User reviews

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.

I had watched years ago some older films of Aggelopoulos and i was expecting a slow movie, with minimal dialogues, many symbolisms, weak plot and superb photography. I got exactly what i expected and something more: i left the theatre with an extreme satisfaction.

The film: Greece roughly between 1920 and 1950 (but it is so current and contemporary because it deals with global, recurring themes). The life of the nation through events: national catastrophes, refugees, social and political unrest, world and civil wars. The life of the person through emotions: love, lust, pride, hope, love, desperation, ambition, love, death. And many symbolisms and extremely powerful and beautiful scenes with references from ancient myths to current international affairs. And rain, lots of rain :-) The plot and the development of the characters may appear weak. We are used to ready meals from the business of cinema, which overwhelm us with fast dialogues, "strong" performances and "exciting" situations. And that's fine. But cinema and people need also the approach of Aggelopoulos, we need some space and time, to reflect and realise our existence. "To Livadi pou dakryzei" gives more freedom and time to the viewer to participate with his feelings and memories and thoughts. That's exactly interactive art.

These are some of my interpretations of some scenes: village flooding (Climate Change and the forces of Nature), immigration/separation (departure of my girlfriend), mother crying over her soldier sons dead bodies (this is a real war scene, not the computer games style). You will identify with other scenes (everyone has an opinion, right ?) and you will feel alive.

I am grateful to Aggelopoulos for giving me the chance to look inside myself, remember, sigh, think.

I think anyone familiar with Angelopoulos knows what to expect with his films: long, drawn out, meticulously planned shots that slowly scan environments, with the image composed of not only the foreground but hundreds of yards into the background. I guess some are not impressed with the director's style, but that really astounds me. I definitely see the man as a master of his medium, and The Weeping Meadow is as good as any of his other films – every one I've seen so far is a masterpiece or close to it. This film has a lot in common with the director's first big success, The Traveling Players. It follows a little girl, Eleni, from 1919 to the time of the Greek Civil War, at the end of WWII. And, as the title implies, it's a great tragedy. There is a lot of weeping. It may be long and slow, but it's always gripping. Angelopoulos' imagery is second to none in modern cinema. There are just so many jaw-dropping sequences. My favorite was the one where the camera explored its way through a maze of bed sheets drying on clotheslines, discovering various musicians hidden within. It's not a complaint, per se, but if you're going to watch the film beware of its chronological ellipses. The film can skip ahead years in just a second, when the pace usually makes each second feel like years (in a good way!). I hope New Yorker video, or some other company, digs up the Angelopoulos films that have been unavailable so far, and puts The Traveling Players on DVD, as well.

I viewed this movie at the TIFF in 2004. It was the first film I ever seen their and I have been going back every year since, hoping to see something that was as moving. By far one of the greatest films I have ever viewed. The cinematography, the acting, the script all worked hand in hand. At times when the dialogue was silent you were still captivated by what was being shown on the screen.

The movie is long, but I did not lose interest once. I was lucky enough to meet Mr. Angelopoulos at the premier of his film and believe me for a movie buff like me it was a great honor even thought I did not realize it at the time. I believe that this film should be on every bodies must watch list if you are looking for a movie that is deep.

I have since viewed a lot of movies and have yet to fond anything that I believe is as important.

THE WEEPING MEADOW ('Trilogia I: To Livadi pou dakryzei') is writer/director Theodoros Angelopoulos (with influences from Tonino Guerra plus assistance from Petros Markaris and Giorgio Silvagni) creating a personal vision of the 20th century. The incredibly gifted Greek poet of a filmmaker mirrored the life and death of his own mother whose time on earth spanned a century and elected to capture the 100 years of sadness in a trilogy of films: The Weeping Meadow is Part I and details the years 1919 through 1949. It is a masterwork.

