Béla Tarr on Blu-ray

[caiman]

For those not familiar with Béla Tarr, he's a Hungarian director known for his languid pacing, intricate camera movements, long takes and stark black and white cinematography. He retired from filmmaking after his final feature, The Turin Horse, in 2011. In my (and many others') opinion, he's one of the greatest modern auteurs.

His filmography can be divided into two categories, which I call his First Period and his Second Period. The films of his First Period were somewhat more "conventional" in terms of pacing and structure. His Second Period, which began with Damnation in 1988, is where his singular trademark style took shape. It's this later period for which he's most famous.

Tarr's filmography:
First Period:
Family Nest (1977)
The Outsider (1981)
Macbeth (1982) (Television movie)
The Prefab People (1982)
Almanac of Fall (1985)

Second Period:
Damnation (1988)
Sátántangó (1994)
Werckmeister Harmonies (2000)
The Man from London (2007)
The Turin Horse (2011)

Shorts:
Hotel Magnezit (1978)
Journey on the Plain (1995)

Sadly his films are sorely under-represented on Blu-ray. Currently only The Turin Horse (which includes Hotel Magnezit) has a Blu-ray release. But there's good news! Sátántangó is set to be released by Arbelos early next year, along with a theatrical run. For those unfamiliar with Sátántangó, it's a 7+ hour long masterpiece and I absolutely cannot wait to see it again on the big screen (and of course own it on Blu!). I hope that its release will get the ball rolling for the rest of his films.

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