Song of the Miraculous Hind: Standard Edition – Deaf Crocodile (4K UHD/Blu-ray Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: Hungary, 2002
Director: Marcell Jankovics
Writer: Marcell Jankovics
Cast: László Áron, Árpád Besenczi, Gergõ Bódi, Ildikó Bokor, Róbert Bolla, Ferenc Borbiczky, Gyula Buss, Imre Csuja

Release Date: April 21st, 2026
Approximate Running Time: 94 Minutes 2 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1 Aspect Ratio / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / Dolby Vision HDR10
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Stereo Hungarian
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region Free (4K UHD), Region A (Blu-ray)
Retail Price: $39.95

"Song of the Miraculous Hind is Marcell Jankovics’ incredibly ambitious attempt to depict thousands of years of Hungarian culture and myth, based in part on early Siberian and Finno-Ugric legends and incorporating Scythian, Iranian, and Turkic artistic influences. Divided into four sections, the film opens in a violent snowstorm, with nomadic hunters stalking deer and woolly mammoth and singing songs of their spiritual brethren—and it ends millennia later, with Géza, Grand Prince of the Hungarians, who helped bridge the gap between Paganism and early Christianity." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5 (4K UHD, Blu-ray)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "4K restoration of the film by the NFI – Film Archive in Hungary."

Song of the Miraculous Hind comes on a 100 GB triple layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 75.4 GB

Feature: 62.1 GB

Vital Passenger delivers a solid encode; the source looks excellent. Colors are nicely saturated, image clarity, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image retains an organic look.

Song of the Miraculous Hind comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 39.8 GB

Feature: 27.1 GB

This Blu-ray uses the same master that is used for the 4K UHD disc.

Audio: 5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD stereo mix in Hungarian with removable English subtitles. The audio sounds excellent; dialogue comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced and robust when it should.

Extras:

Extras on the 4K UHD disc include a video essay by film historian Evan Chester titled Mythic Origins, Sacred History, and the Making of National Identity in Song of the Miraculous Hind (16 minutes 49 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with the film’s composer Levente Szörényi (of legendary Hungarian rock band Illés) and animator Piroska Martsa, translated by Anna Klaniczay and moderated by Dennis Bartok for Deaf Crocodile (49 minutes 34 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English and Hungarian with English translation), and an audio commentary with animation producer and podcaster Adam Rackoff, podcaster and film critic James Hancock, and filmmaker and podcaster Martin Kessler.

Extras are the same on the Blu-ray disc.

Summary:

Marcell Jankovics directed Song of the Miraculous Hind. He’s known for Son of the White Mare and The Tragedy of Man.

The narrative is divided into four sections: Land of Origin, Hunor and Magyar, On and On, and Pannonia. The narrative covers one thousand years of Hungarian history, beginning with the time of Prince Géza, when Hungary was Christianized. Although the four stories are based on Siberian and Finno-Ugric legends, they incorporate Scythian, Iranian, and Turkic artistic influences.

While Song of the Miraculous Hind was made specifically for a Hungarian audience, its four stories have a universal appeal to them. Anyone familiar with Marcell Jankovics's other films knows his distinct style of filmmaking. He uses techniques that give his films a retro look, and when it comes to the way images appear onscreen, they are not bound by conventionalism. That said, his style of animation and storytelling is overflowing with imagination.

Each story stands strong independently, and in terms of pacing, the narrative effectively builds momentum. Not all of the characters are human; there are half-human/half-bear, half-human/half-deer, and other hybrids. Spoken words come in the form of narration, songs, and dialogue exchanges between characters. While there is carnage throughout, the last story with its depiction of public executions is the most violent. Ultimately, Song of the Miraculous Hind is a film that fans of Marcell Jankovics will thoroughly enjoy, while those uninitiated to his cinema would be better suited starting with Son of the White Mare.

Deaf Crocodile gives Song of the Miraculous Hind a definitive release. Highly recommended.

Note: There is a deluxe release of Song of the Miraculous Hind that comes in a slipcase and a 60-page book with an essay by film historian Jenny Barker and an essay by film critic Walter Chaw (Film Freak Central).

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a MPC-HC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer

Heroic Times: Standard Edition – Deaf Crocodile (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Hungary, 1983
Director: József Gémes
Writers: János Arany, József Gémes
Narrator: Gyula Szabó

Release Date: January 20th, 2026
Approximate Running Time: 83 Minutes 34 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1 Aspect Ratio / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: LPCM Mono Hungarian
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $29.95

"“A crime is a crime, even if committed by kings,” intones the narrator of director József Gémes’ animated portrait of the supposedly “heroic” age of medieval knights and kings, a sprawling and bloody tapestry of ruthless combat to rival Game of Thrones." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "New 4K restoration of Heroic Times by the NFI – National Film Institute-Film Archive in Hungary."

