Watched on DVD

39 is the magic number that is invoked again and again in Bela Tarr's "Werckmeister Harmonies". It is the number of shots that make up the 145-minute film. From a purely mathematical point of view, it can be concluded that the film works with numerous planned sequences. Six cameramen were needed for this tour de force, and yet the actual result goes beyond all mathematical notions. How powerfully and precisely the camera unfolds, often clinging to figures for minutes in observing silence, only to break out again completely uncontrolled, can hardly be described, but must be experienced and felt with one's own eyes. The fact that this is probably some of the most haunting camerawork in the entire history of film is almost incidental, because Tarr is never concerned with exhibiting or peddling his technical brilliance.

As a result, the film quickly finds its very own rhythm. This becomes clear in the very first scene, when the protagonist János Valuska (Lars Rudolph) performs an obstinate trick for some drunkards in the local pub. A replica of the solar system is created from a ballet of human movements, expressing Janos' simple and naïve view of the world. Again and again, his simple, friendly and cosmopolitan mind collides with a frighteningly cold and cruel society. From his eyes we watch as a large circus troupe arrives in town carrying the carcass of a huge whale. For János, the sight of the creature is deeply fascinating and, in its violence, an image of God. But just as the stuffed whale is already rotting, the circus troupe also brings violence and destruction to the city. Events that we understand as little as János.

Thus "Werckmeister Harmonies" is first and foremost pure atmospheric cinema that does not tell a story in the classical sense, but through its grandiose images, opulent background music and natural design creates a pull that must be experienced. At the same time, Tarr's film is also a confrontation with our own viewing habits. Why does it seem strange to us to watch a man walking down a country lane for several minutes, even though these images are clearly closer to our everyday lives than the thunderstorm of cuts that bursts upon us in Hollywood? "Werckmeister Harmonies" is a sensual reflection on the power of moving images and is so unique in its completely original visual language that you should have seen this work.