Werckmeister Harmonies
(2000)
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Werckmeister Harmonies
(2000)
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| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
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Lars Rudolph | ... |
János Valuska
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Peter Fitz | ... |
György Eszter
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| Hanna Schygulla | ... |
Tünde Eszter
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János Derzsi | ... |
Man In The Broad-Cloth Coat
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Djoko Rosic | ... |
Man In Western Boots
(as Djoko Rossich)
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Tamás Wichmann | ... |
Man In The Sailor-Cap
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Ferenc Kállai | ... |
Director
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Mihály Kormos | ... |
Factotum
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Putyi Horváth | ... |
Porter
(as dr. Horváth Putyi)
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Enikö Börcsök |
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Éva Almássy Albert | ... |
Aunt Piri
(as Almási Albert Éva)
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Irén Szajki | ... |
Mrs. Harrer
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Alfréd Járai | ... |
Lajos Harrer
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György Barkó | ... |
Mr. Nadabán
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Lajos Dobák | ... |
Mr. Volent
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This story takes place in a small town on the Hungarian Plain. In a provincial town, which is surrounded with nothing else but frost. It is bitterly cold weather - without snow. Even in this bewildered cold hundreds of people are standing around the circus tent, which is put up in the main square, to see - as the outcome of their wait - the chief attraction, the stuffed carcass of a real whale. The people are coming from everywhere. From the neighboring settlings, even from quite far away parts of the country. They are following this clumsy monster as a dumb, faceless, rag-wearing crowd. This strange state of affairs - the appearance of the foreigners, the extreme frost - disturbs the order of the small town. Aambitious personages of the story feel they can take advantage of this situation. The tension growing to the unbearable is brought to explosion by the figure of the Prince, who is pretending facelessness. Even his mere appearance is enough to break loose destructive emotions... Written by Anonymous
A wonderfully balletic and poetic film, built on long, long tracking and steadycam shots (thirty-eight for 2hrs 25mins). A study in pervasive yet neutral melancholia; the main character, who accompanies us through the whole film, is a simple, dreamy yet quietly optimistic postman, if one were to interpret his wide-eyed stare and unquestioning attitudes in such a way. One is drawn in from the very beginning, via the evocative music and camerawork. It is rare these days to see European films that take so much time and care as they progress. Watching it I was reminded of Aleksei German's Khrustalyov, My Car! - 1998, Roy Andersson's Songs from the Second Floor - 2000, Fellini and of course Tarkovski. I don't think that all cinema should be 'easy' or well wrapped up. Indeed, I often feel that I am simply not in the mood for seeing a particular film, or experiencing a particular atmopshere. After all it is fairly easy to tell from even short descriptions or reviews the kind of thing that is in store. So I was somewhat surprised to see one previous reviewer here describe this film as "dreary drek". Well, perhaps, but if they wanted to go and see a comedy or redemptive drama, why didn't they go see one already?! I may have had the odd moment of wishing certain shots were a tad shorter, but all in all I was mesmerised, from beginning to end.