Heroic Times comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 35.8 GB

Feature: 24.1 GB

Fidelity In Motion delivers a solid encode; the source looks excellent. Colors are nicely saturated, image clarity, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image retains an organic look.

Audio: 5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in Hungarian with removable English subtitles. The audio sounds excellent; narration comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced and robust when it should.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an interview with Heroic Times animator Sándor Békési, moderated by Dennis Bartok of Deaf Crocodile (26 minutes 8 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with György Ráduly, Director of the National Film Institute-Film Archive on József Gémes and the history of Hungarian animation, moderated by Dennis Bartok (50 minutes 9 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an audio commentary with film historian Samm Deighan, three short films directed by József Gémes: Koncertissimo (4 minutes 11 seconds, 1.66:1 aspect ratio, LPCM mono), Parade (Díszlépés) (6 minutes 10 seconds, 1.66:1 aspect ratio, LPCM mono), and Funeral (Temetés) (3 minutes 9 seconds, 1.66:1 aspect ratio, LPCM mono), and a 16-page booklet with an essay written by film historian and professor Jennifer Lynde Barker, and information about the transfer.

Koncertissimo: In this scathing anti-war satire, an elegant crowd gathers at the concert hall to hear a very different kind of orchestra perform.

Parade (Díszlépés): A beautiful hand-painted short about the absurdity of military dress parades.

Funeral (Temetés): A solemn and tearful funeral is interrupted by unexpected laughter in Gémes’ black comic gem.

Summary:

While on the run for murder, a man becomes a knight, only to quickly become disillusioned by the horrors of war.

Heroic Times is a 2-D animation based on an epic narrative poem by 19th-century Hungarian writer János Arany. The animation in Heroic Times is a unique style that looks like paintings, and it blends extremely well with moments of more traditional 2-D animation. Reinforcing these striking images is an exemplary driving score that heightens the mood by perfectly fusing image and sound.

There are no dialogue exchanges in Heroic Times; voice-over narration is used to convey all exposition. Gyula Szabó serves as the narrator, and the tone of his voice does a phenomenal job propelling the narrative forward. That said, his voice-over narration conveys so much that viewers never miss the lack of conventional dialogue.

The narrative is always engaging, and pacing is never an issue, as it does an exceptional job building momentum. Besides its striking imagery, Heroic Times is a film that’s overflowing with symbolism. Ultimately, Heroic Times is a perfect blend of drama, romance, and tragedy that quickly draws you in and stays with you.

Heroic Times gets a definitive release from Deaf Crocodile; highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer

Sirius: Standard Edition – Deaf Crocodile (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Hungary, 1942
Director: Dezsõ Ákos Hamza
Writers: Imre Földes, Ferenc Herczeg, Péter Rákóczi
Cast: Elemér Baló, Ilona Bánhidy, Géza Berczy, Jenö Bodnár, Endre C. Turáni, Jenö Danis,Sári Déry, Dóra Fáy Kiss

Release Date: November 11th, 2025
Approximate Running Time: 103 Minutes 29 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1 Aspect Ratio / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Hungarian
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $29.95

"In the 1940s, a brash Hungarian playboy (László Szilassy) travels back two hundred years with a mad scientist to the mid-18th century world of wigs and pompadours, where he falls in love with a penniless opera singer (Katalin Karády) and makes enemies of all the aristocratic fools he encounters (including his own great-grandfather). But can he make it back to the present before dawn with his new love—or will he lose her forever?" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "beautifully restored from the original 35mm B&W nitrate negative by the NFI, and released for the first time on Blu-ray in the U.S. by Deaf Crocodile."

Sirius comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 33 GB

Feature: 27.7 GB

The source looks excellent, free of debris or other imperfections. Flesh tones look correct, image clarity and compression are solid, black levels are strong, and there are no issues with digital noise reduction. Fidelity In Motion delivers another exemplary encode.

Audio: 4.5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in Hungarian with removable English subtitles. The audio sounds clean, clear, balanced, and robust when it should.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a newly created trailer (2 minutes 48 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Hungarian with removable English subtitles), Sirius Werkfilm—ultra-rare behind-the-scenes footage of Sirius during production that was shot by a 19-year-old studio trainee and shows the director and lead actors setting up for filming (2 minutes 27 seconds, silent footage), a video essay by journalist and physical media expert Ryan Verrill and film professor Dr. Will Dodson of Someone’s Favorite Productions titled Vissza a Jovobe: Hungary at a Tipping Point (20 minutes 18 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with non-removable English subtitles for Hungarian film clips), an interview with György Ráduly, director of the National Film Institute (NFI) – Film Archive on the making and preservation of Sirius, moderated by Dennis Bartok (18 minutes 54 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), and an audio commentary with hall of fame comics artist, film historian, and author Stephen R. Bissette.

