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November 11, 2006

Going to see Sátántangó

One of the things I love about traveling are the regional anachronisms, like being given an ice scraper at the rental car place. Which came in handy after the surprise snowstorm last night. I love snow!

I'm in Chicago right now to see Bela Tarr's Sátántangó; in fact, I'm writing this during the first intermission, after the first 140 minutes. I had originally thought that maybe I'd take before-and-after pictures throughout the screening; but then, as I sat down for the first chunk, I realized that to do so would be to propogate a sense of the film as an endurance test. Which, at some point within five hours from now, the film may well have proven to be (to me, at least, although I doubt it), but it's never wise to predefine a film by the moments its lights go down and up.

I think Jonathan Rosenbaum is here.

* * *

Now it's at the second intermission. The film just keeps getting better and better and I'm torn at the moment between watching the last third now or waiting its repeat engagement tomorrow. I'm totally in the mood to sit down for another three hours, but Kris Williams is celebrating her birthday tonight, and it'd be a shame not to see her and Joe while I'm here.

* * *

It's now the next morning. Friendship won out over cinephilia. The party was awesome, and I popped my karaoke cherry. I was going to impress everyone with my mastery of Outkast's Mrs. Jackson, but it kept turning up as a disc error; and after Joe's spectacular peformance of Jay-Z's 99 Problems, it would have been a let down anyway.

I'm about to head around the corner from this tea shop I'm currently sitting in and sit down for the rest of the reason I took this trip. I'll write more about the film (maybe) upon my return home, which is currently scheduled for six o'clock tomorrow morning. I imagine the weather in Texas is rather balmy right now; it's going to be really disappointing, getting off that plane.

Posted by David Lowery at November 11, 2006 11:12 PM

Comments

So cool to hear your reactions as you were experiencing them, David. I look forward to your distillations of Sátántangó.

Posted by: Maya at November 13, 2006 01:50 AM

i am jealous. i can't wait to finally see this film.

Posted by: brad at November 13, 2006 11:10 AM

The programmer at the Gene Siskel Film Center introduced the film, and he mentioned the Long Island screening from a few weeks ago (it was the same print). He said only 25 people showed up there, so he was impressed to see a good 65 or 70 in the audience in Chicago.

Of which I counted five walk-outs.

Posted by: Ghostboy at November 13, 2006 05:29 PM