The film opens with what will be the trademark look of the movie - vistas of lonely people in a nearly monochromatic color space that uses water, both from rain and the collected results of rain. A group of refugees from Odessa have landed by a river in Thessaloniki where they must attempt to reconstruct their lives. Among them is a family - a wife and husband with their young son and a three-year-old orphan Eleni they have protected. The entire movie seems to be in slow motion, but that is just the studied, unhurried rhythm of Angelopoulos' direction. As time passes we find that Eleni at a very early age has just given birth to twin boys while she has been sent away for the family's appearances: the father is the young son of the family. The story progresses through the World Wars, the civil wars, the influence of Hitler and Mussolini, the natural disasters of floods and disease, the social disparities of class, the rise of unions, the fall of democracy - all mirrored in the family that is trying to make the chaos of living in Greece resemble some sort of order. The young man is a musician and once he and Eleni have reunited with their twin boys, he decides he will go to America, the land of Promise for poverty stricken refugees, to work and make enough money to bring Eleni and the twins to America. But in his absence the progressive civil unrest and poverty the three endure in his absence results in the ultimate dissolution of the family.

The story is less important than the moods evoked. The cinematography by Andreas Sinanos is a long gallery of miraculously composed, beautiful images: the cortège on the river, the flapping white sheets behind which we discover musicians, the constant vistas of the ocean and the river, the village and the battlegrounds burn themselves onto our visual fields and into memory. The gorgeous music that accompanies this symphonic work is by Eleni Karaindrou, mixing folksongs with wondrous symphonic moments. The cast is superb: they manage to create very specific people despite the fact that we rarely see them up close. But in the end this visual treasure is the extraordinary work of Theodoros Angelopoulos. If this is Part I of a Trilogy (at almost three hours running time), we can only imagine the power that will follow in the Parts II and III. Experiencing THE WEEPING MEADOW takes patience and a long uninterrupted period of time; the rewards are immeasurably fine. In Greek with English subtitles. Grady Harp

Theo Angelopoulos is one of the greatest directors working in films today. His last film, Eternity and a day proved that. This film is,likewise, a masterpiece. It begins in 1919 as a band of refugees returns to Greece from exile in Odessa. There are sepia colored photographs , and in this section of the film, the interiors are also sepia colored. The film then proceeds very elegantly for about the first third of its running time. He uses mostly long pans and tracking shots, and then may stop to focus on a scene as he gradually pulls the camera in closer, but almost never to a close up. His sense of mise en scene is superb, but even more he evokes a very specific time and place. His cinematography is superb, and often highly gorgeous. There is a superb scene at jusr about the end of the first third, where Eleni,the film's principal character, wants to leave and walks down to the water. She is suddenly surrounded by a group of men who begin to dance with her. That scene and the music in it are quite intoxicating. it reminds me a little of Fellini. The film then darkens drastically, becomes more political, and also somewhat fantastical, non linear, and rather mythic in tone. There are some beautiful, truly remarkable images here--the streets, the slaughtered sheep hanging from the trees, and a funeral procession in the water with the funeral party on a raft, surrounded by fishing boats all lite by lanterns. Then there is the final third of the film which takes us to WW2, but the style is quite abstract and elliptical, and where it is very difficult to pinpoint time. By the end her family is destroyed, and she becomes a figure of true Euripidean tragedy. It's devastating, and suddenly not only mythic but timeless.

Most of the story's most significant events are entirely unseen; Angelopoulos seems to be less interested in events than in their aftermath. What we see is not conflict, not love, and not loss, but rather the effects of these things on the people in the story. It's almost like watching only the scenes that would be cut out of a Hollywood epic; all the "fat" that would normally be trimmed to create a lean story is on display here without any of what would be considered the "meat." The result is something less thrilling but altogether more resonant. Things take a long time to occur not just within scenes but within the viewer's mind as well. I didn't start to really feel for any of these people until about an hour into the film, but at that point I suddenly found myself completely hooked.