Summary:

A professor offers his wealth and his daughter's hand in marriage to any man willing to travel with him in his time machine.

Time travel is a device used countless times in cinemas, and while each film has offered its own interpretation, the main constant is how one's actions in the past alter the future. The protagonist, navigating the past using time travel, always wants to alter history. Despite its use of time travel, Sirius best fits the description of a melodrama with limited sci-fi elements.

The opening up does a superb job drawing you in, and from there the narrative creates an engaging story that always holds your attention. Although there is a predictability to the events that unfold, everything builds effectively to a very satisfying finale. Another strength of the narrative is its ability to create dramatic moments that build upon each other.

The protagonist, a count named Tibor Ákos, is a brash character whose refusal to conform to rituals and etiquette puts him at odds with those from the past that he encounters. Rosina Beppo, a singer, is the only person who's not averse to his demeanor. She has become fond of him despite only knowing him briefly. Rosina is also a doppelganger of the professor's daughter. That said, the performances all suit the story that unfolds.

Sirius is a film that delights and exceeds the sum of its parts, notably when it comes to its exemplary production design. Although the visuals let the performances take center stage, that is not to say that they don’t greatly contribute to reinforcing the mood. Ultimately, Sirius is a well-crafted romantic costume drama that effectively employs time travel.

Sirius gets an excellent release from Deaf Crocodile that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and insightful extras; highly recommended. 

Note: There is a deluxe release of Sirius that comes in a slipcase and a 60-page book with an essay by film historian Rolf Giesen and an essay by film critic Walter Chaw (Film Freak Central).

Written by Michael Den Boer

Bubble Bath: Standard Edition – Deaf Crocodile (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Hungary, 1980
Director: György Kovásznai
Writer: György Kovásznai
Cast: Albert Antalffy, Kati Bontovits, Katalin Dobos, Kornél Gelley, Lenke Lorán, Anna Papp,Arany Szögi, Vera Venczel

Release Date: October 14th, 2025
Approximate Running Time: 80 Minutes 6 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1 Aspect Ratio / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: LPCM Mono Hungarian
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $29.95

"Shop window decorator Zsolt (voiced by Kornél Gelley, with Albert Antalffy singing) bursts into the apartment of his fiancée's best friend Anikó (voiced by Vera Venzcel, with Kati Bontovits singing), paralyzed with fear at his impending marriage." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, " Bubble Bath was restored in 4K by NFI—National Film Institute—Film Archive of Hungary."

Bubble Bath comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 37.4 GB

Feature: 21.9 GB

Fidelity In Motion delivers a solid encode; the source looks excellent. Colors are nicely saturated, image clarity, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image retains an organic look.

Audio: 5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in Hungarian with removable English subtitles. The audio sounds excellent; dialogue comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced and robust when it should.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a featurette titled Restoring Bubble Bath; featuring interviews with György Raduly, director of the National Film Institute, and the NFI film archivists (9 minutes 1 second, Dolby Digital stereo Hungarian with removable English subtitles), an interview with composer János Másik (6 minutes 45 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Hungarian with removable English subtitles), an audio commentary with film historian Samm Deighan, five short films directed by György Kovásznai; Monologue (12 minutes 21 seconds, 1.37:1 aspect ratio, LPCM mono Hungarian with removable English subtitles), Metamorphosis (6 minutes 43 seconds, 1.37:1 aspect ratio, LPCM mono, text in Hungarian with removable English subtitles), Wavelengths (9 minutes 48 seconds, 1.37:1 aspect ratio, LPCM mono Hungarian with removable English subtitles), Nights in the Boulevard (9 minutes 4 seconds, 1.37:1 aspect ratio, LPCM mono Hungarian with removable English subtitles) and A Memory of Summer 1974 (9 minutes 53 seconds, 1.37:1 aspect ratio, LPCM mono Hungarian with removable English subtitles), and a 16-page booklet with an essay titled Bubble Bath and the Animation of György Kovásznai written by Jennifer Lynde Barker.

Monologue: Lovely and surreal cut-out animation in a pre-Terry Gilliam/Monty Python style, a wild combination of Victorian imagery and Mod 1960s design.

Metamorphosis: Two faces—a woman and a man—blend and change and liquefy, reflecting the history of 20th-century art.

