Quand le génie de la mise en scène rencontre le jeu d'acteur de "sous le soleil". Malheureusement, les jeux de la femme et la fille de Maloin (le "héros") sont pitoyables, et les autres ne sont pas terribles. Mais pourquoi ? Pourquoi prendre des a... (read more) Quand le génie de la mise en scène rencontre le jeu d'acteur de "sous le soleil". Malheureusement, les jeux de la femme et la fille de Maloin (le "héros") sont pitoyables, et les autres ne sont pas terribles. Mais pourquoi ? Pourquoi prendre des acteurs hongrois pour jouer en francais ? Heureusement, la mise en scène reste sublime, meme si la lenteur des plans sequences est parfois pesante.
Cela reste une grosse deception apres les Harmonies Werckmeister (meilleur film vu depuis 2000).

Impeccable avec le drame en creux et bosses, les sensations en noir et blanc et le temps de retourner les remords devant ses yeux

Bela Tarr fans may be disappointed, but there's still a ton of great things about this movie - the cinematography, for example, is classic Tarr. There is an opening scene that lasts a long time - why does that not surprise me? - and with the haunting... (read more) Bela Tarr fans may be disappointed, but there's still a ton of great things about this movie - the cinematography, for example, is classic Tarr. There is an opening scene that lasts a long time - why does that not surprise me? - and with the haunting score, plunges us straight into the familiar Tarr world of black and white stasis, trapped heros and moral quandries. The best scene is, surprise, surprise, in a bar. It's nothing like the opening of Werkmeister Harmonies, but it's pretty special. Some fabulous acting as well. Ultimately, it's a hommage to film noir and if more people went to see it than I imagine will, it would enter into the canon of pushing the boundaries of film noir. Go see it because there is nothing on earth like a Bela Tarr movie.

This is Bela Tarr's long awaited follow up to his masterpiece Werckmeister Harmonies from 2000. (Not including the short film he made for the 2004 omnibus film Visions of Europe.) I would need to view it a few more times to see where it stands in rel... (read more) This is Bela Tarr's long awaited follow up to his masterpiece Werckmeister Harmonies from 2000. (Not including the short film he made for the 2004 omnibus film Visions of Europe.) I would need to view it a few more times to see where it stands in relation to the rest of his work or to really say too much about it. Though not sourced from a László Krasznahorkai novel like the three previous films, Krasznahorkai did help adapt the screenplay from a Georges Simenon novel. Moreover, the visual style remains the same: in other words, lush black and white photography mixed with impressive long-takes and camera movements. The story, though, is much less sophisticated than Satantango or Werckmeister Harmonies. To some extent, it reminded me more of Almanac of Fall or Damnation with its concerns about personal betrayals, and how greed inflects too much of human behavior. Still, some images from the film do rank amongst Tarr's best: a simple camera dolly from people playing chess to a withered old man eating in extended close-up, not to mention a drunken dance involving a chair and pool cue.

Me encantó y al contrario de mucha gente, no me quedé dormida en el cine, al contrario, como que me hipnotizó. Una fotografía maravillosa, cuadros eternos y maravillosos. Un desafío para los actores, que intentan "congelar" sus emociones.

No hay que descansar en su historia e incluso en sus personajes o dialogos perpetuos, esta pelicula simplemente encanta por su fotografia, sus largas secuencias que desafian la paciencia a partir de la intriga y la tension. El trabajo de Fred Kelemen... (read more) No hay que descansar en su historia e incluso en sus personajes o dialogos perpetuos, esta pelicula simplemente encanta por su fotografia, sus largas secuencias que desafian la paciencia a partir de la intriga y la tension. El trabajo de Fred Kelemen subraya una vez mas su gran curriculum como cinematografo. De estas peliculas ya no se hacen, es como retroceder cuatro decadas. Muy interesante, no apta para impacientes, y no recomendable para el trasnoche.

One tends to get lost as far as the plot is concerned, but the acting and the camera work covers that up instantly.

Not Tarr's best work by any means, but his hypnotic style still works its magic to some extent. Definitely better served on a big screen.

my first b&w caught in a theatre. twas during iff.
magnificent cinematography. never realised there could be such a breadth of variation between black and white.
extremely slow-paced resembling the desolation and banal sense of existence of the pe... (read more) my first b&w caught in a theatre. twas during iff.
magnificent cinematography. never realised there could be such a breadth of variation between black and white.
extremely slow-paced resembling the desolation and banal sense of existence of the people involved in the small town.
i'm impressed by the frequent close-ups of actors' eyes, esp. the capture of their iris' colour and the pupil's dilation along with the evovling emotion.
also the use of humdrum ballads and rhythmic, monotonous sound of machines to further anchor down the mood.

A really interesting reinterpretation of film noir, Béla Tarr has once again slowed time to a crawl. Certain aspects of this film are quite traditional (the constant use of dramatic music), but the overall flow and look is completely within the worl... (read more) A really interesting reinterpretation of film noir, Béla Tarr has once again slowed time to a crawl. Certain aspects of this film are quite traditional (the constant use of dramatic music), but the overall flow and look is completely within the world Tarr has created time and again. I'm in awe of how the French mediterranean could look like central Hungary (much of the film was shot on Corsica). The cinematography is beautiful and stark, at times recalling the best of noir (The Third Man or Night And The City) stretched till nearly the breaking point of both time and contrast. Not wholly successful when compared with Tarr's earlier efforts, but this seems like a hold-back from a lost era. worth nearly every minute, even when bordering on tediousness.