The Turin Horse (Bela Tarr, 2011)

Discussions of specific films and franchises.
Post Reply
Message
Author
User avatar
Rsdio
Joined: Mon May 29, 2006 11:42 am
Location: UK

Re: The Turin Horse (Bela Tarr, 2011)

#76 Post by Rsdio » Thu Nov 17, 2011 10:22 am

I think you might be right, Tarr's pacing is going to be quite alien and probably very disorientating to the vast majority of people unfamiliar with his films. Once you're a little way in it can be very difficult to guage time accurately although I assume most people check running times out before they go out to see something and in this case they were helped out by the illuminated clock at the front of the cinema!

I think it was the unremittingly bleak tone rather than the rhythm (if you can really separate the two) that was responsible for the general reaction though; it's not a film most people are going to come out of feeling better than when they went in, that's for sure. As much as I love his films I've got to be in a fairly specific frame of mind for them so it's easy enough to sympathise with those who went in totally cold, with no idea of what to expect.
The endingShow
I think it could quite effectively have ended at various points before it eventually did but showing their continued, inevitable endurance in the face of the ever-increasing absurdity of their hardship was a worthwhile emphasis of that particular theme, I think. Besides, there's always room for more potato!
I'm really still trying to digest the thing and I doubt I'll manage to form any particularly ordered thoughts on it for a good while!

User avatar
aox
Joined: Fri Jun 20, 2008 12:02 pm
Location: nYc

Re: The Turin Horse (Bela Tarr, 2011)

#77 Post by aox » Thu Nov 17, 2011 10:26 am

Please please please: come to America!!!

I don't think I have anticipated a film more in my life.

j99
Joined: Wed May 27, 2009 10:18 am

Re: The Turin Horse (Bela Tarr, 2011)

#78 Post by j99 » Thu Nov 17, 2011 1:35 pm

Any news on a DVD? Looks like it will be the only way for me to see it.

User avatar
swo17
Bloodthirsty Butcher
Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2008 10:25 am
Location: SLC, UT

Re: The Turin Horse (Bela Tarr, 2011)

#79 Post by swo17 » Thu Nov 17, 2011 1:41 pm

It's being distributed theatrically by Cinema Guild in the U.S. in 2012, and they seem to have hinted that it will get a Blu/DVD release next year.

JakeB
Joined: Fri Dec 31, 2010 5:46 am

Re: The Turin Horse (Bela Tarr, 2011)

#80 Post by JakeB » Thu Nov 17, 2011 3:04 pm

Rsdio wrote:Saw the film last night in Leeds, the first Tarr I've seen on the big screen. Quite an experience all around really, from the typically staggering opening shot to the shellshocked faces of the audience as they left. I got the impression that there weren't many in attendance who knew what they were letting themselves in for...
I also saw this screening, but had to run and get my bus home as soon as it finished. I'm gutted I couldn't stick around to gauge an audience reaction/get friends' opinions. The walkouts I saw seemed to be within the last 15 minutes, maybe to do with it running so late, rather than the film itself?

Looking forward to Satantango in 35mm tomorrow!

User avatar
zedz
Joined: Sun Nov 07, 2004 7:24 pm

Re: The Turin Horse (Bela Tarr, 2011)

#81 Post by zedz » Thu Nov 17, 2011 5:17 pm

When I saw the film (twice!) both times several people inexplicably walked out
SpoilerShow
just after the sun went out.
I was completely baffled by their timing, because not only was Something Happening, but it was
SpoilerShow
just about the biggest Something that could conceivably happen in any film
- and the film was nearly finished anyway, and even if you had no idea what the running time was, you'd surely have to assume at that point that it was coming to its close.

In both instances, there were surprisingly few walkouts beforehand. Personally, I think it's better to go in not knowing how many days the action of the film covers, as I think it increases the tension. And I thought the last day worked really well
SpoilerShow
because it's somehow even bleaker to realise that the poor characters have no easy release, just slow freezing and a diminishing supply of raw potatoes.

User avatar
Rsdio
Joined: Mon May 29, 2006 11:42 am
Location: UK

Re: The Turin Horse (Bela Tarr, 2011)

#82 Post by Rsdio » Fri Nov 18, 2011 6:16 am

JakeB wrote:The walkouts I saw seemed to be within the last 15 minutes, maybe to do with it running so late, rather than the film itself?
It sounds like there were probably more people leaving than I saw then, the two I noticed were during the scene where the girl was reading aloud which, to be fair, WAS fairly excruciating, as people reading aloud slowly generally is. I found it kind of funny because it was obvious that some of those watching thought they were being actively fucked with at that point!

