Sátántangó (Satan's Tango) (1994)

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  October 19, 2010

  MightySparks

  I actually watched this over a week, watching an hour a day. Some people have said this isn't the right way to watch it, but for me it was.
  
  I have trouble paying attention to long movies, especially ones like this, so I was actually paying attention to each hour, before getting ... read moreto the point where I stop concentrating.
  
  It was boring. I LOVE long takes, but these were just pointless. The scene with the cat made me cringe, because animal cruelty makes me cry like a baby.

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  September 8, 2009

  jimbotender

  I can't describe it.It's an opus equivalent to what philosophy and opera really mean to anyone who's a fervent supporter of all types of arts.No mental delights,no gloominess,this is an attack to the senses by a long shot!
  Whoever is against natural formations,better stay away...... read morethe hours and the times,literally.

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  April 9, 2011

  RicC

  A rural town has its betraying and drunken inhabitants at the center of attention when a pair of previously thought deceased denizens are heard to soon arrive. Among much of the town's mistakes and uncontrolled actions is one which will cost it further betrayal and the citizens' ... read moreway of life.
  
  There is a good amount of talent involved with Satantango. At such lengths a film obviously needs a cast to perform impeccably by means of natural, professional and improvised performances, cinematography that outdoes most of the attempts from films of the new millennium, and its sound design to be spellbinding and otherworldly or at least emotive in a sense so that viewers can stay connected if not through pace.
  
  Satantango does have its cast, photography and other share of things to boot but its mixture of conventional and unconventional filming causes fluctuations between godlike moments and granted ones. The film judged as a whole didn't create much greatness though I believe it deserves a higher rating (A perfect one) because of multiple scenes that warrant it. Individually rating scene by scene and coming up with an average would more or less be the manner in which I rated it. Because of any possible deterrents from full enjoyment and appreciation, I've decided to rewatch it perhaps in ten years seeing as how I've only been interested in art house for two.
  
  Multiple shots, as previously mentioned, are expertly crafted and composed. I'll say my favorite is the opening where cows spontaneously herd from a warehouse to the field, all of this set to an entrancing, lulling sound of chiming, humming bells. This scene like various, various scenes in the rest of the film captures naturalistic instances: the cows wander a moment in mud and their footsteps echo loudly; some cows moo and its echo sounds beautiful; others attempt to mate. Scenes are not always as peaceful and metaphorical but they are impressively long and shot in one take. (This and the non-linear structure as well as the re-creation of scenes from different angles were a major influence on Gus Van Sant.)
  
  It is unconventional in the sense that characters are truly fully developed, moments taking from ten to twenty minutes focusing on one individual almost like a novel. This character development is paired with the storyline, a conventional act that I did not wholly find interest in. It is not the story's fault; I have my personal taste. Most scenes where the photography dulled and characters spoke back and forth were anchored in an unnecessary realism with myself fully aware that there was a camera filming said characters. But as it is I'll still declare it a mammoth achievement as I felt it more of a three-hour movie. It would be interesting to see this style and manner of film making under surrealism.
  
  Lastly, I have to address the child actor (The one on the cover) who was shockingly talented for her age. She elicits a psychotic unease with her naturalistic actions (Real time feline abuse) and facial expressions.

