Turin Horse at Berlinale 2011
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A torinói ló (2011/TARR/Hungary) photo : Fred Kelemen |
Tarr Béla : "Normally, my films don’t have a message. The camera is an observer that captures the atmosphere of a moment and reacts to life. I don`t want to give the audience a message, I want to show it my image of the world. The camera has an objective point of view, I can only show you reality. Cinema is not like literature: It shows you only what is in front of the lense. You can`t fake it. [..]
Nothing in my films is accidental. I hate contingency, mostly I know the whole film from beginning to end. When I close my eyes, I see the movie. I know what the script is, I know what the set is and I know who the actors are. If I change something, it is only to give the actors the opportunity to stay natural and spontaneous. I keep strict control over the camera work. [..]
To me, actors are not really acting. I always tell my actors to do instead of playing. I as the director need to generate the right atmosphere for the scene. That is why a world star can act beside a woman from a factory who has never acted before: They are in the same situation, and they need to listen to each other. If they listen to each other, the scene becomes real. [..]
The problem is that most films follow the same pattern: Action, cut, action, cut. They only watch the story line. But story is not only human actions, everything can be a story. A man waiting at a corner can be a story. There is many things that are important in real life but that filmmakers find boring. I don`t think that these things are boring. In my films, I want to be closer to life than to cinema. [..]
I think that this film has a special position in my work. I started working on my first feature film 34 years ago. It has been a long way, and this film has changed something. The circle is closed."
interview of Tarr Béla by Konstanty Kuzma at East European Film Bulletin (15 Feb 2011)
Entretien de Bertrand Loutte (Arte, 16 février 2011) 5'32"
voir aussi:
- Press kit [PDF]
- Press conference (Berlinale, 15 Feb 2011) video 47'17"
- Michel Ciment - 61e Berlinale (France Culture, 19 Février 2011) webcast 59' [MP3]
- The Turin Horse completed!
- Tarr Béla quits cinema?
Comments
At least there are festivals in this world, with a jury that dares to give a prize to GREAT CINEMA, even if there is no audience potential, no market for it. They are not afraid to alienate the dumb mass of the Hollywood lovers, the average, the majoritary taste by awarding a challenging piece of art. And this, despite the continuous ranting of the film press against festivals!!!
Thanks to Isabella Rossellini, Jan Chapman, Nina Hoss, Amir Khan, Guy Maddin, Sandy Powell, and (in absentia) Jafar Panahi : jury of the 61st Berlinale.