Sátántangó (1994)

Director:

Béla Tarr

Writers:

László Krasznahorkai (novel)
Béla Tarr (writer)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

In a small dilapidated village in 1980s Hungary, life has come to a virtual standstill. The autumn rains have started...

Plot Keywords:

Animal Abuse | Long Take | Countryside | Hopelessness | Poverty

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Mihály Vig	...	Irimiás
Putyi Horváth	...	Petrina
László Lugossy	...	Schmidt
Éva Almássy Albert	...	Mrs. Schmidt
János Derzsi	...	Kráner
Irén Szajki	...	Mrs. Kráner
Alfréd Járai	...	Halics
Miklós Székely B.	...	Futaki
Erzsébet Gaál	...	Mrs. Halics
Erika Bók	...	Estike
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
György Barkó	...	Principal
Peter Berling	...	Doctor
András Bodnár	...	Sanyi Horgos
Ilona Bojár	...	Mrs. Horgos
Péter Dobai	...	Captain
István Juhász	...	Kelemen
Ferenc Kállai	...	Doctor (voice)
Zoltán Kamondi	...	Innkeeper
Barna Mihók	...	Kerekes

Also Known As:

Satan's Tango
Satanstango (Germany)

Runtime:

450 min

Country:

Hungary | Germany | Switzerland

Language:

Hungarian

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Hong Kong:IIA

Company:

Mafilm

Trivia:

The movie was shot between 1990 and 1994.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Elephant (2003)

Nearly eight hours of pure bliss

This is my favorite film of all time and its such a pity that it gets screened so rarely, but who can blame the cinemas as not too many people are prepared to take Tarr's advice and call in sick in order to spend eight hours at the movies instead of going to work. Also, I reckon this is one of the very few films you actually have to see on a big screen, so even if it was available on DVD, it wouldn't do much good. I've seen it three times so far and I got blown away every single time. So I really urge you to give it a go if this epic masterpiece comes anywhere near you. First time I saw it was on the Berlin Film Festival in 94 and I have to admit I wasn't really prepared to sit through the whole thing, but after three hours I was completely hooked and when the credits finally rolled in, I was rather sad that it was over. I would have liked to spend another few hours in this strange and compelling world. OK, the plot in itself is kinda depressing and bearing in mind that it runs for so many hours, not that much happens, but to complain about the absence of jolly dialog and action packed stunts would be completely beside the point. You just have to be willing to go along with Tarr's approach and once you accept that storytelling here is a bit different to what you are used to, the whole thing it is more exciting, entertaining and gripping than everything you've ever seen. Tarr's main achievement in my view is that he creates a completely new form of imagery and its so utterly convincing that I still wonder why it never caught on big time. Instead of editing the takes into a scene during post production, he shots almost everything in one go with the help of a steady cam. As the takes are as long as 7 minutes (just a spirited guess, I never timed them) and involve occasionally more than 9 actors its just utterly amazing how Tarr choreographs actors and camera in a way that it seems perfectly natural and you get to see exactly what you need to see. Well its pretty hard to explain if you haven't seen it as it really is so different from everything else. What can I tell you? Every single frame is aesthetically a revelation, thus making this an utter delight from start to finish. I could harp on endlessly about why I love this film so much. About the absolutely convincing atmosphere, the great acting, the inventive use of lighting, how the story unfolds, the subtle use of humor, but as it is with all great love affairs, words fail to even hint at the magnificence of Sátántangó. Go, see and believe.