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Vastarinnan melankolia

Original title: Werckmeister harmóniák
  • 20002000
  • 2h 25m
IMDb RATING
8.0/10
14K
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Vastarinnan melankolia (2000)
A naive young man witnesses an escalation of violence in his small hometown following the arrival of a mysterious circus attraction.
Play trailer2:20
1 Video
81 Photos
  • Drama
  • Mystery

A naive young man witnesses an escalation of violence in his small hometown following the arrival of a mysterious circus attraction.A naive young man witnesses an escalation of violence in his small hometown following the arrival of a mysterious circus attraction.A naive young man witnesses an escalation of violence in his small hometown following the arrival of a mysterious circus attraction.

IMDb RATING
8.0/10
14K
YOUR RATING
  • Directors
    • Béla Tarr
    • Ágnes Hranitzky
  • Writers
    • László Krasznahorkai(novel "The Melancholy of Resistance")
    • Béla Tarr(screenplay)
    • Péter Dobai(additional dialogue)
  • Stars
    • Lars Rudolph
    • Peter Fitz
    • Hanna Schygulla
Top credits
  • Directors
    • Béla Tarr
    • Ágnes Hranitzky
  • Writers
    • László Krasznahorkai(novel "The Melancholy of Resistance")
    • Béla Tarr(screenplay)
    • Péter Dobai(additional dialogue)
  • Stars
    • Lars Rudolph
    • Peter Fitz
    • Hanna Schygulla
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 62User reviews
    • 55Critic reviews
    • 92Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 6 wins & 2 nominations

    Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 2:20
    Trailer

    Photos81

    Vastarinnan melankolia (2000)
    Lars Rudolph in Vastarinnan melankolia (2000)
    Kárhozat (1988)
    Lars Rudolph in Vastarinnan melankolia (2000)
    Vastarinnan melankolia (2000)
    Vastarinnan melankolia (2000)
    Vastarinnan melankolia (2000)
    Vastarinnan melankolia (2000)
    Vastarinnan melankolia (2000)
    Vastarinnan melankolia (2000)
    Vastarinnan melankolia (2000)
    Vastarinnan melankolia (2000)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Lars Rudolph
    Lars Rudolph
    • János Valuskaas János Valuska
    Peter Fitz
    • György Eszteras György Eszter
    Hanna Schygulla
    Hanna Schygulla
    • Tünde Eszteras Tünde Eszter
    János Derzsi
    János Derzsi
    • Man In The Broad-Cloth Coatas Man In The Broad-Cloth Coat
    Djoko Rosic
    • Man In Western Bootsas Man In Western Boots
    • (as Djoko Rossich)
    Tamás Wichmann
    • Man In The Sailor-Capas Man In The Sailor-Cap
    Ferenc Kállai
    • Directoras Director
    Mihály Kormos
    Mihály Kormos
    • Factotumas Factotum
    Putyi Horváth
    • Porteras Porter
    • (as dr. Horváth Putyi)
    Enikö Börcsök
    Éva Almássy Albert
    • Aunt Pirias Aunt Piri
    • (as Almási Albert Éva)
    Irén Szajki
    • Mrs. Harreras Mrs. Harrer
    Alfréd Járai
    • Lajos Harreras Lajos Harrer
    György Barkó
    • Mr. Nadabánas Mr. Nadabán
    Lajos Dobák
    • Mr. Volentas Mr. Volent
    András Fekete
    • Mr. Árgyelánas Mr. Árgyelán
    Gyuri Dósa Kiss
    Józsi Mihályfi
    • Directors
      • Béla Tarr
      • Ágnes Hranitzky
    • Writers
      • László Krasznahorkai(novel "The Melancholy of Resistance") (screenplay)
      • Béla Tarr(screenplay)
      • Péter Dobai(additional dialogue)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit
    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 trailer, 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... —Anonymous
    • instrument tuning
    • hungarian
    • allegory
    • based on novel
    • whale
    • 170 more
    • Plot summary
    • Plot synopsis
    • Genres
      • Drama
      • Mystery
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The film is composed of 39 languidly paced tracking shots.
    • Goofs
      Janos finds Lajos, who is supposedly dead, yet you can clearly see the actor breathing.
    • Quotes

      János Valuska: You are the sun. The sun doesn't move, this is what it does. You are the Earth. The Earth is here for a start, and then the Earth moves around the sun. And now, we'll have an explanation that simple folks like us can also understand, about immortality. All I ask is that you step with me into the boundlessness, where constancy, quietude and peace, infinite emptiness reign. And just imagine, in this infinite sonorous silence, everywhere is an impenetrable darkness. Here, we only experience general motion, and at first, we don't notice the events that we are witnessing. The brilliant light of the sun always sheds its heat and light on that side of the Earth which is just then turned towards it. And we stand here in it's brilliance. This is the moon. The moon revolves around the Earth. What is happening? We suddenly see that the disc of the moon, the disc of the moon, on the Sun's flaming sphere, makes an indentation, and this indentation, the dark shadow, grows bigger... and bigger. And as it covers more and more, slowly only a narrow crescent of the sun remains, a dazzling crescent. And at the next moment, the next moment - say that it's around one in the afternoon - a most dramatic turn of event occurs. At that moment the air suddenly turns cold. Can you feel it? The sky darkens, then goes all dark. The dogs howl, rabbits hunch down, the deer run in panic, run, stampede in fright. And in this awful, incomprehensible dusk, even the birds... the birds too are confused and go to roost. And then... Complete Silence. Everything that lives is still. Are the hills going to march off? Will heaven fall upon us? Will the Earth open under us? We don't know. We don't know, for a total eclipse has come upon us... But... but no need to fear. It's not over. For across the sun's glowing sphere, slowly, the Moon swims away. And the sun once again bursts forth, and to the Earth slowly there comes again light, and warmth again floods the Earth. Deep emotion pierces everyone. They have escaped the weight of darkness

      Mr. Hagelmayer: That's enough! Out of here, you tubs of beer!

      János Valuska: But Mr. Hagelmayer. It's still not over.

    • Connections
      Featured in What Is Cinema? (2013)
    • Soundtracks
      Book 1 - Prelude No. 8 in E-flat minor (BWV 853)
      from The Well-Tempered Clavier

      composed by Johann Sebastian Bach

      The "grating" recording that György listens to in his study, though the piano is far from "perfectly tuned".

    User reviews62

    Review
    Top review
    10/10
    Amazingly beautiful
    Don't let warnings of length turn you away from this movie. If you are incapable of sitting still for 2.5 hours and realizing the beauty of lengthy shots, don't see it. But if not, don't let reviews by those with short attention-spans keep you from seeing this film. It is one of the most beautifully and dramatically shot movies, with each shot lasting about 10 minutes. This allows for breathtaking camera movement that mixes perfectly with the sound track. Take a break from typical movies broken up by excessive shots and see this movie. It will blow you away.
    helpful•37
    23
    • swampcow
    • Nov 18, 2002

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • February 1, 2001 (Hungary)
    • Countries of origin
      • Hungary
      • Italy
      • Germany
      • France
    • Languages
      • Hungarian
      • Slovak
    • Also known as
      • Werckmeister Harmonies
    • Filming locations
      • Baja, Hungary
    • Production companies
      • 13 Productions
      • ARTE
      • Fondazione Montecinemaverita
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • FRF 10,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $25,461
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $4,852
      • Oct 7, 2001
    • Gross worldwide
      • $25,461
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 25 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Sound mix
      • Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.66 : 1

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