Mia aioniotita kai mia mera (1998)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Theodoros Angelopoulos

Writers:

Theodoros Angelopoulos (idea and scenario)
Tonino Guerra (co-writer) ...

Release Date:

28 May 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Alexander, a famous writer, is very ill and has only a few days to live. He meets a little boy on the street, who is an illegal immigrant from Albania. Alexander then takes the boy home.

Plot Keywords:

Greece | Long Take | Emigrant | Poet | Soul Searching

Awards:

10 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Bruno Ganz	...	Alexandre
Isabelle Renauld	...	Anna
Fabrizio Bentivoglio	...	The Poet
Achileas Skevis	...	The Child
Alexandra Ladikou	...	Anna's Mother
Despina Bebedelli	...	Alexandre's Mother
Helene Gerasimidou	...	Urania
Iris Chatziantoniou	...	Alexandre's Daughter
Nikos Kouros	...	Anna's Uncle
Alekos Oudinotis	...	Anna's Father
Nikos Kolovos	...	The Doctor
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Andreas Chekouras
Mihalis Giannatos		(as Michalis Yannatos)
Petros Markaris
Yannis Mohlas
Efthimis Pappas	...	Party attendant
Maria Saltiri	...	Woman
Vassilis Seimenis	...	Son-in-Law
Leonidas Vardaros

Also Known As:

Μια αιωνιότητα και μια μέρα (Greece)
Die Ewigkeit und ein Tag (Germany)
Eternity and a Day (International: English title)
L'éternité et un jour (France)
L'eternità e un giorno (Italy)

Runtime:

137 min

Country:

Greece | France | Germany | Italy

Language:

Greek | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.75 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Spain:7 | Argentina:Atp | Chile:TE | Finland:S | France:U | Hong Kong:I | Portugal:M/12 | South Korea:All | Sweden:7 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:PG | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Thessaloniki, Greece

Company:

Theo Angelopoulos Films

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Hrysa koritsia: (#1.15)" (2008)

Soundtrack:

Tis agapis aimata

wonderful film

What a beautiful film. Dreamlike, poetic, wise; also sober, down-to-earth.

Delivers home-truths too: connecting with another human being gives one hope. Connections are possible across age, country, culture gaps. The images are gorgeous, the slowness fits. You have to sit on your impatience now and then. But thats entirely worth it.

Also, I loved listening to the Greek language. But that is because I love Greece.

It is a film that reminds me of Antonioni's L'Avventura and La Notte; they bring you into a trance where you can tell the beauty of this universe.