TO VLEMMA TOU ODYSSEA

Greece

Synopsis

A man (Harvey Keitel) travels across the Balkans of the '90s, the Balkans of .discord, fanaticism and war. It is a journey echoing the myth of Ulysses, a quest leading the hero from Greece to Albania, from Bulgaria to Rumania up to Constanza on the Black Sea, and from the Danube to the former Yugoslavia: Belgrade, Vukovar, Mostar, Serajevo. The pretext, or deeper motive of this journey is the search for a short film that has remained undeveloped since the beginning of the century. It is perhaps the very first film made by the Manakis brothers, the pioneers of the Balkan cinema. A quest for the pristine gaze of lost innocence.

Director's Biography

Born in Athens in 1936, Theo Angelopoulos studied Law at the University of Athens and Film at the IDHEC in Paris. He worked as a film crrtic between 1964 and 1967 and turned to directing with the film FORMINX STORY (1965) which was never finished and the short film BROADCAST (1968). These were followed by feature films which took part in international festivals, won numerous awards and established his reputation: RECONSTRUCTION (1970), DAYS OF '36 (1972), THE TRAVELLING PLAYERS (1975), THE HUNTERS (1977), MEGALEXANDROS (1980), VOYAGE TO CYTHERA (1984), THE BEEKEEPER (1987), LANDSCAPE IN THE MIST (1989) and THE SUSPENDED STEP OF THE STORK (1991). He also made a documentary entitled ATHENS (1982).

In 1990 he won the European Film Award for LANDSCAPE IN THE MIST.
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Cast & Crew

Directed by: Theo Angelopoulos

Written by: Theo Angelopoulos, Tonino Guerra, Petros Markaris

Produced by: Theo Angelopoulos, Eric Heumann

Cast: Harvey Keitel (A), Erland Josephson (Library Curator), Maia Morgenstern (Kali), Thanassis Vengos (taxi driver), Giorgos Michalakopoulos (Nikos), Dora Volanaki (old woman), Mania Papadimitriou (mother), Angel Ivanof (Bulgarian interrogator)

Nominations and Awards

  • European Critic’s Award – Prix Fipresci 1995
  • European Film 1995
  • Feature Film Selection 1995