Béla Tarr, the Time After

Béla Tarr, the Time After examines the body of work from Hungarian filmmaker Béla Tarr through a philosophical lens. French theorist Jacques Rancière analyzes Tarr's distinctive cinematic approach across his major films from the 1980s through the 2000s. The book focuses on Tarr's use of long takes, camera movement, and the role of time in his storytelling. Rancière breaks down key sequences and recurring visual motifs while placing them in context with film history and theory. The analysis pays particular attention to how Tarr constructs meaning through duration, weather, landscape, and human movement. The book includes discussion of works like Damnation, Satantango, and The Turin Horse. Through his reading of Tarr's films, Rancière explores broader questions about cinema's relationship to reality, truth, and the nature of time itself. The book positions Tarr's work as a unique philosophical meditation on existence and the human condition.

Readers describe this as a dense philosophical analysis that requires multiple readings to grasp Rancière's arguments about time and movement in Tarr's films. Many note it works best for those already familiar with both Tarr's filmography and critical theory. Readers appreciate: - Detailed shot-by-shot analysis of specific scenes - Fresh perspective on Tarr's use of long takes - Concise length at 88 pages Common criticisms: - Abstract writing style makes key points hard to follow - Assumes deep knowledge of film theory - Limited discussion of Tarr's full body of work - Translation from French feels awkward in places Ratings: Goodreads: 4.0/5 (92 ratings) Amazon: 4.2/5 (6 ratings) One reviewer on Letterboxd noted: "Dense but rewarding once you push through the academic language." Another on Goodreads wrote: "Would have benefited from more concrete examples to ground the theoretical discussions."

Transcendental Style in Film by Paul Schrader This text examines spiritual aesthetics in cinema through directors like Ozu and Bresson, connecting to Tarr's use of duration and minimalism.

The Long Take: Art Cinema and the Wondrous by Lutz Koepnick The book analyzes extended shot duration in modern cinema as a response to acceleration culture, with references to Tarr's signature style.

Slow Cinema by Tiago de Luca This study explores contemplative cinema's relationship to temporality and spectatorship through filmmakers including Tarr, Tsai, and Costa.

The Time-Image by Gilles Deleuze Deleuze's philosophical examination of post-war cinema considers time, movement, and perception in ways that illuminate Tarr's cinematic approach.

The Material Ghost by Gilberto Perez This analysis of film's relationship to reality and time connects to Tarr's work through its focus on long takes and temporal experience.

🎬 Béla Tarr is known for exceptionally long takes, with his film "Werckmeister Harmonies" (2000) containing only 39 shots in its 145-minute runtime 📚 Jacques Rancière, originally a Marxist philosopher, broke with his mentor Louis Althusser after the events of May 1968 in France, leading to his unique approach to analyzing art and politics 🎥 The book focuses heavily on "The Turin Horse" (2011), which Béla Tarr has declared to be his final film, making this analysis particularly significant as a capstone to his career 🌟 The Hungarian filmmaker's style influenced many contemporary directors, including Gus Van Sant, who credits Tarr's work as inspiration for his "Death Trilogy" 📽️ Tarr's famous film "Sátántangó" (1994), discussed extensively in the book, runs for an unprecedented 7 hours and 12 minutes, consisting of only around 150 shots