Grand Illusion
Joined: Wed Sep 26, 2007 7:56 am

Re: The Turin Horse (Bela Tarr, 2011)

#83 Post by Grand Illusion » Mon Nov 21, 2011 4:50 am

aox wrote:Please please please: come to America!!!

I don't think I have anticipated a film more in my life.
Same. I want an LA run!
zedz wrote:I saw the film (twice!)
Now you're just teasing us. :p

User avatar
hearthesilence
Joined: Fri Mar 04, 2005 4:22 am
Location: NYC

Re: The Turin Horse (Bela Tarr, 2011)

#84 Post by hearthesilence » Mon Nov 21, 2011 10:07 pm

Sound sucks, but regardless, here was Bela's late morning talk at the NYFF, right before they screened The Turin Horse.

User avatar
zedz
Joined: Sun Nov 07, 2004 7:24 pm

Re: The Turin Horse (Bela Tarr, 2011)

#85 Post by zedz » Wed Nov 23, 2011 9:35 pm

Grand Illusion wrote:
zedz wrote:I saw the film (twice!)
Now you're just teasing us. :p
If it helps, one time was in the wrong aspect ratio (1.85)!

User avatar
John Edmond
Joined: Mon Jan 18, 2010 8:35 pm

Re: The Turin Horse (Bela Tarr, 2011)

#86 Post by John Edmond » Wed Nov 23, 2011 9:48 pm

MIFF swine, you owe Brisbane for dumping Richard "no Turin Horse for you" Moore on us.

User avatar
DeusEx
Joined: Thu Mar 12, 2009 8:38 pm

Re: The Turin Horse (Bela Tarr, 2011)

#87 Post by DeusEx » Sat Jan 28, 2012 3:04 pm

htshell wrote:And I don't know if I fully agree with your ideas on projection. I can't endorse DVD being projected, not only because of quality but also because it's not a secure projection format. I've been to film festivals before that have projected off of DVD and the disc had an error in the middle of a film. Obviously similar problems could happen with blu-ray as well, but I've never experienced this with a projected blu-ray yet (knock on wood).
Last year I went to a screening of the restored Metropolis at the Castro theatre in SF. The screening was advertised as being projected from a blu ray (which I guess is how Kino distributed it?), and while the image quality was generally fine, the disc froze midway through the movie (as Helm is beginning one of her provocative dances). It was really painful, as the projectionist had to stop the blu ray, and try and reload it from the beginning of the chapter. Luckily, when it froze again, they loaded their backup disc and we all sat patiently as the projectionist skipped forward to find the appropriate chapter. One can't blame the theater, but the end result was to take this magnificent viewing space and make it feel a little much like watching a movie in your friend's living room (as he fusses with his equipment).
I'd be very surprised if Tarr let this happen, judging by his comments at the pre-screening talk at NYFF. He argues that people who do not shoot (and have their films projected) on 35mm should not be called "filmmakers," an argument that is at least semantically true. But he seems to abhor any digital processes and I would think would avoid them as a rule (though I can't remember what the intertitles looked like, perhaps they were created digitally). Ironically enough, I spotted two botched reel changes at the NYFF screening...
I saw Turin Horse a couple weeks ago at a special screening, and it looked like a digital print (which, from my perspective, was very disappointing).

User avatar
jbeall
Joined: Sat Aug 12, 2006 9:22 am
Location: Atlanta-ish

Re: The Turin Horse (Bela Tarr, 2011)

#88 Post by jbeall » Sun Feb 12, 2012 5:56 pm


User avatar
ando
Bringing Out El Duende
Joined: Mon Dec 06, 2004 6:53 pm
Location: New York City

Re: The Turin Horse (Bela Tarr, 2011)

#89 Post by ando » Mon Feb 13, 2012 1:16 pm

It's back at Lincoln Center til the 23rd. :)

Robin Davies
Joined: Sat Sep 22, 2007 2:00 am

Re: The Turin Horse (Bela Tarr, 2011)

#90 Post by Robin Davies » Mon Feb 13, 2012 2:59 pm

Is there any hint of a UK release for this???

User avatar
MichaelB
Joined: Fri Aug 11, 2006 6:20 pm
Location: Worthing
Contact:

Re: The Turin Horse (Bela Tarr, 2011)

#91 Post by MichaelB » Mon Feb 13, 2012 3:19 pm

Artificial Eye have it, so it will definitely open - but I don't think they've fixed a date yet. There's an exhibitors' preview screening in April, so it probably won't be long after that.

