Béla Tarr, Hungarian director of Sátántangó and Werckmeister Harmonies, dies aged 70

By Andrew Pulver · The Guardian Culture

The intenationally acclaimed film-maker was renowned for beautifully shot cinematic epics Béla Tarr, the Hungarian film-maker renowned for lengthy, challenging and beautifully shot films including Sátántangó, Werckmeister Harmonies and The Man from London, has died aged 70. The Hungarian Film Artists Association said in a statement that Tarr died on Tuesday “after a long and serious illness” and that “the grieving family asks for the understanding of the press and the public, and that they not be contacted for a statement during these difficult days”. Tarr became renowned internationally in the 90s and 00s as his films were shown more widely – partly because of their inordinate length (including the seven-and-a-half-hour Sátántangó), and partly because of what appeared to be his definitive expression of middle-European black and white miserablism. But in an interview with the Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw in 2024 , well after Tarr had retired from active film directing in 2011, he said his films had been misunderstood: “My opinion is that we were doing comedies. You can laugh a lot.” He added that they were not pessimistic. “I only ask this – how did you feel when you came out of the movie theatre after watching my film? Did you feel stronger or weaker? That’s the main question. I want you to be stronger.” Continue reading...