Wavelengths: Kovásznai’s abstract masterpiece with hints of Henri Matisse in its depiction of human forms floating in space, set to a surreal soundtrack of radio broadcasts.

Nights in the Boulevard: Kovásznai’s stunningly beautiful hand-painted short of a night in the city—poets and lovers in cafés, a constant hum of music and drinks and conversation—done in a gorgeous post-psychedelic style with hints of Yellow Submarine and his feature Bubble Bath to come.

A Memory of Summer 1974: Painted animation at its finest in Kovásznai’s stream-of-consciousness portrait of life in the summer, with color and form and brushstrokes constantly morphing and changing, all driven by a kinetic rock score.

Summary:

A neurotic shop window decorator hesitates on his wedding day, seeking refuge in the apartment of a colleague of his fiancée. Together, they attempt to discover what he truly wants.

Bubble Bath is a musical comedy that explores the anxieties we encounter in everyday life. Marriage is a significant event in anyone's life, and it's natural for a flurry of thoughts to fill one's mind in the moments leading up to it. While many films depict the scenario of cold feet the night before a wedding from the bride's perspective, Bubble Bath offers a refreshing take by highlighting the anxieties of the groom.

What begins as a story about a character in a moment of doubt evolves into a love triangle. The narrative does a superb job laying out the grooms' and the brides' desires and how greatly they differ. Bubble Bath is a film filled with metaphors, notably how its climax depicts the coming together of the groom and the bride into one soul. Although the impending marriage is front and center, Bubble Bath also serves as a time capsule social critique of life in Hungary in the late 1970s.

Bubble Bath’s animation is something that immediately grabs; it is a multitude of styles whose characters move in a strange, albeit hypnotic, way. Not to be overlooked is the music and the role that it plays. Composer János Másik creates an eclectic score that perfectly reinforces the characters' wide range of emotions. Ultimately, György Kovásznai was an extraordinary animator whose work is overflowing with innovation, imagination, and subtext, and Bubble Bath is his masterpiece.

Bubble Bath gets an exceptional release from Deaf Crocodile that comes with a solid audio/video presentation, five short films, and insightful extras; highly recommended.

 

Written by Michael Den Boer

The Tragedy of Man: Standard Edition – Deaf Crocodile (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Hungary, 2011
Director: Marcell Jankovics
Writer: Marcell Jankovics
Cast: Ágnes Bertalan, Péter Blaskó, Ferenc Borbiczky, János Bácskai, László Csurka, Iván Dengyel, Andrea Fullajtár, Barbara Hegyi, István Koncz, Péter Korbuly, Adam Lux, Tünde Majsai-Nyilas, Piroska Molnar, Ervin Nagy, Éva Pap, Janka Solecki, Norbert Straub, Éva Szabó, László Szacsvay, Tibor Szilágyi, Tamás Széles, László Ujréti, Mátyás Usztics, Ferenc Végh 

Release Date: August 12th, 2025
Approximate Running Time: 166 Minutes 20 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 Aspect Ratio / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Stereo Hungarian
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $29.95

"Out of the galactic void at the beginning of the story emerges Lucifer the Devil, the Great Winged Bat, Anubis, the antagonist who adopts many faces and forms as it guides and manipulates the characters of Adam and Eve throughout history, searching for the purpose of human existence—if there is one." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5

The Tragedy of Man comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 45.9 GB

Feature: 37.1 GB

Fidelity In Motion delivers a solid encode; the source looks excellent. Colors are nicely saturated, image clarity, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image retains an organic look.

Audio: 5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD stereo mix in Hungarian with removable English subtitles. The audio sounds excellent; dialogue comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced and robust when it should.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a 2025 release trailer (1 minute 27 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Hungarian with non-removable English subtitles), an interview with György Ráduly, director of the National Film Institute (NFI)—Film Archive, on the history of Hungarian animation and the career of Marcell Jankovics, moderated by Dennis Bartok (56 minutes, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with key animator Piroska Martsa and background artist István Orosz, moderated by Dennis Bartok of Deaf Crocodile (83 minutes 15 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English and Hungarian with a translator for Hungarian). A video essay by film historian Evan Chester titled Time and Transformation: Marcell Jankovics The Tragedy of Man (23 minutes 19 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with non-removable English subtitles for Hungarian film clips) and an audio commentary with animation producer and podcaster Adam Rackoff, podcaster and film critic James Hancock, and filmmaker and podcaster Martin Kessler.

