Sunday, August 21, 2011

Damnation (1988)

Damnation • Kárhozat (1988)
Damnation • Kárhozat (1988)


Genre: Drama
Director:  Béla Tarr
Starring: Miklós B. Székely, Vali Kerekes, Hedi Temessy, Gyorgy Cserhalmi
Duration: 116 min.
Rating: 8.0  

Summary:
Karrer plods his way through life in quiet desperation. His environment is drab and rainy and muddy. Eaten up with solitude, his hopelessness would be incurable but for the existence of the Titanik Bar and its beautiful, haunting singer. But the lady is married and Karrer is determined to keep her husband away...



Damnation is a film by acclaimed Hungarian director Béla Tarr.  It was his first collaboration with novelist László Krasznahorkai, who he has worked with on every film since.  It premiered at the 1988 Berlin International Film Festival.

The summary above pretty much describes the entire story of this experimental film.  Tarr is not so much interested in weaving a tale as he is in portraying a state of mind.  In this case, a bleak and dark, cold and damp, endlessly deep pit of despair.  This look and feel is achieved with the marvelous black and white cinematography of Gábor Medvigy, a man who has a remarkable talent for moving the camera at the slowest constant speed possible.  It is this spellbinding imagery that draws you into Tarr's realm and captivates you despite the relentlessly gloomy and depressing atmosphere.

The immersive mood is established right from the long, and I mean long, and monotonous opening shot of buckets of coal travelling away on an aerial tramway into a grey horizon, that ever so slowly zooms out to reveal first a window and then slightly pans over to our protagonist, Karrer (Miklós B. Székely) smoking and staring motionlessly out into the distance.  Accompanied by the droning sounds of machinery, and emphasized by the contrast of dark and light, for the viewer this first impression will either mesmerize you for the unique cinematic experience about to unfold, or send you running back for a refund.

Damnation • Kárhozat (1988)

Karrer, wastes away his hours in the Titanik Bar, the location of the single best scene I have witnessed in Hungarian cinema to date.  A glacial tracking shot moving about the dim and smoky room where lonely crestfallen men sit in silence, staring down at their drinks, while a live band plays a slow and sad ballad.  When the camera gets to Karrer, we hear the voice of the unnamed singer (Vali Kerekes) and the object of his affection, begin to sing a haunting torch song.   After some time focused on his blank expression, the camera finally reveals the singer on stage, seated and leaning against a pillar, it remains on her, gradually moving to a close up shot, while she beautifully sings the remainder of the lyrics.  The slow but fluid cinematography, staggering set design, and hypnotic music all combine together exquisitely.  I could probably watch this scene on repeat for hours.

The rest of the film follows up with more and much more melancholy.  Including perhaps the most dispassionate sex scene ever filmed.  Even with the masterful visual style, it starts to become an arduous film to bear, and the stretching out of the thin plot threatens to drag down the overall effect of the film.  However, the ending finishes off the picture with a brilliant statement, and establishes Tarr as a director whom I instantly respect, but still has some convincing to do.

Bonjour Tristesse

Damnation • Kárhozat (1988)

Damnation • Kárhozat (1988)

Damnation • Kárhozat (1988)

Damnation • Kárhozat (1988)

Damnation • Kárhozat (1988)

Damnation • Kárhozat (1988)

Damnation • Kárhozat (1988)

Damnation • Kárhozat (1988)

11 comments:

blahblahblahtoby said...

my local video store is pretty awesome in general so i assumed they would have this when we went out of our way to pick up a selection of great world cinema today. sadly from my list of 5 they only had Tokyo Story and zero Bela Tarr.

moviesandsongs365 said...

Sort of reminds me of Kurosawa's Ikiru (1952), the story, and the fact its b/w, and foreign language. Maybe I should add this to my to-see-list, sounds powerful and atmospheric, although probably not for impatient viewers I'd say. Have you seen his latest from 2011 The Turin Horse, is it worth a look?

Hoi-Ming Ng said...

I wonder what the town looks like through the eyes of someone who isn't suffering under depression

d_4 said...

I think either trailer or you alone wouldn't have been able to get me to watch it, but after having all this together it really seems like I would enjoy it when in a depressed/melancholic mood. I'll make sure not to watch it otherwise, but I want to see this one.

Jack L said...

Seems I was right to be interested in Bela Tarr's work, this film sounds rather extraordinary, I don't know if I'd like it, but I am certainly interested in seeing it.
Great review.

blahblahblahtoby said...

certainly sounds interesting, those images are fantastic. did i miss why you're doing this spotlight on hungarian cinema?

A Hero never dies said...

This sounds fantastic, I've added it to my rental queue. Thanks for the recommendation.

Bonjour Tristesse said...

I have to admit I haven't seen either of them yet.  I have a lot of catching up to do with Kurosawa's non samurai films, and this was my first Tarr experience.

Bonjour Tristesse said...

Thanks Jack, I've heard so much about Tarr and now I know why.  The next one should be interesting too.  His 7 hour epic Satantango.  I just need to find the time to watch it.

Bonjour Tristesse said...

Just expanding my knowledge of various foreign cinemas.  Making my way through different countries and film movements that I know almost nothing about.  Kind of like Custard's World Icon tour, but more in depth.

Bonjour Tristesse said...

Cool, come back and let me know what you think.

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