Werckmeister Harmóniák
Agnes Hranitzky, Béla Tarr / HU, FR, DE, 2000 / 146 min.
In Werckmeister Harmóniák, Béla Tarr demonstrates that the veneer of human civilization can be wafer-thin. Hungarian locals come under the influence of a mysterious prince who drives the town into a collective frenzy of destruction. Based on a screenplay by László Krasznahorkai, who recently won the Nobel Prize in Literature.
A circus comes to a Hungarian provincial town. The citizens gawp at the circus’ side-shows, such as the mounted skeleton of a whale and a mysterious ‘Prince’ who tries to control them like a true demagogue. Some citizens fall under his spell, losing their grip on events, while others try to make a quick buck in the ensuing chaos.
In Werckmeister Harmóniák, Béla Tarr completes the trilogy to which Damnation (1988) and Sátántangó (1994) also belong; these two previous instalments were also created in collaboration with the Hungarian novelist and screenwriter László Krasznahorkai, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature on 9 October 2025.
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Special screenings
Details
Director
Agnes Hranitzky, Béla Tarr
Production year
2000
Country
HU, FR, DE
Original title
Werckmeister Harmóniák
Length
146 min.
Language
none
Subtitles
ENG or NLD
Format
DCP
Part of
Eye Classics
Eye’s collection includes a wealth of classics. With the Eye Classics series, Eye brings film history even closer. Every week, we screen at least three classics from the collection under one recognisable name: Eye Classics.
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