Sátántangó (1994)

Director:

Béla Tarr

Writers:

László Krasznahorkai (novel) and
Mihály Vig (story) ...

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:

Rain | Hungary | Criminal | Wind | Loneliness

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Mihály Vig	...	Irimiás
László feLugossy	...	Schmidt
Putyi Horváth	...	Petrina
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
Zoltán Kamondi	...	Innkeeper
Barna Mihók	...	Kerekes
Mihály Ráday	...	Narrator (voice)

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:

Mozgókép Innovációs Társulás és Alapítvány

Trivia:

Dorka Gryllus visited a friend on the set of Sátántangó, and was impressed by the whole "feeling of film making". It was then, when she decided to be a film actress - and in a few years, she became a famous Hungarian actress.

Quotes:

Captain: Not that human life was so highly valued. Keeping order appears to be the business of the authorities, but in fact it's the business of all. Order. Freedom, however, has nothing human. It's something divine, something... our lives are too short for us to know properly...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Elephant (2003)

A short movie which lasts 7.5 hours

This is one of the greatest movies I've seen, as the film is not boring and tiring during more than seven hours. The beautiful long shots about this deserted country-side and it's people are so rich, that they crucially contribute to the understanding of the story. When we see somebody walking for ten minutes in the forest we have the possibility to know all his/her life. In order to understand the plot it's not enough to listen to dialogues and pay attention to the classical narrative elements. You have to contemplate and study every image, the gestures, the cloth, the environment. The long shots allow also us also to include in the film's perception our own experiences of the world. We understand the events based on our own experiences: we have the time to remember what is it like walking in mud, touching a cat, etc. If you let yourself taught by director Béla Tarr, your perception will change in 1 or 2 hours, and you will be able to feel and understand images much more deeper than before. Don't miss it!