La polvere del tempo

Like all of this great director's challenging work, I have a feeling this will improve with repeated viewings, as the sometimes disparate story stands make their connections more clear. On first look I found this full of thrilling moments and beautiful images (as one comes to take for granted with Angelopoulos), as well as a terrific, fun and heartbreaking performance by Bruno Ganz.

However, I also found myself more lost than usual, even being used to Angelopoulos' complex, time, place and style shifting style. At the end of the day I felt unsure how it all added up, or even that the pieces really did all fit. Not unlike an earlier poster I felt a bit like I was watching someone else trying to do a film in Angelopoulos' style, and not quite

pulling it off. That's perhaps a bit harsh. but there's some truth in it.

It felt less sure handed than I'm used to. Character motivations and story choices felt forced or distractingly hard to buy. Even when Angelopoulos' earlier films confused me the viewer, I always felt strongly that the film-maker was never confused, he knew just how and why the pieces fit together, intellectually, thematically and emotionally. This time I wasn't quite as sure.

Master of broken love stories, Theo Angelopoulos, presents us the story of the last 60 years, the struggle between the absoluteness of love and the sadness of life.

Three generations move from one place to another like leaves in the winds of immense political changes while we witness the parallels between their personal lives and those social changes in lyrical imagery.

The two different paths taken by lovers who have fled Greece after the defeat of the Greek leftists by the American and British led Royalist army forms the basis of the film. Spyros goes to the US and Eleni to the Soviet Union. Spryos' attempt to take Eleni out of the Soviet Union ends dramatically. Eleni is sent to Siberia and Sypros to jail. They are then separated for decades but finally get together in the US. Their love child has become a movie director whose sole purpose in life is his career in the West while their granddaughter has to live the teenage life of divorced parents, lost in a life with no purpose.

These social changes accompany political changes, somehow West starts resembling East. Siberian gulag security has now become Western airport security while the Russian secret police did turn into Berlin police. On this gloomy background Angelopoulos is not too pessimistic, there is a glimmer of hope, the only generation that can save the Gen Xers from their selfish Baby boomer parents are their grandparents.

Overall, a wonderful movie by one the greatest directors of our time, not only packed with strong historic and political content but also beautiful poetry with many dramatic scenes, one especially standing out. And while Piccoli is good, Bruno Ganz offers a great performance.

Through references to the Thebaid cycle the three films that make up TRILOGY follow the destiny of Hellenism as recorded in the relationship of two people who first meet as children in 1919 during the flight of the Greeks from Odessa only to lose each other and find each other again in different time periods in different parts of the world, living through the great historic events of the 20th century and the turn of the 21st.

The second film is entitled "THE DUST OF TIME" (THE THIRD WING) and unfolds in the former Soviet Union, the Austrian-Hungarian borders, Italy and New York between 1953 and 1974, from the eve of Stalin's death to Nixon's resignation in the United States and the fall of the Greek junta.

The third film is entitled RETURN and is set in present-day New York.

I haven't seen the previous movie, which this one follows. But I don't think that it matters that much. This movie with a heavy burden is really hard to swallow. The German actor who plays along William Dafoe said so himself. At the Berlinale screening he came up after the movie and stated (more or less, this is not an exact quote): "It is my first time watching this movie, too. I have to admit it's pretty heavy and hard to watch!"

Which made me admire the actor even more (he also played "Hitler" in the movie "Downfall"). And considering the ending of this movie is really lyrical and aspirational, it's almost a shame, that I really had to fight myself during other parts of the movie. It's an odd movie, which definitely will strike a nerve with the viewer. The only question is, will it be an enjoyable enough experience or not? I can't answer that for you, but it's slow pace and a storyline that is anything but linear, will confuse and appall more people than it will attract

I was not ever really attracted to Theo Agelopoulos work, until I saw this film. I actually decided to watch it because of the appearance of great international actors in it. Oh well, this movie is like watching an elaborate theatrical stage production. It really feels like you are in the theater, it does not feel like a movie. It has that stage drama vibe. Mesmerizing. You will definitely also love the cinematography on this one. I am not joking when I say that you can actually freeze frame and print screen every frame on this movie! The colors and the perspective, the light and shadows, the objects, everything is like a moving painting. I got no idea what kind of genius is required to do so, but Agelopoulos has done it! The story is easy to follow, but as you expect from a European production is very delicate and presented with flashbacks and allegories.

If you are a person who likes Hollywood movies, then I suggest you skip this. If you are in to European cinema, then this movie is for you. And if you are interested in Art, painting, mesmerizing visual images and theater, then you should really should watch this movie!