Mia aioniotita kai mia mera (1998)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Theodoros Angelopoulos

Writers:

Theodoros Angelopoulos (idea and scenario)
Tonino Guerra (co-writer) ...

Release Date:

28 May 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Alexander, a famous writer, is very ill and has only a few days to live. He meets a little boy on the street, who is an illegal immigrant from Albania. Alexander then takes the boy home.

Plot Keywords:

Greece | Long Take | Emigrant | Poet | Soul Searching

Awards:

10 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Bruno Ganz	...	Alexandre
Isabelle Renauld	...	Anna
Fabrizio Bentivoglio	...	The Poet
Achileas Skevis	...	The Child
Alexandra Ladikou	...	Anna's Mother
Despina Bebedelli	...	Alexandre's Mother
Eleni Gerasimidou	...	Urania
Iris Chatziantoniou	...	Alexandre's Daughter
Nikos Kouros	...	Anna's Uncle
Alekos Oudinotis	...	Anna's Father
Nikos Kolovos	...	The Doctor
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Andreas Chekouras
Mihalis Giannatos		(as Michalis Yannatos)
Petros Markaris
Yannis Mohlas
Efthimis Pappas	...	Party attendant
Maria Saltiri	...	Woman
Vassilis Seimenis	...	Son-in-Law
Leonidas Vardaros

Also Known As:

Eternity and a Day (International: English title) (UK) (USA)
Μια αιωνιότητα και μια μέρα (Greece)
Die Ewigkeit und ein Tag (Germany)
L'éternité et un jour (France)
L'eternità e un giorno (Italy)

Runtime:

137 min

Country:

Greece | France | Germany | Italy

Language:

Greek | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.75 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Spain:7 | Argentina:Atp | Chile:TE | Finland:S | France:U | Hong Kong:I | Portugal:M/12 | South Korea:All | Sweden:7 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:PG | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Thessaloniki, Greece

Company:

Theo Angelopoulos Films

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Hrysa koritsia: (#1.15)" (2008)

Soundtrack:

Asma asmaton

Masterpiece

A film straight from my dreams, drifting in and out of logical existence into the land of the dead. The story, as much as there is a story, involves an aging poet (played by European film staple Bruno Ganz) who has a terminal disease. He is apparently destined to die tomorrow, and we spend his final day following him, from his waking to midnight. Early in the morning he picks up a young homeless boy, an Albanian refugee, who tries to wash his window at a stoplight. Together they go on silent adventures. At regular intervals the film flashes back to Ganz's interactions with his beautiful wife, who never appears in the present, nor do we find out where she is. Most of the film's power is visual and aural. It is truly a sensual experience, along the lines of a Tarkovsky film. Because of its sensual prominence and lack of a coherent plot, it will surely fade from the surface of my memory. However, it is guaranteed to haunt me for the rest of my life. 10/10.