Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

Damnation Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov December 26, 2021

Bela Tarr's "Damnation" (1988) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Arbelos Films. The supplemental features on the disc include new video interviews with Bela Tarr, actor Miklos Szekely B. and composer; two vintage short films; and original U.S. trailer for the recent restoration of the film. In Hungarian, with optional English subtitles for the main feature.

The hottest spot in town

Pay close attention to the manner in which the men and women Damnation address each other. Most of the time it sounds like they whisper, almost as if they are afraid that there might be someone or something in the thick dark shadows around them that is meticulously documenting their words. Also, notice how even when they are outdoors and moving from one location to another nothing changes much – the scenery is always gloomy and depressing, devoid of any signs of common social vitality.

Now, pay close attention how the camera follows these men and women. Its movement is very slow and frequently a bit hesitant. Could it be that the camera is aware of the presence of someone or something that is carefully observing its activity as well? Could it be that the camera is even afraid of it?

The camera’s primary target is Karrer (Miklos Szekely B.), a man in his late thirties, possibly early forties, who spends practically all of his time gravitating around a beautiful singer (Vali Kerekes) from a lousy night club. Karrer has fallen madly in love with the singer and wants to spend the rest of his life with her, but she is already taken by another man and has repeatedly rejected his advances. However, the rejections have further solidified Karrer’s determination to pursue the singer because he has come to realize that she loves him too, but is either too scared to too tired to start a new chapter in her life with him.

As Karrer’s obsession with the singer grows, the camera captures plenty of the provincial mining town where the two exist. It is a place whose death is inevitable. The old cable cars are still transporting coal from the nearby mine, but it seems like it is only a matter of days, maybe even hours before some government bureaucrat in an office hundreds of miles away permanently shuts it down. The local economy has already crashed, so once the mine is officially closed, it will be over for everyone. What’s next for the people that are unable to relocate? Never-ending misery of the kind that destroys the soul, then the mind and eventually the body.

In the West, the hypnotic quality of Bela Tarr’s Damnation has frequently been used to profile it as a unique film noir, but this is a different kind of film. It is actually a rather remarkable time capsule that has preserved a piece of communist reality extracted from the final hours of the dying Soviet Bloc. Karrer’s story was replicated in thousands of provincial towns throughout the former Soviet satellites where ordinary people were doomed to exist in permanent misery. When the collapse occurred, many of them lost even the little they had and found themselves on the streets, alienated and trying to survive in much the same way stray animals did. The final sequence where Karrer is seen behaving like a stray dog is meant to convey precisely this development.

The sequence in which Karrer visits the local communist apparatchik is meant to convey another very sad development. Right before the collapse a lot of people broke down and turned against former partners, neighbors, close friends, and even family members. In the former Soviet satellites, there was never a shortage of secret informants that were willing to identify ‘radical elements’ and potential ‘enemies of the state’ to please their masters, but as their economies began to deteriorate and public discontent blossomed, this practice became incredibly chaotic. It brought out the worst in people and many used it to settle old scores or simply compromise former partners.

The most striking aspect of the visualization of the incoming collapse is its incredibly accurate depiction of the rhythm of life that existed at the time. It was slow, then slower, and eventually came to a complete stop. As the camera attempts to stay close to Karrer, it is very obvious how everything around him is moving very, very slow, and gradually slowing down even more.

Damnation Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.66:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Damnation arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Arbelos.

The release is sourced from a magnificent new 4K master that was supervised and approved by director Bela Tarr. I like this makeover so much that at the moment I would enthusiastically argue it is one of the best prepared for a black-and-white film since the high-definition was launched. On my system the entire film looked absolutely gorgeous, boasting the type of delicate nuances it was so obvious Tarr had captured with his camera but previously impossible to see and appreciate on DVD. (I have a very old DVD release of this film from local label Facets whose quality isn't even worth discussing because it is compared to what you would get from a fairly decent VHS). Delineation, clarity, and depth are simply superb, so even on a very big screen the visuals are often absolutely breathtaking. Fluidity is great too, though I sense that there is a bit of room for encoding optimizations. (Needless to say, if viewed in native 4K, the new restoration should be a visual stunner). There are no traces of age-related imperfections.

Damnation Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: Hungarian DTS-HD Master Audio Mono. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The film does not have a prominent music soundtrack. The falling rain and other natural sounds and noises provide all of the crucial nuances that enhance the desired ambience. The dialog is clear, clean, stable, and easy to follow. The English translation is excellent.

Damnation Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• U.S. Theatrical Trailer - original trailer for the 4K restoration of Damnation. With English text. (3 min).

• Interview with Director Bela Tarr - in this recent interview, Bela Tarr discusses the particular state of mind with which Damnation was conceived and shot, how reality is reflected in it, the international and domestic reactions towards his films at the time of their release, and why digitization -- of all 35mm films -- is a sad but unavoidable practice, The interview was conducted for Arbelos Films on February 2, 2019. In Hungarian, with English subtitles. (11 min).

• Interview with Miklos Szekely B. - in this new video interview, actor Miklos Szekely B. recalls his first encounter with Bela Tarr, his struggle to perform his lines from Damnation correctly and how he managed to do what was required of him, how he connected with Vali Kerekes before the camera, as well as the filming of Satantango. The interview was conducted for Arbelos Films on May 4, 2021. In Hungarian, with English subtitles. (12 min).

• Interview with Mihaly Vig - in this recent video interview, composer Mihaly Vig discusses his professional relationship with Bela Tarr and their collaboration on Damnation. The interview was conducted for Arbelos Films on August 27, 2020. In Hungarian, with English subtitles. (14 min).

• Short Films -
  
  1. External Coal Mining in Oroszlany (1954) - this short, produced by Ervin Borsodi and Gyula Buza, puts the spotlight on the once famous Oroszlany mine. In Hungarian, with optional English subtitles. (2 min).
  
  2. The Country is Asking for Coal (1956) - another vintage propaganda short about the Dorog mine. In Hungarian, with optional English subtitles. (2 min).

• Booklet - 10-page illustrated booklet featuring Jay Kuehner's essay "Disintegration & Revival: Bela Tarr's Damnation" as well as technical credits.

Damnation Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Even though it may seem like Bela Tarr's Damnation is a very stylized film, it is actually a rather remarkable time capsule that has preserved a piece of communist reality extracted from the final hours of the dying Soviet Bloc. Folks that were unlucky enough to experience this reality will instantly recognize how astonishingly authentic the seemingly borderline surrealistic visuals in the film are. Arbelos Films' release is sourced from a stunning new 4K master that was supervised and approved by Tarr. Honestly, it is one of the best 4K makeovers that I have seen prepared for a black-and-white film since the high-deifnition format was launched. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.