I was particularly amazed by my reaction to Eleni, played by Alexandra Aidini. For much of the movie she is given little to do but cry and her performance is seemingly rather weak. But by the end of the film I felt deeply connected with her plight and I felt tied to every emotional upheaval she encountered. Her performance likewise became extremely powerful, and unless Angelopoulos shot this film in sequence I have to assume it was engineered that way somehow. Perhaps it's simply that Angelopoulos spends so much time distancing the audience from the drama that when he finally goes in for a close-up (figuratively -- in literal terms there's nothing tighter than a medium shot here) the emotion just smacks you in the face.

Beyond the characters, the film is amazing simply for its visual audacity, the way every long shot is planned to the minutest detail a la Bela Tarr, and they only become more staggering as time wears on. The story also feels ancient; despite taking place (mostly) in the 1940's, you sense a profound connection to the heritage of its characters and their history, such that moments which in other cases might seem like melodramatic clichés (the unraveling of Eleni's scarf, for instance) instead feel like deeply rooted folk symbolism.

"The weeping meadow" of Theodoros Angelopoulos has more or less the same strength and weaknesses as "The travelling players" (1975), his other film that I have seen.

This strength and weaknesses are:

long running time; long average shot length; presupposes knowledge about Greek history; presupposes knowledge about Greek mythology.

The first two bullets are a strength for some and a weakness for others. For the average movie lover (including me) the last two bullets probably are a weakness.

Due to my lack of knowledge I found the storyline hard to follow, and this is a pitty because this way the many beautiful images of the film become somewhat suspended in thin air.

The most beautiful images are in my opinion related to the funeral procession across the river. This scene is accompanied by funeral music mixed with the sound of lapping of the river water. Gradually the sound of the water takes over.

This is no accident because I suspect that this river has a symbolic meaning in this film, representing the flow of time. In this respect the film uses the same symbolism as for example "The night of the hunter" (1955, Charles Laughton).

By the way some beautiful images are used a little too often in the movie, thereby becoming over the top and predictable. I am referring to the images of a local bleachfield stuffed with snow-white sheets. It recurs a bit too often (over the top) and when a wounded man is stumbling over the bleachfield, bespattering the snow-white sheets with his blood red blood it seems an act of symbolism which is a bit too obvious.

Angelopoulos again makes the most of an intellectual way of cinema, which is though full of poetry and with the stain of compassion. History and human relationships are emphasized through the symbolic order of ancient Greek tragedy and that is what makes the film have a more "heavy" character, which makes it a little harder to follow than a usual Hollywood production- do not misjudge me, I love it too. As long as it concerns the scenario the modern history of Greece becomes only the environment in which the man wrecks along with his fate. Angelopoulos recons the mechanizations of History upon man and tries to make a clear statement upon it. The film itself is the most mature of the Greek director and has all his personal characteristics bound together in an excellent work!

Anytime you sit down to a historical piece, especially a part of a trilogy, you must be prepared for an investment of time. In this case, it is 3 hours more or less, depending on the version.

The period that the first part of the Trilogy covers is 1919 -1949. Theodoros Angelopoulos presents 30 years of Greek history beginning with the return of the exiles from Odessa after WWI to the rise of the Colonels.

Eleni, who witnesses the history, is played by an unknown, Alexandra Aidini. He does not use her in the second film.

She is to marry Spyros (Vassilis Kolovos), but loves his son Alexis (Nikos Poursadinis), She runs off with him. They had two children that were taken and given to a rich woman. They managed to get them back after the village flooded. Alexis heads to America, while Eleni loses the children again after she is imprisoned. The war takes a toll on the family. There is much weeping among the women and those who didn't wear black, did so now.

But, the film is really not about the characters. It is about Greece, and the pain she has endured in this century.

It is a dark and dreary film with plenty of rain and cloudy skies. It is not meant to be joyful as the period is not joyful, as we watch dreams shattered, and people surviving, but just barely.

With music by Eleni Karaindrou and cinematography by Andreas Sinanos, you are not bored by the lack of dialog. In fact, you are left to enjoy and experience the time and the film.

Those who enjoy Bergman, Fellini, Kurosawa, and other great masters, will certainly enjoy Theodoros Angelopoulos. I hope he finished this trilogy, as he will be almost 80 when he does.

