Slow Places in Béla Tarr’s Films explores Hungarian filmmaker Béla Tarr’s approach to creating geographies of indifference through slow cinema techniques. Through a close examination of Tarr’s filmography, Clara Orban observes that his interiors provide claustrophobic environments in which human relationships have difficult flourishing, while his exteriors become landscapes through which characters wander endlessly. Furthermore, Orban argues, Tarr’s sparse use of animals provides contrast to the humans who inhabit these spaces, as they, too, are indifferent to humans’ fates. Orban utilizes close readings of Tarr’s films—including his earlier short films—along with relevant poems, a thorough filmography, and an interview with Tarr about aspects of this book to aid in her analysis. Ultimately, this book offers an accessible but detailed look at the geographic locations and ecological implications of the entire compendium of Tarr’s productions.
Author(s): Clara Orban
Publisher: Lexington Books
Year: 2021
Language: English
Pages: 222
City: Lanham
Cover
Half Title
Title Page
Copyright Page
Contents
List of Illustrations
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1: Introduction: Tarr in the Anthropocene
Overlapping Territories
Our Roadmap
Notes
Chapter 2: Slow Cinema, Tarr’s Places, and Hungarian Cinema
Slow Cinema
Slow Cinema Examples—Before and Beyond Tarr
Slow Places: Hungarian Film Spaces, and Tarr’s Trajectory
Notes
Chapter 3: The Claustrophobic Indoors
Urban versus Rural
Interiors
Notes
Chapter 4: The Empty Outdoors
Public Spaces
The Wilderness, Man-Made and Otherwise
Rain and Wind
Ecology and Outdoor Spaces
Notes
Chapter 5: Animals
Domestic Animals in the Town and on the (Collective) Farm
Sea Creatures in a Landlocked Country
Domestic Animals Mirror Human Lives
Notes
Chapter 6: Short Films and Segments: Further Experimentation
Hotel Magnezit
Journey on the Plain
The Last Boat
Prologue
After Retirement: Missing People
Notes
Chapter 7: Conclusion: Visions of Loneliness
Note
Appendix A: Petőfi Poems
Notes
Appendix B: Transcript of Interview with Béla Tarr
Filmography
Family Nest (Családi tűzfészek 1977)
Hotel Magnézit (1978)
The Outsider (Szabadgyalog 1981)
The Prefab People (Panelkapcsolat 1982)
Macbeth (1982)
Almanac of Fall (Öszi almanach 1985)
Damnation (Kárhozat 1988)
City Life (1990) Segment: The Last Boat (Az utolsó hajó)
Sátántangó (1994)
Journey on the Plain (Utazás az alföldön 1995)
Werckmeister Harmonies (Werckmeister harmóniák 2000)
Visions of Europe Segment: Prologue (2004)
The Man from London (A londoni férfi 2007)
The Turin Horse (A torinói ló 2011)
Bibliography
Index
About the Author
