Trilogia: To livadi pou dakryzei (2004)

Director:

Theodoros Angelopoulos

Writers:

Theodoros Angelopoulos (idea)
Theodoros Angelopoulos (screenplay)

Release Date:

20 February 2004 (Greece)

Genre:

Drama | History | Romance

Plot:

This is the first film of Theo Angelopoulos' trilogy. The story starts in 1919 with some greek refugees...

Plot Keywords:

Refugee | Village | Lake | First Of Trilogy | Musician

Awards:

2 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Alexandra Aidini	...	Eleni
Nikos Poursanidis	...	Mihalis
Giorgos Armenis	...	Nikos
Vassilis Kolovos	...	Spyros
Eva Kotamanidou	...	Kassandra
Toula Stathopoulou	...	Woman in the Coffee House
Thalia Argiriou	...	Danai
Smaro Gaitanidou
Mihalis Giannatos	...	Zisis
Grigoris Evangelatos	...	Teacher
Aliki Kamineli
Amdromachi Chrisomelli
Alex Moukanos
Dimitris Kolovos
Thodoros Teknetzidis

Also Known As:

Τριλογία 1: Το Λιβάδι που δακρύζει (Greece)
Eleni (France)
La sorgente del fiume (Italy)
La terre qui pleure (France)
The Weeping Meadow (Europe: English title)
Trilogie: Die Erde weint (Germany)
Trilogy: The Weeping Meadow (International: English title)

Runtime:

Greece:185 min | Canada:170 min (Toronto International Film Festival) | USA:170 min

Country:

Greece | France | Italy | Germany

Language:

Greek

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS

Certification:

Taiwan:PG-12 | Australia:PG | Netherlands:MG6 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Zurich) | UK:PG

Filming Locations:

Thessaloniki, Greece

Company:

Hellenic Radio & Television (ERT)

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Nea Odyssos, to horio tou nerou (2004)

Soundtrack:

Eimai erotevmenos me ta matia sou

Greek tragedy

Theo Angelopolous, the Greek director, undertakes the colossal task of putting in a film some thirty years of history in his country. The director has a poetical way to present his story, which was written in collaboration with some of the best minds of the business, namely, Tonino Guerra, Giorgio Silvani and Petros Markaris, one of our own favorite Greek writers.

The result is a complex canvas in which Mr. Angelopolous paints for us, the viewer, in dark colors that gives us an idea of what the country went through during that period. In a way, the director seems to be taking an outside position in recounting the tragedy his country lived by photographing in long shots almost every frame of the film. Of course, this being his style, it suits the poetical way in which he conceives the basic idea.

There are lots of moments in the film that take the viewer's breath away by the beauty of the composition of a particular scene. It's clear the director uses a lot of symbolism in trying to get his point across. The opening scene with the returning people from the Odessa massacre being one of the most effective things in the film. The rowing boats carrying people affected by the flood is another. The many white sheets waving in the wind, are just the highlights of the story, the way Mr. Angelopolous conceives it.

The actors act as an ensemble. Alexandra Aidini, who plays Eleni, the woman at the center of the tragedy, makes quite an impression. The excellent fading cinematography by Andreas Sinanos gives a rich texture to the film, as well as the music score by Eleni Karaindrou, that greatly enhances the mood of it.

While this film is definitely for a general public, it shows great moments of brilliance created by Theo Angelopolous working at his best.