Notes on Bela Tarr and Slow Cinema - some things most film sites, most entertainment sites do not know about
Yes, for convenience sake, at most place, I type Bela Tarr, without the accents - because it's easier - but we all know who I am referring to.
Also I capitalize both Slow and Cinema in Slow Cinema, because it's the name of a genre of film.
Most American mainstream film sites, even many indie ones, have very little understanding of Slow Cinema or Bela Tarr movies - because the sites more or less work for Hollywood or similar entities by just focusing on the big Hollywood movies and streamer movies, and the big festival movies which are essentially paid ads for movies. Nothing wrong with any of that, American commercial cinema is all about trying to make money (or look like they are trying to make money) - so they do things in a certain way.
Bela Tarr did not operate in that way. He made film art. Also film that he knew some people would watch. A good entry to Tarr's body of work is Werkmeister Harmonies. A town has to deal with the not so great things that happen when a circus arrives. Tarr is of course a recognized master of Slow Cinema. We watch Tarr movies to relate to time better, and to see the use of time in the movies.
As is made clear in the Jarmusch movie Mystery Train, time, the flow of time, observing time (mostly) in a movie, can be a significant aspect of some movies and some plots. Tarr's movies - sometimes over 7 hours - are primarily about the actual experience of characters and living in time.
As I mentioned recently in an interview (not out yet), we are born into time, we live in time, and time ends our existence at some point - like the Hindu goddess Kali, time is the devour of things. That living and dying is both respected and clearly shown in Tarr movies, and in other Slow Cinema movies. Time is an intimate experience for humans - it is so close to us typically we do not see it. But, watching Slow Cinema movies - specially well made ones - you get to see time unfold and you get to appreciate how time works well in a certain movie with other elements of the film. Werewolf Ninja Philosopher would be a good, easy intro to Slow Cinema. And then, for something more difficult, Dead Man by Jarmusch is good, and then for something even more difficult one could watch one of the mature period works by Tarr: Satantango, Werkmeister Harmonies, or The Turin Horse.
Tarr's films deal with the collapse of things, bleak endings, hopelessness. Some of that is evident - hidden behind Hollywood tricks - in two Spielberg movies: Munich and Schindler's List.
And there is a secret method to filmmaking that is rarely mentioned in the media but Slow Cinema filmmakers know about it: 1st you can start with time - let's say a 90 min shot or a number of shots of anything - the city, the woods, whatever. That is the 1st version of a movie -capturing the time in which the movie takes place, plus perhaps some b-roll images that may make it to the final movie. So, time - in the physical form - video that's 90 mins or so long - becomes the structure for the movie. Once that's added to a Project in an editing system - let's say Final Cut Pro, you can add other scripted and filmed scenes over it. You have the time structure for the movie, and then you can fill it up using the final scenes for the public. A Slow Cinema movie is sometimes very close to the initial time structure of a movie - without the faster entertainment scenes of a final regular movie.
Here is a list of films and filmmakers influenced by Bela Tarr, plus a list of his own films (lists created with the help of X's AI):
"List of Béla Tarr's Feature Films (Chronological)Here are some key filmmakers who have cited or shown clear influence from Tarr:
Elephant (2003, Gus Van Sant) — Extended, hypnotic sequences.
Various works by Apichatpong Weerasethakul (e.g., Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives) and Carlos Reygadas (e.g., Silent Light) for their meditative pacing.
"Making a slow cinema film in the style of Béla Tarr (especially his mature works like Damnation, Sátántangó, Werckmeister Harmonies, or The Turin Horse) is an intensely deliberate, collaborative, and physically demanding process.
The "script" is more a philosophical blueprint than a detailed dialogue-heavy document. Tarr despised conventional stories, viewing them as misleading; instead, he focused on human conditions, time, and atmosphere.
Scripts existed mainly to secure funding — the real film emerges during preparation and shooting.
Tarr treated the set like a "feudal system" with no democracy in art — he was the absolute visionary, but relied on deep trust with a core team.
Rehearsals ensure that long, complex sequences can be executed in single takes without mistakes. The camera, actors, and even extras must move in perfect sync, like a ballet. Tarr described watching a good take on The Turin Horse where "everybody was breathing at the same rhythm."
Cinematographer Fred Kelemen (for later films; master of fluid, hypnotic tracking shots).
Composer Mihály Víg (haunting, repetitive scores that amplify mood).
Recurring actors like Erika Bók or János Derzsi.
This tight-knit group allowed for intuition and precision. Economic ingenuity was key — low budgets meant creative problem-solving with sets, locations, and equipment.
Signature: Very few shots overall — Werckmeister Harmonies has only ~39 takes for its entire 2.5 hours; Sátántangó around 150 for 7.5 hours. Average shot length often exceeds 3–4 minutes (up to 10+ minutes in some cases).
Long, elaborately choreographed takes — often continuous tracking shots following characters through bleak landscapes, decaying towns, or claustrophobic interiors. The camera moves slowly, hypnotically, revealing space and time in real duration.
No quick cuts — the rhythm is created on set. Once a take is perfect, it's "glued" together with minimal post-editing (just trim the start/end).
Locations: Real, often grim Hungarian rural or industrial settings (mud, rain, wind) to capture authentic desolation. Sets are built meticulously (e.g., the central set for The Turin Horse was documented in detail).
Shooting is slow and grueling — multiple attempts per sequence until perfection. Tarr demanded absolute control, switching cinematographers if needed for the right vision.
Music (often by Víg) is sparse but powerful, used to heighten emotional weight rather than underscore action.
The process can take years overall (e.g., Sátántangó took over 7 years from development to release), reflecting Tarr's perfectionism.
