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"The Weeping Meadow"
2004
Directed by Theo Angelopoulos
Part one of a trilogy planned by Greek master Theo
Angelopoulos, The Weeping Meadow roughly spans the end of one great
war to the next, 1919-1949. The narrative concerns the re-telling of 20th
century Balkan history through the relationship of Alexis and his orphaned
sister, Elani. The mode, however, dates back to Ancient Greece, as sister
and brother become forbidden lovers and are ultimately separated by war
and revolution - the stuff of pure epic tragedy. In terms of camerawork
and mise-en-scene, this film shares much with Angelopoulos'
Ulysses' Gaze and
Eternity and a Day, with long,
calculated tracking shots capturing realities so harrowing they border on
surrealism. Imposing, cryptic, and stunning in the same vein as Tarkovsky
and Jansco. Greek with English subtitles.
170 minutes. |
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