Kalavryta 1943

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.

Great movie showing the struggle of that region during that time. Very sad moments throughout but also a great depiction what people were feeling. Loved the directing and acting and would definitely recommend to is movie to anyone wanting to learn more about that region and time period.

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...)

An eye-opener of a movie to raise awareness on what happened in Kalavryta on the 13 of December 1943.

A well done movie, lacking flow, mostly showing sadness with some bad editing. It could have benefited as a 4-part series. Most benefited.

RIP Max Von Sydow.

• Screenplay/story: 8
• Development: 8.5
• Realism: 8.5
• Entertainment: 8
• Acting: 8.5
• Filming/cinematography: 8.5
• Visual/special effects: 8
• Music/score: 8.5
• Depth: 8.5
• Logic: 7.5
• Flow: 8
• Drama: 8.5
• Ending/closure: 8.

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...