Director Review: THEO ANGELOPOULOS

Greek director Theo Angelopoulos is in no hurry to get you to wherever it is he's taking you. Each of the three movies I've seen by him were comprised of very long slow moving shots. They're all sort of depressing also. But his slow storytelling doesn't take away from his ability to develop a character or draw you into his often fable-like tales.

First I saw ETERNITY AND A DAY is about a famous poet trying to tie up his affair before what he believes is the end of his life. He spends time trying to find someone to take his dog which lauches us into a series of melancholy scenes and flashbacks that are all languid and sentimental. In a strange change of pace he ends up saving a little boy from a gang who kidnaps children to sell to couple who can't legally adopt. These almost actiony sequences didn't feel like they fit well with the rest of the film, but it does lead to a relationship between the man and boy that is touching seems to lead the man, though still afraid, closer to accepting his own mortality.

The next I saw was my favorite of those I've seen. LANDSCAPE IN THE MIST is the story of two children who set out for Germany to try and track down their father who they believe lives there. Along their trip they have a number of adventures, some funny and whimsical and some dark shocking. I think I'll always be scarred by a scene where a truck driver rapes the older sister. The photography in this film is beautiful and benefits from the slow camera work Angelopoulos demands in his work. As far as "coming-of-age" movies this is just about the top of the list for me.

Lastly I saw TRILOGY: THE WEEPING MEADOW. This is one of the saddest stories I've ever heard. As a child the character Eleni is taken in by a village leader named Spyros. She falls in love with Spyros' son Alexis and when she's 16 she gives birth to twins which are given up for adoption. Some years later Spyros' wife dies and he attempts to take Eleni as his wife, but she and Alexis run away together to seek freedom, love and their lost children. These actions lead to spiral of misfortune and despair that is exquisitely painful to watch. Seriously, don't watch this unless you're ready to see the worst-case-scenario of what can happen to life.

I'm glad that Angelopoulos is still working because I anticipate that he will release some really good work in the future (including the latter portions of the TRILOGY