Happy Birthday, Theo Angelopoulos! Born today in 1935 as Theodoros "Theo" Angelopoulos, this Greek screenwriter, film producer and film director was an acclaimed and multi-awarded fllmmaker who dominated the Greek art film industry from 1975 on.
Angelopoulos was one of the most influential and widely respected filmmakers in the world. He started making films in 1967.
In the 1970s, he made a series of political films about modern Greece.
Among his credits, Angelopoulos is best known for writing and directing the 1975 Greek drama/history film 'O Thiassos' ('The Travelling Players').
With a runtime of almost four hours, this expansive feature follows a troupe of theater actors as they perform around their country during World War II. It traces the history of mid-20th-century Greece from 1939 to 1952.
While the production that they put on is entitled "Golfo the Shepherdess", the thespians end up echoing scenes from classic Greek tales in their own lives.
Behind the scenes, Elektra (Eva Kotamanidou) plots revenge on her mother (Aliki Georgouli) for the death of her father. She seeks help from her brother, Orestes (Petros Zarkadis), a young anti-fascist rebel.
Like many of Angelopoulos' films afterwards, 'The Travelling Players' uses long, static takes combined with complex tracking shots, and beautiful landscape photography to create a surrealistic atmosphere.
Shots in the film often drift back and forth in time without warning, and after a major scene there will be some down time for the viewer to contemplate what has just transpired.
Angelopoulos is also best known for co-writing, co-producing and directing the 1988 Greek drama/road film 'Topio stin omichli' ('Landscape in the Mist').
In Greece, pubescent Voula (Tania Palaiologou) and her little brother, Alexandros (Michalis Zeke), think that their dad is in Germany, so they decide to pack up and search for him.
During their life-changing trek, they meet the kindly Orestis (Stratos Tzortzoglou), who looks after them for a time.
Eventually, the children decide to resume their quest, but they are forced to deal with the brutal realities of being alone in the world as they wander through an unforgiving winter landscape.
Eventually, the children decide to resume their quest, but they are forced to deal with the brutal realities of being alone in the world as they wander through an unforgiving winter landscape.
The film was later selected as the Greek entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 62nd Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee. This occurred in late March 1990.
A critics' poll by the Village Voice included 'Landscape in the Mist' in the 100 Best Films of the 20th Century list.
The film is the third installment in Angelopoulos' Trilogy of Silence, following the 1984 Greek drama film 'Taxidi sta Kythira' ('Voyage to Cythera') and the 1986 Greek drama/art film 'O Melissokomos' ('The Beekeeper').
The film is the third installment in Angelopoulos' Trilogy of Silence, following the 1984 Greek drama film 'Taxidi sta Kythira' ('Voyage to Cythera') and the 1986 Greek drama/art film 'O Melissokomos' ('The Beekeeper').
Angelopoulos' work, described by Martin Scorsese as that of "a masterful filmmaker", is characterized by slightest movement, slightest change in distance, long takes, and complex yet carefully composed scenes; his cinematic method, as a result, is often described as "sweeping" and "hypnotic".
In the late 1990s, Angelopoulos' 1998 Greek drama film 'Mia aioniótita kai mia méra' ('Eternity and a Day') went on to win the prestigious Palme d'Or at the 51st Cannes Film Festival in May of that same year. Afterwards, his features have been shown at many of the world's most esteemed film festivals.
In the early 2010s, Angelopoulos had been with his crew in the area of Drapetsona, near Piraeus, while shooting his latest feature. This was for his 2012 Greek film 'I álli thálassa stin Athína'('The Other Sea in Athens').
When attempting to cross a busy road on a Tuesday evening, Angelopoulos was hit by a motorcycle driven by an off-duty police officer.
When attempting to cross a busy road on a Tuesday evening, Angelopoulos was hit by a motorcycle driven by an off-duty police officer.
Angelopoulos was then taken to the hospital, where he was treated in an intensive care unit but succumbed to his serious injuries several hours later.
Before going, he suffered at least one heart attack. Angelopoulos passed on January 24, 2012. He was 76.
Angelopoulos had been active from 1965–2012.
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