Satantango
Encyclopedia
Sátántangó is a film directed by Hungarian
filmmaker Béla Tarr
. Shot in black-and-white, completed in 1994, it runs 7 hours and 12 minutes. It is based on the novel Sátántangó by Hungarian novelist László Krasznahorkai
, who has been providing Tarr with stories since his 1988 film Kárhozat
(Damnation, 1988). Tarr had wanted to make the film since 1985 but was unable to proceed with the production due to the strict political environment in Hungary.
. Several people on the farm are eager to leave with the cash they will receive for closing down the community, but they hear that the smooth-talking and charismatic Irimias, who had disappeared over two years ago and whom they thought to be dead, is returning. Much of the film's plot concentrates on the impact and consequences of Irimias' return through multiple POVs
as the communers must cope not only with Irimias' scheming, but that of each other.
s, a trait found in Tarr's work. With his adoption of this lingering style, many people have begun to draw parallels between Tarr and Andrei Tarkovsky
. Both of whom, as witnessed on Tarr's behalf here in "Satantango", usually opt(ed) to let their films play out at a more meditative pace. According to Tarr himself, there are roughly only 150 shots in the entire film. Many shots last up to nearly 10–11 minutes, such as several dance sequences, during which the camera rarely moves, but we see the main characters dance and drink. (Tarr has said that the cast was actually drunk during these scenes.)
The opening shot, in which the camera trucks alongside a herd of cows, lasts nearly 8 minutes. There are numerous shots depicting main characters walking (and talking) for minutes at a time, unimpeded by a cut. Whereas films that feature long takes usually have many short takes to offset the long ones, this film does not.
(only bootlegs transferred from old VHS
sources were available.) The film is now available in a new digital transfer supervised by Bela Tarr himself. Much of its reputation today has spread among film enthusiasts thanks to the word-of-mouth on the Internet. The film was praised by many critics who considered it a crack in the face to the 90s "friendly foreign" film.
Susan Sontag
described Sátántangó as "Devastating, enthralling for every minute of its seven hours. I'd be glad to see it every year for the rest of my life." The film has been the subject of controversy. The film has a sequence in which a child tortures and poisons her cat. This led to some difficulties in getting the film shown in the UK
because of legislation protecting animals from cruelty, and the British Board of Film Censors refusing to certify such films. Tarr has insisted that there was a veterinarian on the set at all times, and that the cat was under the vet's supervision. Tarr has also said that the cat is now his pet.
The film was briefly out on VHS and DVD in the 1990s, but went out of print very quickly, but is now available on DVD. It is infrequently shown due to its lengthy running time. It is sometimes shown in two parts, or in its entirety with two intermissions. Tarr has said the film should be shown without any interruption, but this is usually difficult to do given the restrictions of both film and video projection. It is considered a masterpiece by critics, and people who have seen it are usually astonished by its ambition, its artistry, and its uncompromising vision. Considering Satantango's status as a cult film similar to Rainer Werner Fassbinder
's Berlin Alexanderplatz
, the new DVD release was eagerly anticipated.
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
filmmaker Béla Tarr
Béla Tarr
-Life:Tarr was born in Pécs, but grew up in Budapest. Both of his parents were close to theatre and film: his father was a scenery designer, while his mother has been working as a prompter at a theater for more than 50 years now...
. Shot in black-and-white, completed in 1994, it runs 7 hours and 12 minutes. It is based on the novel Sátántangó by Hungarian novelist László Krasznahorkai
László Krasznahorkai
László Krasznahorkai is a Hungarian writer. He completed his university studies in Hungary, and has supported himself as an independent author since then...
, who has been providing Tarr with stories since his 1988 film Kárhozat
Kárhozat
Damnation is a black-and-white 1988 Hungarian film directed by Béla Tarr. The screenplay was co-written by Tarr's frequent collaborator, László Krasznahorkai.It is one of the favorite films of Susan Sontag.-Plot:...
(Damnation, 1988). Tarr had wanted to make the film since 1985 but was unable to proceed with the production due to the strict political environment in Hungary.
Plot
The plot deals with the collapse of a collective farm in Hungary near the end of CommunismCommunism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
. Several people on the farm are eager to leave with the cash they will receive for closing down the community, but they hear that the smooth-talking and charismatic Irimias, who had disappeared over two years ago and whom they thought to be dead, is returning. Much of the film's plot concentrates on the impact and consequences of Irimias' return through multiple POVs
Perspective (cognitive)
Perspective in theory of cognition is the choice of a context or a reference from which to sense, categorize, measure or codify experience, cohesively forming a coherent belief, typically for comparing with another...
as the communers must cope not only with Irimias' scheming, but that of each other.