Summary:

The Tragedy of Man was written and directed by Marcell Jankovics; he’s most known for Son of the White Mare. Although The Tragedy of Man began production in 1988, its completion took 23 years. Due to financial issues, Marcell Jankovics filmed each of the 15 segments one at a time. Although these segments link together to form one cohesive narrative, he employed a different visual style for each segment.

The Tragedy of Man is an adaptation of a Hungarian play written in 1861 by Imre Madách. The narrative is set in multiple eras, from the creation of the universe to a distant future. Each segment features Lucifer, who is joined by Adam after offering him and Eve the forbidden fruit. Expelled from the Garden of Eden, Adam turns his back on God and lets temptation overtake him. Throughout his journey with Lucifer, Adam and Eve assume various forms; specifically, Eve transforms into the woman he desires.

At its heart, The Tragedy of Man is an exploration of humanity, notably its darker side. The narrative is filled with cultural and historical references, and its visuals are overflowing with imagination; together these two things create an enthralling cinematic experience. When it comes to subject matter, The Tragedy of Man is a film that is clearly meant for adults. At 166 minutes in length, The Tragedy of Man is one of the longest animated films ever made, and there is so much to absorb that multiple viewings are recommended.

Deaf Crocodile gives The Tragedy of Man a definitive release, highly recommended.

Note: There is a deluxe release of The Tragedy of Man that comes in a slipcase and a 60-page book with an essay by PEN Award-winning historian and esoteric author Mitch Horowitz and an essay by film critic Walter Chaw (Film Freak Central).

 

Written by Michael Den Boer

Damnation – Arbelos Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Hungary, 1988
Director: Béla Tarr
Writers: László Krasznahorkai, Béla Tarr
Cast: Miklós B. Székely, Vali Kerekes, Gyula Pauer, György Cserhalmi, Hédi Temessy

Release Date: December 14th, 2021
Approximate Running Time: 121 Minutes 16 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Hungarian
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $39.99

"DAMNATION (Kárhozat) chronicles the doomed affair between Bar Titanik regular Karrer (SÁTÁNTANGÓ’s Miklós B. Székely) and the cabaret singer (Vali Kerekes) he pines for while scheming to displace her brutish husband (György Cserhalmi)." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "restored in 4K from the original 35mm camera negative by the Hungarian National Film Institute – Film Archive under the supervision of Béla Tarr."

Damnation comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 39.9 GB

Feature: 31 GB

The source used for this transfer looks flawless. Image clarity, contrast, and black levels are solid throughout, and grain remains intact.

Audio: 5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in Hungarian, and included with this release are removable English subtitles. The audio quality is excellent; the dialog comes through clearly, and the ambient sounds are well-represented.

Extras:

Extras for this release include U.S. theatrical trailer (2 minutes 31 seconds, LPCM mono Hungarian with non-removable English subtitles and English titles), archival newsreels from the Oroszlány and Dorog coal mines, The Country is Asking for Coal External (2 minutes 16 seconds, DTS-HD mono Hungarian with removable English subtitles), and Coal Mining in Oroszlany (1 minute 59 seconds, DTS-HD mono Hungarian with removable English subtitles), an interview with composer Mihály Vig (13 minutes 49 seconds, DTS-HD stereo Hungarian with removable English subtitles), an interview with actor Miklós Székely jr. (11 minutes 47 seconds, DTS-HD stereo Hungarian with removable English subtitles), an interview with director Béla Tarr (10 minutes 27 seconds, DTS-HD stereo Hungarian with removable English subtitles) and a twelve-page booklet with an essay titled Disintegration & Revival: Béla Tarr’s Damnation written by Jay Kuehner and information about the restoration.

Summary:

Though Damnation’s narrative moves at a languid pace, it clocks in at just over two hours. The result is a riveting narrative that never feels overlong. That said, what makes Damnation so powerful is how it allows its characters to take center stage. And nowhere is this clearer than when it comes to intimate moments.

Performance-wise, the two leads deliver extraordinary performances; Miklós B. Székely in the role of a depressed man who’s obsessed with a nightclub singer and Vali Kerekes in the role of the woman he desires. The rest of the cast are very good in their respective roles.

Not to be overlooked when discussing Damnation are its visuals. black and white cinematography that looks striking and slow-moving camera movements, like a backward tracking shot that opens the film. Another strength is how much detail went into the sound design. And though there’s a score, it's sparse yet effective in reinforcing the mood.

Though it's easy to spot moments in any film that appear to be inspired by another film or how directors try to emulate other directors they admire. To do this with Damnation would be doing this film a great disservice since it's a unique cinema experience that is unlike any other film. Also, the way in which Béla Tarr directs Damnation feels free of any influences.

Damnation gets a definitive release from Arbelos Films that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and a wealth of insightful extras, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer