Review of Werckmeister Harmonies (2001) by Evan D — 12 Jun 2007

How do I start a review for this film? Well, this may be one that you haven't heard of unless you follow film pretty closely. I found out about this movie and, although the plot sounded less than interesting, I still wanted to give it a shot. It was definitely worth it. I'm not crazy enough to think every person that gives this a shot will like it. It's slow; the shots are incredibly long and tracking. If you can take that kind of a movie you might very well be in for a treat with Werckmeister Harmonies. First, the cinematography is basically flawless. It's shot in black and white and is a photographer's dream. I found myself envious of every shot, mostly the contrast and attention to detail. There were certain scenes with very bold lighting that were extremely powerful.

One of my other favorite aspects of this film was the score. It was the best, and most beautiful score I have ever heard. It's number 1. In fact, I've been trying to get this film on DVD so that I can listen to the score again. In one word, this movie is beautiful. If this sounds like something you can handle, see it as soon as possible. If not, I understand why/how some could not like this. Personally, I thought it was brilliant.