When the Lumiere Brothers birthed cinema, they were essentially shooting long takes!
As the history of the cinematic arts gradually unfolded, many innovations, including those of editing and sound, added to the three-dimensionality of the art form. Ever since Sergei Eisenstein proposed the theory of montage, cinema has gone from elliptical cuts to jump cuts. However, the allure of the long take remains enchanting to audiences, even now, as it gives a very strong illusion of reality. On the other hand, rapid cutting feels like the magic of cinema is somehow broken. In his book 'What Is Cinema?', renowned film scholar Andre Bazin stated similarly. In it, he states that a long take is closer to reality and helps cinema retain its magic, whereas a cut is akin to violence. Keep reading further to learn more about the greatest long takes in cinema!
The images of Bela Tarr are famous among cinephiles. In Werckmeister Harmonies, there are many long takes, as in his other films. The story is composed of long, moving takes. However, the opening is something special! It foreshadows the entire narrative in a single shot while also conveying the thematic notes of the story. The shot opens in a bar, where the titular character explains how an eclipse works but uses the patrons of the bar to enact the same. The motion picture is a loose adaptation of Lazlo Krashnoorka's 'The Melancholy of Resistance' with whom Tarr has collaborated before.
Taiwanese director Tsai Ming Liang has long been associated with the slow cinema movement. His sophomore film, Vive Lamour, won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, establishing him firmly on the world cinema stage. What followed in his career was a radical shift towards a slower pace of films, which reached its pinnacle with Stray Dogs in 2014. Lee Kang Shen, his muse, performs the lead as usual in this particular static long take; we see him emote the character's mindset for 16 minutes straight. When the shot finally cuts, it leaves a profound impact!
