Werckmeister Harmonies @ BAM

[János Székely]

Well, to close the circuits, the script for WH (2000) was written by László
Krasznahorkai, sandwiched between a journey to the Balkans (post-war
Sarajevo) and one to China. It was based on his own novel The Melancholy of
Resistance (1989), followed by the Prisoner of Urga (1992), about a *fictive
*journey to the East (China and then getting stuck in Mongolia). To top all
this, Krasznahorkai is an avowed Pynchon fan (though the influence is not
very strong). Like in an interview from 2000: "For Thomas Pynchon, who,
after all, has been the single most important figure in world literature
since Thomas Bernhard's death,  crisis does not derive from tradition and
the very existence of the next moment, but from human being as an element
which destroys tradition and the next moment", whatever he meant by that.

János
2008/6/26 Dave Monroe <against.the.dave at gmail.com>:

> Werckmeister Harmonies (Werckmeister Harmóníak) (2000) 145min
> Thu, July 3 at 6, 9pm
> Directed by Béla Tarr
> With Lars Rudolph, Peter Fitz, Hannah Schygulla
>
> The resident holy fool of a small town startles the patrons of a local
> pub when he demonstrates a solar eclipse. A circus arrives, bringing a
> stuffed whale carcass and the promise of a much anticipated figure
> called "the Prince." When this mysterious man fails to appear, the
> town bursts into revolt. These scenes set the stage for a profound
> allegory, powered by hypnotic black and white cinematography and a
> transcendent score. "Weird, wonderful, witty and unsettling."—Time Out
> London
>
> http://www.bam.org/film/series.aspx?id=192
>
> Mongol
> (R) 125min
> 4:30, 7, 9:30pm
>
> Directed by Sergei Bodrov
> With Tadanobu Asano, Honglei Sun, Khulan Chuluun
>
> "…a big, ponderous epic, its beautifully composed landscape shots
> punctuated by thundering hooves and bloody, slow-motion battle
> sequences." —The New York Times
>
> Award-winning Russian filmmaker Sergei Bodrov (Prisoner of the
> Mountains) illuminates the life and legend of Genghis Khan in this
> stunning historical epic. Based on leading scholarly accounts, Mongol
> delves into the dramatic and harrowing early years of the ruler who
> was born as Temudgin in 1162. As it follows Temudgin from his perilous
> childhood to the battle that sealed his destiny, the film paints a
> multidimensional portrait of the future conqueror, revealing him not
> as the evil brute of stereotype, but as an inspiring, fearless, and
> visionary leader.
>
> In a performance of powerful stillness and subtlety, celebrated
> Japanese actor Tadanobu Asano (Zatoichi, Last Life in the Universe)
> captures the inner fire that enabled a hunted boy to become a
> legendary conquerer. Asano's achievement is matched by those of his
> co-stars, including the radiant newcomer, Khulan Culuun as Temudgin's
> spirited wife Borte and the Chinese actor Honglei Sun (The Road Home)
> as Mongol chieftain Jamukha, Temudgin's dearest friend and deadliest
> enemy. Masterfully blending action and emotion against some of the
> most arresting terrain on earth, Bodrov delivers an exciting and
> awe-inspiring tale of survival and triumph, and a love story for the
> ages. In Mongolian with English subtitles.
>
> http://www.bam.org/film/firstrun.aspx?id=1293
>
>
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