Kalavryta 1943

I find the film to be a strong 7.5 stars for its subject matter and scale. The acting can be uneven at times and the present appears hacked to death in the editing room (the much-publicized scene with Richard Chamberlain and Max von Sydow is nowhere to be found) resulting in a film that feels wobbly at times as it moves between past and present. One almost suspects that there was something far more elaborate in the mind of the creators especially when it comes to the present time. The writer has hinted as much in an article. That being said, one can only be judged by the result on the screen and despite its flaws, this is a good, anti-war film (a theme so topical and urgent these days) that uncovers a part of WW2 history few people outside Greece know. It's certainly worth watching.

Max von Sydow's character with the German auditor was fictitious and distracting to the main story with cut-scenes placed in the incorrect sequence (i.e., showing Max saying "500 (inaccurate) men were executed with machine guns" before showing the actual scene, while cutting the previous sequence of the men and boys walking up the hill; breaking the scene's tension). Clearly Max was brought in to bring the film some visibility to an international audience; however, if the Greeks had actually filmed the story correctly, it would have been able to stand on its own at any international film festival and audience. The machine gun massacre was very weak and did not depict the horror and nightmare of over 696 (actual number) men and boys being killed to show the inhumanity of what the Germans did to the Greeks of Kalavryta. The cinematographer only focused on a few faces in very tight shot sequences in order to hide the fact that they did not bring in enough extras for the film (a big mistake). After a few rounds of the machine gun firing, the scene was essentially over, with no cries of anguish. In actuality, many more priests and boys were killed than shown in the movie, and the full scale was not shown for the audience to immerse in the severity of the situation. The small scale of the number of women and girls locked inside the school during the film sequences was blatantly wrong, given that there were actually 1,300 in total! Additionally, the women's reaction to finding their husbands was also weak with inauthentic drama (too many close ups and not enough sequences showing the scale and anticipation of them going up the hill from the village). 13 actually survived the massacre, but none of the survivors were shown! The German soldiers were not authentic enough, nor were their 'accents'. In the credits, it states that "the massacre was...one of the worst crimes committed against a Christian population during WW2", however, they did not show the Germans burning of the Monastery of Agia Lavra, which is in the same region (5 km from Kalavryta)!

Spielberg's "Schindler's List" and "Saving Private Ryan", in addition to Klimov's "Come and See" properly display the horrors of war on the soldiers, Jews, and Russians, and the sense of realism and 'bone-chilling' dread throw a clear gut punch to those trying to emulate a deeper sense of reality and understand history's message. Director, Dimitropoulos, and cinematographer, Rahmatoulin, of "Echoes of the Past" failed to capture a fraction of the real harrowing story of the atrocities witnessed and experienced by the Greeks. Fundamentally, if only the production team had studied Klimov's (or even Angelopoulos') cinematic techniques of camera positioning and scene framing, they would have been a little closer to a true Greek film capturing the essence of a proper period piece. Clearly, the team behind this film failed to do their fallen countrymen justice by striving, instead, to create a modern "made for TV" drama! Consequently, and regrettably, this film will not stand the test of time.

*NOTE: As a Greek, I have actually visited the town of Kalavryta, the Monastery of Agia Lavra, and the sites surrounding the massacre.

It is the first time in Greek filmography that we don't see the struggle of any social/political group of people ( like Greek Communists or Jews) during the war.

This movie is not about minorities, or even the Greeks themself. It is about War Crime and how much our lives matter as human beings.

It is a historic narative action about the Execution of almost the entire population of a village in Greece. So no spoilers ahead, just have in mind history facts.

Directing (9/10) I would prefer less Close up shots, but they where handled properly. The way the director represented the execution of all males of the village is just a piece of art. And the aftermath was so painfull to see that honestly I felt some tears dropping. I would consider a (7/10) but there were some really memorable shots that they stay with me even after a week!

Screenplay (6.5/10) Overall not bad, although it was slow at some periods and there were some silly issues as far as realism is concerned. Simple story, not bad, but I felt it could be told much sooner than it was.

Acting (8/10) Ok, you have a legend, Max von Sydow, some French and some Greek actors. If you exclude Max, all the other actors were pretty decent. Not extraordinary, but did the job much better than "Ok". Yet, at some moments they gave soul and spirit.

Cinematography (10/10) Seriouly, exceptional. Honestly, I haven't seen many movies, even in Hollywood these days with that quality in the photography! The Colours are in the right mood, the picture is crispy and raw, the lighting gives drama when needed, the aesthetics are memorable.

Sound (9/10) Clear conversations, great sound effects, pure emotion at some shots. Nothing to be complex or disturbing.

Overall (8.5/10) I thought about it a lot. If I was not Greek I would still like this movie for all the above reasons. Maybe I wouldn't care about the Script so much, but still I would enjoy it.

I have a feeling this movie will have average rating because there is a problem with the Greeks as population.

The Greeks hate whatever is Greek, most propably because they compare multi billionaire productions with local Athenian artists. I hope I'm wrong, but history always repeats itself so...

I will not comment on how some people expect from a fiction movie that is based on historic events to be the equivalent of a documentary...(well I just did), but I will stand on the way this beautiful film approaches some of the darkest times of greek history...laconic but intense characters, excellent photography, strong music, and evocative atmosphere throughout the whole film. A movie that pays respect to all people that fought against Nazism. I wish we will see more greek movies like this in the future.

I really enjoyed this film.. It is not a masterpiece, but it's strong, emotional and real.

And when I say real I do not refer to historical facts.

It is not a documentary or a historic featured film.

It is just a feature film INSPIRED by true events. It is very well made, and very humane... The film mainly shows the monstrosities the Nazis execute in WW2.

One negative thing I could mention would be the big difference, story wise, between the past and the present time. The past time is much much stronger and better written than the present time.

Direction, photography, editing, production design, sound, costumes, make-up, soundtrack, and special effects are equally great! Balanced and united for the shake of the story-line.

Acting varies from medium to marvelous (thank you Mr Sydow...)