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Werckmeister Harmonies

Play trailer Poster for Werckmeister Harmonies 2000 2h 25m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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98% Tomatometer 55 Reviews 90% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
A mysterious circus excites a small Hungarian town into a rebellion when a promised act doesn't perform.
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Werckmeister Harmonies

Werckmeister Harmonies

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Critics Consensus

Mesmerizingly lovely and thematically thought-provoking, Werckmeister Harmonies adds another indelible achievement to Bela Tarr's fascinating filmography.

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Critics Reviews

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Kevin Thomas Los Angeles Times As wearying as the film becomes in its long, bleak sequences, its uniquely cinematic and emotion-charged experience makes the effort worthwhile. May 21, 2014 Full Review Derek Elley Variety Six years after the 7-1/2-hour Satan's Tango, Magyar maverick Bela Tarr makes a stunning feature return with "Werckmeister Harmonies," another hypnotic meditation on popular demagogy and mental manipulation that's a snap at 145 minutes. Oct 5, 2007 Full Review Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times Bela Tarr's style seems to be an attempt to regard his characters with great intensity and respect, to observe them without jostling them, to follow unobtrusively as they move through their worlds, which look so ordinary and are so awesome, like ours. Rated: 4/4 Sep 14, 2007 Full Review Joshua Ryan FandomWire Béla Tarr and co-director Ágnes Hranitzky choose to insinuate more than they directly reveal, keeping the mystique constant throughout. Rated: 9/10 Oct 1, 2024 Full Review William Stottor Loud and Clear Reviews Re-released as part of Curzon’s upcoming Béla Tarr season, Werckmeister Harmonies is a haunting, unforgettable film about the inevitability of a social apocalypse. Rated: 5/5 Sep 3, 2024 Full Review James Kendrick Q Network Film Desk Everything is both concrete and symbolic, literal and figurative, which means that the film itself will mean different things to different viewers. Rated: 3/4 Sep 3, 2024 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Jonathan G My first film from Bela Tarr; “Werckmeister Harmonies” makes its way to becoming one of my favorite films almost immediately. It’s a thundering masterpiece and what I would consider a perfect film. This is poetic as hell and almost feels hypnotic in a way, it delves itself into the meaning of life in a really great and beautiful way and the way that this was shot… my god. The imagery is captivating, the atmosphere is grim, and the camerawork is flawless. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/04/24 Full Review Dave S In a small Hungarian village, the inhabitants eke out a modest living through the sweat of their labor. However, things change drastically when a pseudo-circus arrives in town, replete with the carcass of a whale and a mysterious leader known as The Prince. Filled with symbolism and rich in themes, Bela Tarr’s Werckmeister Harmonies is a hypnotic journey into a dream-like world of conformity, control and surrender. The film is a visual feast - the lengthy takes (there are apparently only 39 shots over the 145- minute running time) are riveting and the visuals are stunning throughout. Anyone interesting in getting into the world of ‘slow cinema’ should start with something along the lines of Werckmeister Harmonies. Fans of the Fast and the Furious should be warned – this ain’t going to be your type of movie. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 10/21/24 Full Review Yellowfur D Breathtaking long-lens scheduling, combined with small-town story writing that uses a small glimpse of the big picture; it opens with the grandeur of the sun, earth and moon, and ends with a whale that never rests in its eyes; it travels through the crowds of people like wax figures, setting off rational riots, and what people do and All that is going to be done is lies and deception. (If I were not afraid of night walks, I really wouldn't want to miss the school's 4k screening; it's a pity that I don't know Hungarian history) Rated 4 out of 5 stars 09/11/23 Full Review Devin T Extremely boring and very arthouse. I tried so hard to like this...but just couldn't. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 07/14/23 Full Review StephenPaul C The greatest 02 hours: and 25 minutes ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/24/23 Full Review Michael Z One of the most poetic movies ever. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/16/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Werckmeister Harmonies

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Cast & Crew

Movie Info

Synopsis A mysterious circus excites a small Hungarian town into a rebellion when a promised act doesn't perform.
Director
Béla Tarr
Producer
Miklos Szita, Franz Goess
Screenwriter
Béla Tarr, Laszlo Krasnahorkai
Genre
Drama
Original Language
root
Release Date (DVD)
Feb 28, 2006
Box Office (Gross USA)
$44.5K
Runtime
2h 25m
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