O thiasos (1975)

Director:

Theodoros Angelopoulos

Writer:

Theodoros Angelopoulos (writer)

Release Date:

7 November 2003 (UK)

Genre:

Drama | History | War

Plot:

Greece 1939 - 1952 Fascist, Nazi, Communist conflict as seen through a family of travelling provincial players

Plot Keywords:

Betrayal | Dictatorship | Civil War | Resistance | Brechtian Theatre

Awards:

10 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Eva Kotamanidou	...	Elektra
Aliki Georgouli	...	Elektra's Mother
Vangelis Kazan	...	Spy
Stratos Pahis	...	Elektra's Father
Maria Vassiliou	...	Chrysothemis
Petros Zarkadis	...	Orests
Kiriakos Katrivanos	...	Pyladis
Giannis Fyrios	...	Musician
Nina Papazaphiropoulou	...	Old Woman
Alekos Boubis	...	Old Man
Grigoris Evangelatos	...	Poet
Giorgos Tzifos
Kosta Stiliaris	...	Commandant
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Takis Doukatos		(as T. Doukakos)
Thanos Grammenos
Ketty Grigoratou
Dimitris Kaberidis
Danis Katranidis
Panos Kokkinopoulos
Giorgos Koutiris		(as G. Koutiris)
Stelios Lionakis
Kostas Mandilas
Giorgos Mazis
Costas Messaris
Christoforos Nezer
Iakovos Pairidis
Vasilis Tsaglos
Giorgos Verlis

Also Known As:

Θίασος, Ο (Greece)
The Travelling Players

Runtime:

230 min

Country:

Greece

Language:

Greek

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

UK:X

Company:

Papalios Productions

Quotes:

Elektra's Father: [before he is executed by the Germans] I came cross the sea, from Ionia. Where did you come from?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in I alli skini (1975)

A great but ponderous work; covers modern Greek history by retelling ancient Greek tragedy.

This is a landmark film, a must see for anyone that wishes to understand modern Greek history and politics. The plot is a loose retelling of the Oresteia cycle of tragedies by Aeschylus--the names of the characters (Orestes, Electra, Chrysothemis) are an obvious hint. Betrayal, revenge and redemption are only part of the story. It takes place in Greece between 1936 and 1952, years filled with fascist dictatorship, war, Axis occupation, civil war and repression. Greece's traumatic history is seen through the eyes of a traveling company of actors, who travel all around provincial towns to perform a single play: "Golfo", a pastoral tragedy told in folk-song-inspired rhyming couplets.

This is not a movie for action-loving, short-attention-span viewers. Angelopoulos and his long-time collaborator, renowned cinematographer Arvanitis, have developed a very distinctive style, and "O Thiassos" is an uncompromising example. There are no close-ups, very little panning, some slow tracking; shots are long (both in point of view and time); almost every shot is filmed in overcast conditions; actors are dwarfed by their surroundings, which are all unglamorous, even depressing in their wartime run-down look. One could say that the purpose is to accentuate the tragic, the sense that the characters are cogs in the machine of history; but ancient tragedy did the same in big style, opulent costumes, and terrifying masks. Angelopoulos' politics induces him to focus on ordinary people in ordinary surroundings instead. The result is strangely, hauntingly lyrical to many; a real downer for some.

The film came out in 1975, a year after the end of the dictatorial right-wing regime of the "colonels" (1967-74), and after decades of repression of communists and their sympathisers. Angelopoulos' point of view is sympathetic to the left/communist side. Under full democracy, it was finally allowed to be expressed. The film helped shape the political sensibilities of a whole generation of Greek baby boomers. Its sixteen-year trek (plod, some would say) through Greek history will probably bewilder non-Greek viewers, but it is a deeply affecting crash-course in what shaped contemporary Greece. It is also an impressive re-interpretation of tragedy, as original as any I have seen on film.