Structure
The structure of the film is based on that of the novel, which borrows, as its title suggest, from tango. That is, the film is broken into twelve parts, and does not necessarily move chronologically, as it follows the tango scheme of going six moves forward, then six back (hence 6 + 6 parts in total). The twelve parts are titled as follows (in original Hungarian and translation):-
-
- A hír, hogy jönnek [The News of Their Coming]
- Feltámadunk [We Will Rise]
- Valamit tudni [To Know Something]
- A pók dolga I. [The Spider's Work I]
- Felfeslők [Those Coming Unstitched]
- A pók dolga II (Ördögcsecs, sátántangó) [The Spider's Work II (Devil's Nipples, Satan's Tango)]
- Irimiás beszédet mond [Irimiás Gives a Speech]
- A távlat, ha szemből [The Perspective from the Front]
- Mennybe menni? Lázálmodni? [Going to Heaven, Having Nightmares]
- A távlat, ha hátulról [The Perspective from Behind]
- Csak a gond, a munka [Just Trouble and Work]
- A kör bezárul [The Circle Closes]
-
Long takes
The film is filled with numerous long takeLong take
A long take is an uninterrupted shot in a film which lasts much longer than the conventional editing pace either of the film itself or of films in general, usually lasting several minutes. It can be used for dramatic and narrative effect if done properly, and in moving shots is often accomplished...
s, a trait found in Tarr's work. With his adoption of this lingering style, many people have begun to draw parallels between Tarr and Andrei Tarkovsky
Andrei Tarkovsky
Andrei Arsenyevich Tarkovsky was a Soviet and Russian filmmaker, writer, film editor, film theorist, theatre and opera director, widely regarded as one of the finest filmmakers of the 20th century....
. Both of whom, as witnessed on Tarr's behalf here in "Satantango", usually opt(ed) to let their films play out at a more meditative pace. According to Tarr himself, there are roughly only 150 shots in the entire film. Many shots last up to nearly 10–11 minutes, such as several dance sequences, during which the camera rarely moves, but we see the main characters dance and drink. (Tarr has said that the cast was actually drunk during these scenes.)
The opening shot, in which the camera trucks alongside a herd of cows, lasts nearly 8 minutes. There are numerous shots depicting main characters walking (and talking) for minutes at a time, unimpeded by a cut. Whereas films that feature long takes usually have many short takes to offset the long ones, this film does not.
The Book and the film
This film is based on literary sources and had a screenplay, but much of it was still improvised on set. Tarr had this to say on the subject of having a screenplay, but on his filming method in general:- "No, we never use the script. We just write it for the foundations and the producers and we use it when looking for the money. The pre-production is a very simple thing. It takes always a minimum of one year. We spend a year looking all around and we see everything. We have a story but I think the story is only a little part of the whole movie."
Reception
The film has developed a cult following. In part due to its artistry and length, but also because for a long time it was unavailable on DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
(only bootlegs transferred from old VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
sources were available.) The film is now available in a new digital transfer supervised by Bela Tarr himself. Much of its reputation today has spread among film enthusiasts thanks to the word-of-mouth on the Internet. The film was praised by many critics who considered it a crack in the face to the 90s "friendly foreign" film.
Susan Sontag
Susan Sontag
Susan Sontag was an American author, literary theorist, feminist and political activist whose works include On Photography and Against Interpretation.-Life:...
described Sátántangó as "Devastating, enthralling for every minute of its seven hours. I'd be glad to see it every year for the rest of my life." The film has been the subject of controversy. The film has a sequence in which a child tortures and poisons her cat. This led to some difficulties in getting the film shown in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
because of legislation protecting animals from cruelty, and the British Board of Film Censors refusing to certify such films. Tarr has insisted that there was a veterinarian on the set at all times, and that the cat was under the vet's supervision. Tarr has also said that the cat is now his pet.
The film was briefly out on VHS and DVD in the 1990s, but went out of print very quickly, but is now available on DVD. It is infrequently shown due to its lengthy running time. It is sometimes shown in two parts, or in its entirety with two intermissions. Tarr has said the film should be shown without any interruption, but this is usually difficult to do given the restrictions of both film and video projection. It is considered a masterpiece by critics, and people who have seen it are usually astonished by its ambition, its artistry, and its uncompromising vision. Considering Satantango's status as a cult film similar to Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Rainer Werner Maria Fassbinder was a German movie director, screenwriter and actor. He is considered one of the most important representatives of the New German Cinema.He maintained a frenetic pace in film-making...
's Berlin Alexanderplatz
Berlin Alexanderplatz (television)
Berlin Alexanderplatz, originally broadcast in 1980, is a 14-part television film adapted and directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder from the Alfred Döblin novel of the same name, and stars Günter Lamprecht, Hanna Schygulla, Barbara Sukowa, Elisabeth Trissenaar and Gottfried John...
, the new DVD release was eagerly anticipated.
Cast
- Mihály VigMihály VígMihály Víg is a Hungarian composer, poet, songwriter, guitarist and singer; co-founder of bands Trabant and Balaton , also known for collaborations with film director Béla Tarr on films including Damnation, Sátántangó , Werckmeister Harmonies and The Man from London.-Discography:*...
as Irimiás - Putyi Horváth as Petrina
- László Lugossy as Schmidt
- Éva Almássy Albert as Mrs. Schmidt
- János Derzsi as Kráner
- Irén Szajki as Mrs. Kráner
- Alfréd Járai as Halics
- Miklós Székely B. as Futaki
- Erzsébet Gaál as Mrs. Halics
- Erika Bók as Estike
- Peter Berling as Doctor
External links
- The Bleak World of Bela Tarr by Alan Pavelin
- Flipsides of Western Speed: Abjection, Rust & Rain
- A film review
- DVD of the Week: Satantango, a video review with additional commentary by Richard Brody, The New Yorker.