I earini synaxis ton agrofylakon

A wonderful movie from a wonderful Dimos Avdeliodis (director). Beautiful places (Chios island), great actors (even though they're all amateurs), fabulous music (Vivaldi - Four seasons). "I earini sinaxis ton agrofylakon" is one more qualitative movie worth the money you pay. Personally, i have seen it two times, even though it's a 3 hours movie... I can't wait to see Dimos new work!

All right, I admit I didn't know that this movie had three hours. That's why I was a little indignant afterwards because I was tired and hot (the theatre was about as hot as it must have been during the summer episode of the film). And some moments in the film had made me really sad - sad that I don't have the chance to go to Greece for a holiday this year.

But all these are not sufficient criteria to give a bad review about a movie. The truth is, namely, that the film is very charming, funny and beautifully photographed. Four stories are told, each a little different but based on the same structure. Still, the movie takes its time, never rushing anything or leaving anything out. It takes more time than I expected but thus it transmits that characteristic Greek tranquility and peace that I love so much about the country. True, the whole plot could have been told in 90 minutes and that's what a Central European or American director would have done, and maybe I would have liked it as well then, but only because I wouldn't know what I'd miss.

Vivaldi's `Four Seasons' are commenting the events throughout - an adequate, though not highly inventitive use of score. The Greek actors all seem a little tired but what else can you expect with these temperatures. Dimos Avdeliodis has really done great work to present his picturesque home country and his home island in a lovely, critical but not over-chlichéd way.

There are films with a bad screenplay, but good techniques. And films with a good screenplay, but with bad techniques. This film features a mediocre script combined with lousy technique:

• the ubiquitous soundtrack (Vivaldi's Four Seasons) was not coincident with any scene. Even not with series of scenes, because that music was played across several scenes of quite different type. I would have liked to hear more Greek traditional music, especially when a corresponding landscape was shown. Seems that the director just wanted to impress with that impressive music, but to the expert, that does not work.

• in landscape scenes, the immediate foreground was hardly seen, an average of 40% was dedicated to the blurry sky. So the spectator had the tendency to interpret what was invisible under the knees of the actors.

• connected to that: the bad picture quality, too blurred. A pity, especially when nice landscapes were shown.

• helpless inspectors: always in a thick uniform (is it never hot in Greece?), the rifle always hanging down by the side of the shoulder or in the hand. Not a good image especially when running through the bushes.

• some animal inhumanity: indispensable in a film from the South from before 2000. Dogs kidnapped or shot, cats screaming, donkeys overcharged by two overweight inspectors.

You don't like violin music? So do I. But after seeing this film you will be running to the next record shop and buy Vivaldi's four seasons. You think nearly three hours is too long? You will enjoy every minute. You think the Greek original with subtitles might be annoying? It makes it even better.

The setting, the music (which seems to be composed by Vivaldi only for this film), the cast, everything is perfect. Starting with summer, music and the Greek hills provide a wonderful surrounding for a very simple story: four men, one after another, fail to guard the fields in the hills surrounding a small town. The times of the field guards are of course also long gone in Greece, but the film succeeds in bringing back that time. Rural life is portrayed in a way which is of course a bit romantic, but not only the qualities of the people are shown, also their faults and vices. This film is rather a big museum with many stills you would like to look at again and again because they give you such a good feeling.

Undoubtedly this film will never be shown again in the cinemas (I was only able to watch in during the Berlinale festival) but wow, what a loss.

There is so much beauty in this film - it is overwhelming. Beauty is simple, beauty is innocent, beauty is like a dream. There are certain films (unfortunately very few) that can either change your life or can teach you how you should live. That is characteristic of real art of course. This is one of those few films, how fortunate we are to have this masterpiece! Mr. Avdeliodis has made one of the best films ever, though one must have lived in Greece to fully appreciate it, great art of course is not bound by frontiers and languages. This is one of the few instances in film history that should be taught in schools.