It's seven hours long and probably the greatest Hungarian movie. I'm about to start the third of three Netflix disks. One reviewer described it as "desacralized Tarkovsky." Another summarized the "plot": "Moving at a pace that would suit a glacier, Mr. Tarr [the director] contemplates a
group of grim-faced, wretched characters whose agricultural collective
has fallen into decay, and who engage in desperate forms of chicanery
as a way of denying their failure." If you love Tarkovsky, Sakurov, and Hou Hsiao Hsien, this is the next step and it does stand in that league. The Rotten Tomatoes reviews are very good too, noting there is a selection bias in who watches in the first place. Here is a review from a guy who started off totally unconvinced but was pulled in. Hardly anyone knows this movie, I can't imagine why.
Among hardcore cinephiles, the director, Bela Tarr, seems to be a favourite. His Werckmeister Harmonies was more widely seen (<3 hrs!). I recall seeing Satantango described by a reputable critic as among the “Best 10 of the Decade” movie.
But I don’t think moviegoers are ready to sit down and watch any movie, much less a glacially-paced one, for seven hours…
It’s one of my favorites! It usually gets shown somewhere in NYC about once every 1-2 years. For some bizarre casting & resulting dubbing, see Tilda Swinton in The Man From London (alas, not nearly as good as Satan and Werckmeister).
Great movie. It was one of Susan Sontag’s favorites – she claimed to have seen it over 15 times. I’ll back Missy and say I was disappointed by his recent “Man From London”, but the cinematography is still ravishing, and it was fascinating to see him apply his style to a Simenon thriller.
Thank you for this rec. I’ve just watched the first disc. One of the best things I’ve ever seen.
I gree with it!
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