"The Weeping Meadow" (2004) by Theo Angelopoulos is not a film meant for casual enjoyment. Such an approach would be an intellectual disservice. The film's symbolic and artistic expression aims to convey the profound suffering of the Greek people. Following centuries of hardship, some Greeks migrated to Odessa (now part of Ukraine and once under Tsar Catherine the Great's rule) after the Russian Civil War, and later returned to their homeland, Greece.

The film continues through the turmoil of World War II and the Greek Civil War that followed. To fully appreciate "The Weeping Meadow," one should also watch "Landscape in the Mist" (1988). The former film traces the agonies from the 1920s to the 1950s, depicting a search for identity amidst historical conflicts, while the latter explores the quest for a clear vision of the future after enduring immense suffering.

Angelopoulos' work urges today's audience to reflect on the ongoing displacement and suffering caused by conflicts, such as Russia's war against Ukraine and the civil war in Syria. The films underscore the necessity of empathy and kindness to address such human suffering.

Angelopoulos seemed to recognize the need for a clear vision of the future, especially after creating "Landscape in the Mist" in 1988. He acknowledged the lack of a clear future in Eastern Europe, a notion tragically evidenced by over two years of war in Ukraine. His films remind us of the past's sufferings and emphasize the importance of creating a better future, avoiding the repetition of past mistakes seen in Iraq, Syria, Ukraine, and Gaza. Ultimately, "kindness" is presented as the essential solution for humanity.

This must be one of the most annoying, arrogant, poser films I've ever seen. What a waste of budget and actors. Angelopoulos has reached new levels of pretentiousness. It is clear there is virtually no plot, even if this part of Greek history is material for great movies. He simply had some supposedly symbolic (actually shambolic) scenes in his mind and he built a whole movie around them. Death is the main theme and is repeated ad nauseam, along with litanies, processions and the like, which should only be a vehicle for the movie but unfortunately it is the movie itself. A totally incoherent result, which can only leave you saying "huh?" or "oh dear" every two minutes.

There is no character development at all, nada, zilch. I'm usually complaining about some movies having two-dimensional characters, but oh boy, he managed to create one-dimensional characters. This is irritating for us and degrading for some of the actors. He even managed to make one of my favourite Greek actors, Giorgos Armenis, seem wooden.

And going to the core of Angelopoulos film-making: No we're not idiots. We do not want chewed food. Please someone tell this guy symbolism has to be subtle. Theo do you really underestimate your audience so much or you're simply incompetent? Personally, I think he tried to make a Greek "Underground". No matter how he tries, he can't reach Kusturica.

Only saving grace: Photography, costumes and the music.

What a spectacular film. If you don't have a good 162min free of your time, then make it a priority to change it. This movie was full of sensational scenery and the director had taken a photographer's approach in catching the atmosphere at hand. Coming from a Greek background and taking my 65 year old father to see this film, as he was resorted to tears, I came to realise that this is not just a fictional film, but that reality was close to home and to the heart for many Greek refugees who were forced to flee their country. It was full of nostalgia, music (inspiration by each instrument) and dedicated actors (Eleni as a mother, weeping from the loss of her children). The only thing I didn't like, was that the film was too long to fit on a tape and the movie was interrupted when the tape ran out, half way through. A 5min interval was then in place, as which many lost their passion and thought the movie was finished. However, once again, this movie made me so emotional, and gave me lots of empathy to humanity. It is so unfortunate that we were only shown the film as a "ONE OFF" in Australia at the world film festival. (both sessions sold out before time) Well done Angelopoulos!! Can't wait till it hits our shores, so it can be bought on DVD (that's if it ever gets here). I recommend it, go on, I dare you too to!

