Trilogia I: To Livadi pou dakryzei (2004)

Director:

Theodoros Angelopoulos

Writers:

Theodoros Angelopoulos (writer)
Tonino Guerra (writer)
(more)

Release Date:

20 February 2004 (Greece)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

This is the first film of Theo Angelopoulos' trilogy. The story starts in 1919 with some greek refugees...

Awards:

1 win & 5 nominations

Cast

Alexandra Aidini	...	Eleni
Nikos Poursanidis	...	Young Man
Giorgos Armenis	...	Nikos, the Fiddler
Vassilis Kolovos	...	Spyros
Eva Kotamanidou	...	Cassandra
Toula Stathopoulou	...	Woman in the Coffee House
Mihalis Giannatos	...	Zissis, the Clarinet Player (as Michalis Yannatos)
Thalia Argiriou	...	Danae
Grigoris Evangelatos	...	Teacher
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Amdromachi Chrisomelli
Smaro Gaitanidou
Aliki Kamineli
Alex Moukanos		(as A. Moukanos)
Thodoros Teknetzidis		(as Th. Technetzidis)

Directed by
Theodoros Angelopoulos		(as Thódoros Angelópoulos)

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Theodoros Angelopoulos		writer
Tonino Guerra		writer
Petros Markaris		writer
Giorgio Silvagni		writer

Produced by
Theodoros Angelopoulos	....	producer
Phoebe Economopoulos	....	producer
Giannis Iakovidis	....	coordinating producer
Jean Labadie	....	co-producer
Kostas Lambropoulos	....	line producer
Amedeo Pagani	....	producer
Nikos Sekeris	....	executive producer
Giorgio Silvagni	....	co-producer

Original Music by
Eleni Karaindrou

Cinematography by
Andreas Sinanos

Film Editing by
Giorgos Triandafyllou

Casting by
Harris Papadopoulos

Production Design by
Costas Dimitriadis
Giorgos Patsas

Costume Design by
Ioulia Stavridou

Makeup Department
Dimitra Dala	....	hair stylist
Danièle Vuarin	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Kostas Kefalas	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Takis Katselis	....	assistant director
Margarita Manta	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Marinos Athanassopoulos	....	sound

Visual Effects by
David Bush	....	digital effects consultant
Massimo Cipollina	....	CG artist
Primo De Santis	....	digital artist
Harold Herbert	....	Inferno artist
Giulia Infurna	....	digital compositor: Proxima
Gian Luca Rizzo	....	visual effects producer
Salvo Severino	....	CGI supervisor
Nicola Sganga	....	digital artist
Giuseppe Squillaci	....	visual effects supervisor: Proxima

Camera and Electrical Department
Vangelis Kolokithas	....	steadicam assistant
Michael Tsimperopoulos	....	steadicam operator

Production Companies

• Hellenic Radio & Television (ERT)
• Attica Art Productions
• Bac Films
• Intermédias
• arte France Cinéma
• Classic
• Istituto Luce
• Rai Cinemafiction (participation)
• Networ
• Movie Reinhold Elschot
• Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF)
• Eurimages
• Greek Film Center

Distributors

• Celluloid Dreams (2004) (worldwide) (all media) (sales)
• Bac Films (2004) (France) (theatrical)
• Istituto Luce (2004) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Artificial Eye (2005) (UK) (theatrical)
• Bowjapan (2005) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Bright Angel Distribution (2004) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Filmcoopi Zürich (2004) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• New Yorker Films (2005) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Pelicanfilms (2005) (Switzerland) (DVD)

Also Known As:

Τριλογία 1: Το Λιβάδι που δακρύζει (Greece)
Eleni (France)
Sorgente del fiume, La (Italy)
Terre qui pleure, La (France)
The Weeping Meadow (Europe: English title)
Trilogie: Die Erde weint (Germany)
Trilogy: The Weeping Meadow (International: English title)

Runtime:

USA:170 min | Greece:185 min | Canada:170 min (Toronto International Film Festival)

Country:

Germany | France | Greece | Italy

Language:

Greek

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS

Certification:

Taiwan:PG-12 | Australia:PG | Netherlands:MG6 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Zurich) | UK:PG

Company:

Hellenic Radio & Television (ERT)

Greek tragedy

Theo Angelopolous, the Greek director, undertakes the colossal task of putting in a film some thirty years of history in his country. The director has a poetical way to present his story, which was written in collaboration with some of the best minds of the business, namely, Tonino Guerra, Giorgio Silvani and Petros Markaris, one of our own favorite Greek writers.

The result is a complex canvas in which Mr. Angelopolous paints for us, the viewer, in dark colors that gives us an idea of what the country went through during that period. In a way, the director seems to be taking an outside position in recounting the tragedy his country lived by photographing in long shots almost every frame of the film. Of course, this being his style, it suits the poetical way in which he conceives the basic idea.

There are lots of moments in the film that take the viewer's breath away by the beauty of the composition of a particular scene. It's clear the director uses a lot of symbolism in trying to get his point across. The opening scene with the returning people from the Odessa massacre being one of the most effective things in the film. The rowing boats carrying people affected by the flood is another. The many white sheets waving in the wind, are just the highlights of the story, the way Mr. Angelopolous conceives it.

The actors act as an ensemble. Alexandra Aidini, who plays Eleni, the woman at the center of the tragedy, makes quite an impression. The excellent fading cinematography by Andreas Sinanos gives a rich texture to the film, as well as the music score by Eleni Karaindrou, that greatly enhances the mood of it.

While this film is definitely for a general public, it shows great moments of brilliance created by Theo Angelopolous working at his best.