Multi-award winning director reflects upon an artist's life
Eternity and A Day deservedly won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes International Film Festival in 1998, and is sure to attract an art-house following. The stoic, yet most charming and convincing Bruno Ganz (Wings of Desire) plays Alexandre, an ailing writer nearing the end of his life, in director Theo Angelopoulos' fine work of cinema that recalls Akira Kurosawa and Ingmar Bergman with his poetic touch, sympathetic view towards human beings, and confident storytelling.
The film is a universe of time all of its own. It encapsulates "eternity"--that which has been in Alexandre's past (as he now looks back and sees images of his wife, the house where the family used to live in, the mother as she aged), as well as that which can happen in the days of Alexandre's life beyond the fateful day, unspoken of but implied in the film's consciously open-ended take that blends sadness and hope, longing and dying and evokes an uncertain future. That fateful "day", which is when the film actually takes place, is when Alexandre saves and shares company with an Albanian boy who was about to be sold by an Albanian syndicate, and attempts to bring him back to Albania. It is when a new life begins, taking a detour from Alexandre's pending death.
The cinematography does not disappoint. From a quietly observant perspective, Theo Angelopoulous makes good use of still camera and wide shots. In combining meditative, vast landscapes with Alexandre's soliloquy, the director has so traced the life and emotions of a man effectively that the viewer will be moved, not only by the fact that death is near, but also that life is beautiful no matter how it is. It may be long (132 minutes), but the film's artistic quality will satisfy all those who appreciate art-house cinema.
Directed by: Theo Angelopoulos; Idea and Screenplay: Theo Angelopoulos; In collaboration with: Tonino Guera and Petros Markakis; Executive Producer: Phoebe Economopoulos; Production: Theo Angelopoulos, Greek Film Centre, Greek Television ET1, Paradis Films, Intermedias S.A , LA SEPT CINEMAA Greek-French-Italian Co-production
Cinematography: Giorgos Arvanitis, Andreas Sinanos; Edited by: Yannis Tsitsopoulos; Sound: Nikos Papadimitriou; Music: Eleni Karaindrou; Costumes: Giorgos Patsas; Sets: Giorgos Ziakas, Costas Dimitriadis
Cast: Bruno Ganz, Fabrizio Bentivoglio, Isabelle Renauld, Achilleas Skevis, Alexandra Ladikou
Running time: 132 minutes. This film is not rated.
hi sabma this is helen. it's my first time here.
ReplyDeletehaven't finished reading your articles, but this movie is always my favourite.
love how the music by karaindrou works wonderfully with the film and the visual composition. love the bus scene with strangers playing trio and the three symbolic cyclists in yellow raincoats.