DVD Review - The Weeping Meadow
This beautiful film, directed by Theo Angelopoulous, is indeed a Greek tragedy. But it is also a powerful film-watching experience. The Weeping Meadow is the first in a trilogy that Angelopoulous is making about his homeland.
The story starts off in 1919. A group of Greek refugees are forced to flee Odessa. They settle in a spot near Thessaloniki and build a town. Little Eleni has lost her family so Alexis's family takes her in. Right from the start they have a strong connection. But things do not go smoothly for these two.
For much of the film we watch the grownup Eleni (Alexandra Aidini) and Alexis (Nikos Poursadins) struggle to keep themselves together and alive. Things seem to go from bad to worse with the rise of fascism and the Second World War. I am not going to say more about the plot except that this film is not a happy one.
The cinematography by Andreas Sinanos is lovely and some scenes are really breathtaking. And the music composed by Eleni Karaindrou is gorgeous and is the only uplifting thing in the film.
I liked this film a lot but it would be difficult for many people to sit through. I recommend it only to people who like to see art films in the same vein as those that were made thirty years ago. And what I mean by this are films that have no commercial potential. But for those of you who like this type of film (and we don't see many of them these days) The Weeping Meadow. I, for one, am looking forward to the other films in the trilogy.
The story starts off in 1919. A group of Greek refugees are forced to flee Odessa. They settle in a spot near Thessaloniki and build a town. Little Eleni has lost her family so Alexis's family takes her in. Right from the start they have a strong connection. But things do not go smoothly for these two.
For much of the film we watch the grownup Eleni (Alexandra Aidini) and Alexis (Nikos Poursadins) struggle to keep themselves together and alive. Things seem to go from bad to worse with the rise of fascism and the Second World War. I am not going to say more about the plot except that this film is not a happy one.
The cinematography by Andreas Sinanos is lovely and some scenes are really breathtaking. And the music composed by Eleni Karaindrou is gorgeous and is the only uplifting thing in the film.
I liked this film a lot but it would be difficult for many people to sit through. I recommend it only to people who like to see art films in the same vein as those that were made thirty years ago. And what I mean by this are films that have no commercial potential. But for those of you who like this type of film (and we don't see many of them these days) The Weeping Meadow. I, for one, am looking forward to the other films in the trilogy.
posted by Film Fanatic | 5:31 PM
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