Karhozat aka Damnation (1988) Hungarian Art Film Noir.

[cigar joe]

The long take, slow pans, slow tracking shots, and lots rain Noir

Directed by Bela Tarr. Written by L?szl? Krasznahorkai and B?la Tarr. Cinematography by G?bor Medvigy and Music by Mih?ly Vig.

Tarr spends what seems like a good ten minutes of the opening with a long slow zoom out from the tramway. Then we are treated to Karrer shaving for another what sees like five minutes. This guy is depressed. Tarr could have saved a lot of film if he had just had Karrer cut his throat here. Its a bit of a monotonous type style but it does convey a sense of hopelessness to it all, which may be the point.

The best segment is the torch song sequence at the Titanik Bar.

Rain. A real soaker. Titanik Bar neon beckoning, The "r" burned out. Pack of dogs crossing the damp pavement. Inside another pack of men looking at the bitch in heat up on the stage. Outside Karrer watches. A VW drives up. The singers husband gets out and goes inside. Karrer crosses the street and goes into the Titanik. As he gets closer we hear the electric piano and sax. Inside men sit stupefied. She sings a haunting dirge about lost love "Maybe Never More."

For me its similar in tone to Michelangelo Antonioni's Il Grido (1957). Tarr creates a bleak, depressing world of broken dreams with his relentless visual style and sound design. It wont be for everyone. 7/10