they will be disappointed.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Sindri

Feb 20, 2011

Skillfully structured - There are those filmmakers that have the ability to change our perception of film as a medium for telling stories through images and dialog, communicating with a universal audience and creating awareness. Directors like Campion, Loach, Bergman, Kubrick, KieslowskiSkillfully structured - There are those filmmakers that have the ability to change our perception of film as a medium for telling stories through images and dialog, communicating with a universal audience and creating awareness. Directors like Campion, Loach, Bergman, Kubrick, Kieslowski and Tarkovsky are certainly some of those, and i had a similar experience after watching BÃ¨la Tarr`s third feature, co-directed by Agnes Hranitzky, which tells the story of an utterly cold Hungarian town where the inhabitants await the arrival of a traveling circus which main attractions are a giant whale and a deformed speaking figure called The Prince. Most of the residents are suspicious about the upcoming event, but the local postman named Janus perceives it as a good sign.

While viewing this film i instantly began thinking of other east European directors such as Alexandr Sokurov, Theo Angelopoulos and Andrei Zvyagintsev who's film are marked by their focus on visual composition, length, long takes and concise dialog. BÃ¨la Tarr's dark and tender vision of life in a remote provincial town is filmed in black and white, contains 39 long takes during a runtime of 225 minutes, is told through long monologues and concentrated dialog, uses natural sounds and has an unforgettable instrumental theme song composed by the directors longtime companion MihÃ ly Vig. This theme song and the refined black and white photography which was created by four photographers, evokes the collective state of mind of the citizens in the town and elevates the powerful moods which becomes a large character within this skillfully structured film. "Werckmeister Harmonies" an adaptation of a novel called "The Melancholy Of Resistance" which was written by LÃ szlÃ² Krazsnahorkai in 1989 and the movie title refers to Andreas Wercmeister (1645-1706), a composer from the Baroque era and a musical theorist. It is a chronologically narrated character study about a man who's faith is immensely challenged when he begins to realize what is actually happening to the human kind he so firmly believes in. The story written by BÃ¨la Tarr and LÃ szlÃ² Krazsnahorkai follows the main character during the course of one eventful day as he walks through the streets of his hometown looking for signs that will confirm his believes. The caring and childishly curious Janus is brought to life by German actor Lars Rudolph who appeared in Hal Hartley's "Flirt" (1995) and Tom Tykwer's "The Princess and the Warrior" (2000). With a mysterious face that expresses a string of emotions and a subtly underplayed performance, he creates a rare and intriguing character. I consider this slow-paced fictional drama as a small masterpiece that communicates it's message with conviction and tells a credible story that is not hard to follow, but not always easy to watch. BÃ¨la Tarr and Agnes Hranitzky's directing is commendable, their realized vision is magnificent, the acting is overall convincing, the opening scene is a striking example of cinematic art and what eventually puts all the pieces together and pointedly contrasts the common feelings of sadness that imprisons the souls of this film, is Hungarian composer, poet and songwriter MihÃ ly Vig`s spiritual music.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

Tim

Apr 13, 2006

Not nearly as deep as it thinks it is. Overblown and ponderous.

0 of 0 users found this helpful

UltimaGabe

Jul 14, 2022

Anything this movie has to say about humanity could have been said in one-tenth the time while also being said ten times better. Tell me, was there a reason we needed three solid minutes of children refusing to go to bed? Or why the scene of Janos and his uncle walking down the street neededAnything this movie has to say about humanity could have been said in one-tenth the time while also being said ten times better. Tell me, was there a reason we needed three solid minutes of children refusing to go to bed? Or why the scene of Janos and his uncle walking down the street needed a two-minute silence in the middle of it? Did the director think I wouldn't understand how Janos managed to get a bowl of hot soup if they didn't show me every step of the cooking and plating process?

This film is pretentious, self-gratifying drivel, and whoever made it clearly has no respect for anybody's time.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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3	#3 Best Movie of 2001
35	#35 Most Discussed Movie of 2001
67	#67 Most Shared Movie of 2001