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Kavafis (1996)
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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers:
Release Date:
22 April 1998 (France)
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Plot:
Loosely based on the life of Greek poet Konstantinos Kavafis. | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Poet
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Poetry
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Bisexual
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Gay Interest
Awards:
1 win
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User Comments:
A masterpiece waiting to become a classic
more (5 total)
Cast
(Credited cast)| Dimitris Katalifos | ... | Konstantinos Kavafis (young) | |
| Vasilis Diamantopoulos | ... | Konstantinos Kavafis (old) | |
| Maya Lyberopoulou | ... | Kavafis' Mother | |
| Lazaros Georgakopoulos | ... | Biographer | |
| Alexandros Koukos | |||
| Vassilis Seimenis | |||
| Giannis Rigas | |||
| Maria Katsiadaki | |||
| Manos Meletiou | ... | Mavroudis | |
| rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Mirto Alikaki | |||
| Afroditi Al-Saleh | |||
| Vasilis Andreopoulos | |||
| Alexis Damianos | |||
| Babis Giotopoulos | |||
| Nikos Karathanos | |||
| Ahilleas Kyriakidis | |||
| Lakis Lazopoulos | |||
| Konstandinos Markoulakis | |||
| Giorgos Moshidis | |||
| Hristos Ninis | |||
| Alexandros Panagiotopoulos | |||
| Panos Sakellaropoulos | |||
| Fotis Sergoulopoulos | |||
| Tzoulia Souglakou | |||
| Vaggelis Theodoropoulos | |||
| Zannino | |||
Additional Details
Also Known As:
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
Greece:85 min
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.66 : 1 more
Certification:
Company:
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This movie about the greatest modern Greek poet was met with criticism from Greek audiences on two grounds. It focuses almost exclusively on Cavafy's homosexuality (a topic the average Greek high school teacher still prefers to bypass) and it presents the peculiar innovation of having Cavafy not speak a single word throughout the entire movie. Many Greek viewers considered the latter device completely antithetical to the poet's eloquent verse. The only voice of the poet in the movie are his poems which are recited in the background over many scenes. I think both criticisms were unfair exactly because Cavafy's homosexuality is still quite taboo in the Greek educational system and the trick of having him speak only through his verses in a movie that deals primarily with same-sex desire works well. The movie does not cover all of Cavafy's life in detail but sketches the main episodes and definitely recreates the atmosphere of his poetry. The breathtaking cinematography is light years ahead of most films made in Greece. This is probably one of the best Greek films ever made and I hope it will be more appreciated as Cavafy's name becomes more and more known internationally. Everyone interested in the poet's work should watch it, but better read a short biographical note on him first because the movie itself is too poetic to follow a rigid narrative structure. Even if more films are made in the future about Cavafy, they may address some of the audience's criticisms by featuring a more conventional biographic narration, but I doubt they will be able to compete with Smaragdis' rendering of the Hellenistic homosexual fantasy world so vibrantly present in Cavafy's poetry.