Suspect
Joined: Tue Apr 21, 2009 2:24 pm

Re: The Turin Horse (Bela Tarr, 2011)

#92 Post by Suspect » Mon Feb 13, 2012 6:58 pm

Robin Davies wrote:Is there any hint of a UK release for this?
If it's of any use to you, the next screening I'm aware of is at Newcastle's Tyneside Cinema on 10th March, showing as part of the AV Festival's slow cinema weekend, with Fred Kelemen in attendance (there's also a Kelemen retrospective) - http://www.avfestival.co.uk/programme/2012. I've missed two screenings of this already (Edinburgh and Leeds), but have tickets booked for this (and the Kelemen screenings), and cannot wait, really looking forward to this one.

User avatar
skuhn8
Joined: Tue Dec 14, 2004 4:46 pm
Location: Chico, CA

Re: The Turin Horse (Bela Tarr, 2011)

#93 Post by skuhn8 » Wed Feb 15, 2012 6:44 am

Wonder if anyone shows up to this expecting Spielberg's War Horse.

User avatar
Matt
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 12:58 pm

Re: The Turin Horse (Bela Tarr, 2011)

#94 Post by Matt » Wed Feb 15, 2012 11:42 am

I'm slightly dreading seeing this at its upcoming outing at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis with its notoriously chatty and giggly audience. Midwesterners are afraid of a joke going over their heads so they just chuckle knowingly at everything to be safe. The crowd for War Horse at my local cineplex is probably better-behaved.

User avatar
MichaelB
Joined: Fri Aug 11, 2006 6:20 pm
Location: Worthing
Contact:

Re: The Turin Horse (Bela Tarr, 2011)

#95 Post by MichaelB » Wed Feb 15, 2012 11:48 am

I'd love to know what anyone could possibly find to giggle at in The Turin Horse - I suppose the initial scene of the father eating the potatoes with his hands, but it's not exactly Buster Keaton.

User avatar
aox
Joined: Fri Jun 20, 2008 12:02 pm
Location: nYc

Re: The Turin Horse (Bela Tarr, 2011)

#96 Post by aox » Wed Feb 15, 2012 12:52 pm

My g/f couldn't make the screening of Werckmeister Harmonies last week, so this will be her first introduction to Tarr when we see it tomorrow night. I am hoping this isn't a huge mistake.

User avatar
swo17
Bloodthirsty Butcher
Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2008 10:25 am
Location: SLC, UT

Re: The Turin Horse (Bela Tarr, 2011)

#97 Post by swo17 » Wed Feb 15, 2012 12:55 pm

I think it might be his most accessible film?

User avatar
aox
Joined: Fri Jun 20, 2008 12:02 pm
Location: nYc

Re: The Turin Horse (Bela Tarr, 2011)

#98 Post by aox » Wed Feb 15, 2012 1:32 pm

swo17 wrote:I think it might be his most accessible film?
Good to know. thanks.

User avatar
Rsdio
Joined: Mon May 29, 2006 11:42 am
Location: UK

Re: The Turin Horse (Bela Tarr, 2011)

#99 Post by Rsdio » Wed Feb 15, 2012 2:16 pm

aox wrote:My g/f couldn't make the screening of Werckmeister Harmonies last week, so this will be her first introduction to Tarr when we see it tomorrow night. I am hoping this isn't a huge mistake.
Obviously I don't know anything about your girlfriend but if she's anything like the Tarr virgins at the Leeds showing.. It's a huge mistake. I'm sure she's got better taste though.

Personally I don't think I'd dare to try to introduce Tarr into any relationship younger than about five years. Unless I wanted rid, of course.

User avatar
aox
Joined: Fri Jun 20, 2008 12:02 pm
Location: nYc

Re: The Turin Horse (Bela Tarr, 2011)

#100 Post by aox » Wed Feb 15, 2012 2:18 pm

Rsdio wrote:
aox wrote:My g/f couldn't make the screening of Werckmeister Harmonies last week, so this will be her first introduction to Tarr when we see it tomorrow night. I am hoping this isn't a huge mistake.
Obviously I don't know anything about your girlfriend but if she's anything like the Tarr virgins at the Leeds showing.. It's a huge mistake. I'm sure she's got better taste though.

Personally I don't think I'd dare to try to introduce Tarr into any relationship younger than about five years. Unless I wanted rid, of course.
Ha! We celebrated five years two weeks ago.

Post Reply