‘Tár’ is mounted on a stellar soundscape engulfed with the milieu which resonates with contemporary times. Todd Field, in the most intriguing, anti-benign way, presented the tale of the #MeToo and cancel culture narrative. The film has been creating a buzz since its premiere at the Venice Film Festival. ‘Tár’ received six minutes of thunderous applause for the story-telling and Cate Blanchett’s indelible performance as Lydia Tár.
‘Tár’ had a great run at the awards season in 2023. It has swept awards in all the major categories during the coveted award ceremonies. During the Golden Globes, Blanchett took home the trophy for her stunning portrayal of Lydia. She also won the award during the BAFTAs as well. The film is nominated in seven major categories including the ‘Best Motion Picture of the Year’. Todd Field returned to film making after 16 years. So, what were the difficulties he faced in mounting this musical social drama?
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Todd Field Had To Face Technical Difficulties While Shooting ‘Tár’
After ‘Little Children’, Todd Field is returning to command the camera after 16 years of hiatus. He has delivered a cinematic grandiose that ‘Tár’ is. However, to mount a film at such a large film that intricately and meticulously deals with sensitive subjects like gender, power, art, and politics. So, the process was also not a smooth sailing one for him.
While talking to The Hollywood Reporter, Todd Field listed the difficulties to film ‘Tár’. He said, “There were many. First of all, how do you get a world-class orchestra to agree to give you two weeks of their time? And how do you get them to allow you into their home [venue]? How do you get them to perform and act in your film?”
Todd continued, “And how do you take that very limited time and somehow execute hundreds of camera setups in a very short period of time that are all timed to very specific points in this case, in this music? That was a gigantic challenge for the production team, for cinematographer Florian Hoffmeister and for everyone else.”
Todd Field also appreciated Cate Blanchett’s efforts. He stated, “Not to mention what Cate had to do; she’s walking onstage after two short rehearsals and commanding an orchestra for hours, for days.”
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The Director Also Found Filming On Real Locations Difficult
‘Tár’ is layered and the cinematic experience cannot be detached from the varied scapes that lay the story. Hildur Guðnadóttir’s background score haunts us with Lydia’s past which is so arrested with its present and leads to many consequential actions. Another noteworthy aspect is the landscape that Florian Hoffmeister has captured, complimenting the milieu that the film unravels in. However, to achieve those images, Todd found the scouting process difficult.
Todd Field, when asked about any additional challenges, continued, “Nothing was easy. Securing the main locations for the film didn’t happen until the very last moment. Berlin is a very tough city to get around because it’s a very alive city in the way that Paris can be, which is the gong goes off and there are protests in the street every week, and you never know when the police are going to [cordon] stuff off. You and your crew can get stranded on the other side of the protest.”
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