Without doubt one of the most beautiful and painful films I have ever seen. For some time into the film I didn't understand why the director decided to keep so much distance to the main characters. And then suddenly it dawned on me: These are people caught up in a much larger historical picture – out of their control – and the total historical painting is more important than all the separate details together. However, in the second half of the movie, Angelopoulos moves closer on the main characters, and the movie takes a much firmer emotional grip of your heart. This is a movie about extreme human pain in troubled times – brought on us by human pride and stupidity – and it takes some time and effort to get through this epic. But if you hang in there, it's an experience I think many of us will never forget. The final sequence is just…well, what can I say?

Being simple is the most difficulty action. ( Theo Anjelo Poulous) Weeping meadow is the simplest and intelligible and may be the bitterest , the most tragic, the most perfect and millions of the best adjectives among his work of art because don't see except true in it . Something like a secret or without answer happen . Also simple , not means close but full of freedom and many view in the shape of disbelief . View , not means fresh picture's and extreme long shut but views full of history and feel of heavy truth of person pain . If rely on said,s Angelo , when he want relate mother,s pains of now century and also with make a pause in front of Eleni,s name ( in Greek language it,s mean Greece) , couldn't interpret except mother,s history . ( Greece ) . Eleny,s life history is collection of pains . when she was child , her parents died and be come displaced , unwashed at teenager become mother . at young turn away of marry with old Aspiros and flight by son,s Spyros . Her husband let her ,his work caused it . She put in Jail for many years . Refuge of someone was revolutionary caused it . Her sons fight a war at two fronts and both of them died disbelief. And Finlay her husband,s letterer's read but very late . And she stay with predestination that,s unable Bitter word to explain . Eleni is self history . Anjelo take us to deep of the history with long shut and allow us to set thin king about it , with out any detour . blue color is color,s motherland Greek and faces remind blue and white Greek flag , in where like seaside chairs and explain Eleni,s predestination usual in following surface it . National and old Greeks custom consider in whole of film . Characters performance old theater of Greece like as traditional actors .

Where Spyros come to amphitheater and cry Eleni,s name . Homeless persons come out from booths of theater and see old Spyros that take a step slow on sen . He play your tragic role similar to real theater . At this special moment , show next tradition in cinema tradition to pay tribute to theater . In next place and while Spyros funeral ceremony , persons show live roles them selves in front of Angelo,s cine camera similar to actors of real theater and while dancing and special ceremonies of villages of Greek . Alexis and Eleni,s introduction to musician have shape of theater . Each musician come in frame , within a special distance and with musical sound , himself introduce to them .

Dance and music is other part of Greece,s culture that relate by Angelo . Spyros see the last dance him self by Eleni with his baby,s song , that able its call death dance . Perhaps in this picture's able think to Oedipus heavy shadow and homicide . Howker musicians and Nikos can be refuge for think to history , music and culture even in train plan where group with empty handed come back to city . Nicoss prostitution stage and her relation with one of soldiers in train show mythical and championship shapes Nikos come out with distressed shape from bathroom and meet Eleni look. She draw hand to her head in mythical from and said ;my hat……isn't my hat? Anjelo Poulous doesn't leave his poverty-stricken character suffering from prostituting his body and sympathetically makes Nikos seek for Identity, value and grave through a symbolic trilby. As if he want say; my Honor…..isn't my Honor;and painful is only and her look to history. In this special face ,that able understand it part of history ,all go to sleep and isn't someone except Eleni. Shes a wake and watchful and seeing this much pain. Able look at the film with two opposite shape,about go village under water. If understand Eleni's flight with Alexis is guilt,their presence and come up water its mean,people of village curse then them the people and Spyros . Spyros indecent behavior with Eleni and Alexis and village assist with Spyros involve in lasting curse at the village is the same big home that stay on it where Eleni and Alexis spend with their twins at night.

For all its authentic and gorgeous presentation, this rumination on how the family life of two people gets annihilated by the historic events doesn't really grip me with its choice of storytelling. Maybe it's because I can't say anything about Alexis beyond that he is playing accordion? But at least that is far more than I can say about Eleni in comparison. Perhaps it's the inconsistent pacing that melancholically drifts along, showing the pair adapting and surviving. And then, whoosh, WW2 ends almost as soon as it began. Whoosh, it's a civil war, and the husband and kids are dead. These impromptu jumps do not help with immersion of any kind.