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  February 12, 2011

  HuskersNC949597

  Has its moments, then leaves the camera there so you can watch the character walk away for 3 minutes, then does that again every time. Political statement? Maybe, I don't know. But then the characters start spouting out weird crap, and they're all dumber than shit, so that hel... read moreps. Then we can watch the horses mill around the town square for 3 more minutes. Then we can watch another guy take a piss. Then we'll watch the fat doctor sit in his chair and wheeze (OOOH does he represent the old, dying old guard of old stuff? DEEP! Or maybe he's just a fat old man, I don't know, I haven't read the book.) Then some people will drink and get drunk a lot, and maybe throw up in the rain, or dance, and then throw up. But I know for sure one of them will have to take a piss soon, because they drank a LOT. Here's a kid torturing a cat, then she ingests some rat poison and that allows one of the stupid characters to spout some bullshit to trick all the dumber people into giving him more money. Fun fact: leaving the camera on a child actress for 10 minutes when her character is supposed to be dead reveals that she is still breathing. Of course, I realize she is not really dead in real life, but I'm saying editing would have actually made sense there. But since this is not afforded to us, the audience, the movie keeps on plodding, and so shall I. Another ugly, frumpy person just did something frumpy, let's watch them walk away. Here is a nice crane shot of it still raining, because it rains for a long time in Hungary. Did we mention it rains a lot here? It rains a lot here. Did we tell you it rains here? It rains here. Did we ever tell you about the rain here? It rains here. One shot of guys walking down a street being pushed along by the wind not enough? Here's another one, 4 hours later. This time there's a 3rd gentleman walking in the shot, so it's like a totally different shot. Here's some more dopey dialogue. AND SCENE! Really, a lot of nice shots in the movie, but then again the law of averages basically guarantees that. A lot of redundancy for the sake of art, I guess, and it's not fair to say there's no plot here, that's not the case, it's just that it is occasionally lost in the surge of repetitive imagery. Jeanne Dielman showed more restraint.

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  March 7, 2010

  cglemaud

  You know that feeling when you just finished a marathon? You finished in the 10th percentile, but you don?t give a damn, you finished damn it, so screw your ex-girlfriend who said you?d never amount to anything. Well, I don?t know that feeling either, but I think that?s the feeli... read moreng I?d have after completing Sátántangó. Seven long ? but highly gratifying ? hours were spent on the couch, eyes glued to the picture mover (but not in succession, I had to keep my sanity somehow.)
  
  Sátántangó is comprised of 12 chapters (to call them vignettes would be an understatement). The first six moving forward story wise, but following taking on another person?s POV. Until doubling back, and following the same people only in reverse. The structure borrows from (OMG!) the tango: six moves forward, six moves back. It?s very interesting, can only be taken true advantage of in a film of this length. It?s the only way you really get to know the characters.
  
  One such chapter in particular really struck a cord with me. Felfesl?k (Those Coming Unstitched) follows Estike (Erika Bók) around on a short tale of betrayal and death. Being coerced by one, who we can only assume is her older brother, she?s lead to believe planting money underground and watering will grow the money tree. She returns a few days later and discovers the money was taken, and used by aforementioned older person. Her face to discover the betrayal, without reason might I add, truly saddened me. Of course she can?t fight back, so her only way to cope is to inflict pain on a poor cat. And that?s a key issue in the film: bullying. The bigger powers take advantage of the little, for no reason whatsoever, only because they can. It?s quite reminiscent to the Bush Doctrine, except America always has a ?reason.? I?d never go as far to say that America?s evil goes as far as the Soviet Union?s, but it sure as hell gets close. I?d hate to digress into some rant about America and our perverse concept of American Exceptionalism, but I can?t help but to find some allegorical similarity whenever a film takes on politics. It kills me just to think of Dragan Marinkovic?s satire The Bizarre Country (1988, Yugoslavia). If you can manage to find a copy, I highly suggest that film. Anyway?
  
  It?s hard to be coherent when writing about a film you?re still digesting, but I do know this: Sátántangó is a film experience that can?t be matched. There are moments of boredom, do not get me wrong, but that?s more to do with Tarr?s need to stay stagnant on a particular shot, and all I want is for him to move on. I know why he does it, and frankly, commend his bravery, but after five hours, sometimes all you want is for things to progress. Save for that little complaint, this is a damn fine film, and deserves all it?s deification.

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  October 28, 2009

  columbiatch

  Somewhat uneven. The tango-like structure and extremely long dead time are pretty awesome in showing the futile inertia of the community. However whenever some douche in the film opens their mouth it becomes laughable. It's very effective in carving out large chunks of time, whic... read moreh is really above all what the film is about. I'm not sure what the scene near the end featuring the writers discussing the characters was for. I thought I had seen enough rain in this film to last a season, but I left the theater only see it was pouring outside (plus an ominous sound of bell towing).

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  February 17, 2007

  Ugetsu

  at 7.1/2 hours this is an experience more than a your typical movie the running time allows one to become imursed in the world that Bela Tarr has created, to ruminate the extrodinary images and the deeper meaning that lies within

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