Werckmeister Harmonies

In Béla Tarr and Ágnes Hranitzky’s “mesmeric parable of societal collapse,” a naive young man witnesses an escalation of violence in his small hometown following the arrival of a mysterious circus attraction. 

The arrival of a circus wagon complete with a stuffed whale leads to mass madness and “an apocalyptic vision of dreamlike dread and fathomless beauty”. (Janus) J. Hoberman in the Village Voice calls the film “a totally sustained immersion in the magisterially bleak, voluptuously monochromatic, undeniably beautiful universe of muddy villages and cell-like rooms.” 

Reminiscent of Kubrick, Lynch, and Beckett, Tarr’s work is yet undeniably original: “Using long takes, sensuous camera movements and the mournful beauty of Mihaly Vig's score, Tarr offers in Werckmeister Harmonies an indelible statement on loneliness and spiritual thirst.” (SF Chronicle) 

Shown in a 4K restoration from Janus Films. In Hungarian and Slovak with English subtitles. Film website: www.janusfilms.com/films/2117.

Part of our Restorations & Rediscoveries series