Werckmeister Harmonies (2000)

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Werckmeister Harmonies (2000) – B. Tarr

Unmistakably a Bela Tarr film, set in a grimy wintry Eastern European town and shot in glorious black and white.  The camera is ever-moving (in extremely long takes), following Janos Valuska as he walks through town, observing what appears to be a fascistic uprising brought about (possibly)  by the visit of a travelling whale exhibit (and a strange Prince who we never see).  The film feels set in the 19^th century, not unlike Tarr’s earlier 7-hour masterwork, Satantango, so the appearance of a tank and then a helicopter to quell the uprising is somewhat jarring and mystical (even though we saw a reel-to-reel player and other examples of technology at different points in the narrative).  The title comes from the quest of one of the characters (mentioned oh so briefly) to over-turn Werckmeister’s tuning system --although much like with Satantango’s supposed tango structure, any musical underpinnings in the film (apart from its drone-like qualities) is pretty much impossible to ferret. Tarr maintains there is no allegorical quality to any of his films, but the film nevertheless feels portentous.