It was always supposed to be a trilogy, but I fail to see for what purpose the supposed tragedy of Greek people who during WW2 were at war with themselves more than with the axis is just over and done with in 20 minutes in an almost 3-hour movie.

It is enjoyable to watch, and as I said, the composition is just stellar. The flooded village is an image that will stay with you for a long time, but other than that and the soundtrack, there is nothing to grab me because the stylistic aloofness among the characters is just something I can't stand.

Perhaps the most emotional of Angelopoulos' films so far. While it occasionally flirts with melodrama, it's ultimately heartbreaking while losing none of the film-maker's usual formal rigor and visual beauty.

A couple try to find a way to stay together in the face of wars, both civil and international, as well as fighting small town prejudice and rejection.

Not an easy film, and some of the history may be confusing unless you happen to be up on the history of Greece in the 20th century (I'll admit I'm not), but very worth the time and effort.

Re the DVD: As with most of Angelopoulos' films, the edition you want to find if you can is the Greek 'New Star' release (it has English subtitles). This line was supervised by Angelopoulos personally, and the image is definitely a step up from the US release. The sad things is, inexplicably, those editions were only released for a short while, and they've become very hard to find.

I have just finished watching this great movie....fortunately with the English Subtitles. I think its a masterpiece by Theo. Beautiful story, strong characters, captivating scenery, breath taking music and ultimately of cource great production.Its a long movie and the start might be a bit boring but as the story progresses it will hold your attention

I recommend this movie if you are looking for some sensitive piece of art. Though there is quite a lot of tragedy in it but it does give a glimpse of the life of Greek immigrants of that time and the horrors of war.

Two Thumbs Up...........

I feel conflicted about this film - it is one of the most beautiful films I've seen, and provides insightful looks into a lost culture. There was an early scene of men in caps and moustaches sitting around a table, with a woman serving, and an accordion playing, that brought tears to my eyes, just because of the way it captured a way of life that must be incomprehensible to many today. It presents the lives of the characters as being inextricably bound up with the life of the village, another lost concept in today's world. Symbolism is always fun but it seemed a little dated. The fatal flaws of the movie to me were the lack of any compelling dramatic drive, and a total lack of humor. I never felt like I knew any of the characters beyond very basic universal things like grieving over the loss of a loved one, etc. The people were stick figures in the director's tableaux involving natural disasters, war, etc. The film was just one beautiful tragic scene after another, with no involving narrative thread and no humanity. As a result, it seemed very abstract, irrelevant to the lives of real people. In the end, I was too bored to finish watching it.

To say I was not impressed by the imagery would be a complete understatement. The imagery is impressive and awe-inspiring. It's powerful and poetic and memorable.

But Angelopoulos really made me struggle with the human connections. I tried so very much to connect with the inner story of love that is between the step-siblings, Eleni and Alexis. I was always drawn when a huge, impressive landscape was developing in front of my eyes, like the floating houses reflected in the water, the theater shots or the shots from the slums.

Also, the connection is too greek and not universal enough. It speaks to the struggles the greek people had from the First World War and they don't translate for the rest that well. I didn't feel so.

And of course, another reason I watched it, besides it was directed by Angelopoulos, is because of its position in top 250 on LB.

In this movie you can see sometimes what people are doing to others and sometimes how they attach to each other.

Starts with a confrontation of a son with his father for the sake of love. While some open their gates to them, some others curse them. You can feel the society pressure here. Not only this, but you will feel several emotions like dilemma, loyalty and passion. It focuses on how love can drive us crazy.

Later, you will see how difficult lives our parents had. Poverty, despair, inconveniences. And still they raised their kids in the middle of all this hassle.

Finally, war! Friends, brothers can take position across each other. It is not understandable even other nations attack your country, but how about internal wars? Eventually grief has no nation.

This masterpiece gives a lot of perspectives from our lives from a woman's angle who started life already with no one.