The Man from London (A Londoni Férfi) (12A)

Thursday 4th February 2010
Béla Tarr 2007 - 139 mins
Hungary/France/Germany
Language:  French/English

A murder mystery with the generic pleasures that that implies.  Set in coastal France, everything is seen from the introverted view of signalman Malcin, who sits in an elevated glass cage with views over the harbour.  He sees a case being thrown from a boat and witnesses what he thinks is a murder.  When he retrieves the case he finds it is full of money!  The film focuses on the pressure the money applies to his relationships with his wife and daughter.  A hypnotically beautiful film.

Score:  19%

Some members' comments:

The best film I haven't understood for ages.  Strangely gripping, even entertaining.
Very good on back views.

Pity they rushed it!
It seems to be in slow motion, each shot held for too long.

Very very boring.
Painfully slow, pointlessly long scenes - an hour too long.
Very slow paces, lacking in dialogue and lingering on scenes of nothing - Awful!
Too slow for words - worst film so far.
Dreadful - many more like that and I will leave.
Painfully slow and boring.  People should get an award for staying!
Pretentious - taken to limits of tediousness. Why bother to show films as boring as this?
Interminable.
Given a choice of putting out my eyes and seeing this film again - a difficult choice.
Appalling.
Excruciatingly dull - like being in a dark dungeon and screaming to get out.