User reviews

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!

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.

I doubt I have ever seen such movie so perfectly describing and telling a wider range of history. It almost like a history documentary of 20th century Greece told over a 2 child's love story. I loved it. It was flawlessly done.

Theodoros Angelopoulos Once again makes the most of an intellectual way of cinema, though full of poetry and with the stain of compassion.