Review of Werckmeister Harmonies (2001) by Jacob F — 25 Apr 2011

The opening scene is one of my favorites of all-time. The rest of the film doesn't quite work, the deliberate pacing of the film seems to over determine its allegories. I know what Tarr is doing here; the correlation between musical theories of tonality and silence to film language, specifically shot and edit, and by extension to the world, birth, order, and chaos.

Intellectually its fascinating but as a film it lacks the manic miserableness of the Eastern European New cinemas of the 60' it recalls in its material, particularly the absurdist resignation to disorder of the Czech films of the late 60's, or the passionate asceticism of the long take utilized by people like Dryer, Reygadas, or Angepoulos.