A few months after the passing of Hungarian director Béla Tarr, several of his most iconic films are making a return to Italian cinemas in meticulously restored versions. Starting March 20th, a dedicated retrospective for Tarr will commence, featuring a selection of his works painstakingly restored in high definition. This initiative, distributed by Movies Inspired in collaboration with a network of local cinemas, represents a true revitalization of his cinematic oeuvre. For years, his films had largely remained on the fringes of distribution, often confined to film festivals or niche platforms, but now they will reclaim their collective and immersive dimension on the big screen.
The series will open with Damnation (Kárhozat, 1988), a crucial black-and-white film in Tarr’s filmography, frequently cited as his mature work. It is in this film that his distinctive language, characterized by long takes and desolate landscapes, became fully defined, going on to profoundly influence generations of filmmakers.
Following this, Movies Inspired will present Werckmeister Harmonies, a 2000 masterpiece based on the novel The Melancholy of Resistance by Hungarian writer László Krasnahorkai. Winner of the Silver Bear at the Berlinale, this film remains one of the most powerful works in contemporary cinema, delving into collective psychology on the verge of social collapse.
For those willing to engage with an extreme cinematic experience, Sátántangó (1994) will also return. This monumental work, over seven hours long, is among the most radical ever made—a film where the influence of Andrei Tarkovsky intertwines with Tarr’s profoundly personal vision of time and narration.
This selection concludes with The Turin Horse (2011), the director’s final work, constructed from just six exceptionally long takes. An essential, almost terminal film that distills cinema to minimal gesture and repetition, earning him a second Silver Bear.
This retrospective marks only the first phase of a broader project: Movies Inspired has already announced that other films by the director will be brought back to cinemas throughout the year, progressively completing his entire body of work.
At a time when cinema is increasingly tailored for quick, home viewing, the return of Béla Tarr’s films to the big screen feels like a counter-current act. This is not only due to the lengthy duration of his films but also their inherent nature: images that demand time, attention, and endurance. Precisely for these reasons, they find their most essential condition today in the darkness of the cinema hall.
