Béla Tarr and the moving camera: slow noir in Damnation and The Man from London.

In the history of film studies, few developments have proven to be as fascinating as film noir, while few aesthetic devices have proven to be as perplexing as camera movement. In this article, I articulate the terms of a unique noir aesthetic predicated on the moving camera in the films of the Béla Tarr. A renowned exponent of what is known as slow cinema, Tarr's work has captivated scholars interested in camera movement and long takes. However, for as much attention as Tarr has received for the style of his films, their substance has received scant attention. To redress this, I elaborate on Tarr's unique style, and in particular his inspired use of camera movement, by considering it in conjunction with his equally unique noir sensibility, and in particular his thematic interest in classic noir themes such as fate and free will. In films such as Damnation (1988) and The Man from London (2007), Tarr provides profound meditations on enduring noir themes, and by virtue of detailed analyses of these exemplary slow noir films, I demonstrate the uniqueness of Tarr's films while also contributing to greater understandings of the power of the moving camera and the vicissitudes of film noir. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]