Sátántangó
1994 Hungarian art film directed by Béla Tarr
Sátántangó (Hungarian: [ˈʃaːtaːntɒŋɡoː], also known in English as Satan's Tango) is a 1994 Hungarian black-and-white epic drama film directed by Béla Tarr, co-written by Tarr and László Krasznahorkai, and edited by Ágnes Hranitzky. Hranitzky is also listed in András Bálint Kovács's filmography as Tarr's directorial collaborator on the film. Running for more than seven hours, it is based on the 1985 novel by Krasznahorkai, whose works Tarr frequently adapted after his 1988 film Damnation. Tarr had hoped to make the film since 1985 but was unable to proceed with production due to the strict political environment in Hungary.
The film was an international co-production between Hungarian, German, and Swiss companies. Sátántangó has received widespread critical acclaim from film critics. In 2012, it appeared in the British Film Institute's Sight & Sound critics' top 50 films.
Plot
In a desolate Hungarian village, after the collapse of a collective farm, two people, Futaki and Mrs. Schmidt, are in a romantic embrace when Futaki is awakened at dawn by the ringing of church bells. Mr.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Sátántangó” is 1994 Hungarian art film directed by Béla Tarr. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Sátántangó, Hungarian and film, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “1994 Hungarian art film directed by Béla Tarr” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Object files, edition statements, performance records and contemporary criticism preserve different stages of the work’s history. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 13, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q53481. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 2 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1994, 1985, 1988 and 2012.
Titles can refer to several editions, objects or performances, making precise identification essential before interpretation. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Separate the work, its editions or performances, and its later reception. Catalogue records, publication histories and object files often preserve different parts of that story.
- Identifying works and editions
- Tracing reception history
- Finding collection records
The original object or edition, catalogue raisonné, performance record, rights file and holding institution.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Sátántangó”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Sátántangó primary sources, Sátántangó archive and Sátántangó research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Sátántangó”?
- Which edition, object, performance or recording is being described?
- Where is authorship, date or provenance documented?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Sátántangó” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.