Landscape in the Mist (1988)
Dir : Theo Angelopoulos
This was my first Theo Angelopoulos movie and also my first Greek language film. Had read about Theo's movies earlier and viewed how it sparked polar opposite views. Some called his movies masterpieces in the sand of time. Some called them excruciatingly boring and a waste of time. I decided to find for myself. So decided to watch Landscape in the mist which was universally accepted as a masterpiece and for good reason.
Plot is about two kids wandering through the landscape of beautiful Greece to find their father which they imagine lives in Germany. It is about their experience, the people they meet and their ultimate coming of age. The movie is filled with strange and bizarre circumstances all throughout. In one scene, the director has depicted the joyful dance parade of a marriage in the background while a horse moans to his death in the foreground. That to me was one of the most perfect illustrations of life itself. Joy and sorrow being internal to life is the message he symbolically wants to put forward. There are other symbolic scenes as well, most prominent of which is the floating hand of a statue in the river. As a chopper pulls the hand out of the water and takes it across the highrise buildings it shows us how Ancient Greece and modern Greece have collided. The cinematography I must say is mesmerizing. The Greek landscape is extremely well depicted and could be an advertisement for Greece tourism. Theo's distinct style of lethargically reminiscing a scene is put forward here as well. He dwells and dwells over scenes. That may put some people to sleep. Overall, an exemplary movie which needs more recognition.
Rating : 7/10
Dir : Theo Angelopoulos
This was my first Theo Angelopoulos movie and also my first Greek language film. Had read about Theo's movies earlier and viewed how it sparked polar opposite views. Some called his movies masterpieces in the sand of time. Some called them excruciatingly boring and a waste of time. I decided to find for myself. So decided to watch Landscape in the mist which was universally accepted as a masterpiece and for good reason.
Plot is about two kids wandering through the landscape of beautiful Greece to find their father which they imagine lives in Germany. It is about their experience, the people they meet and their ultimate coming of age. The movie is filled with strange and bizarre circumstances all throughout. In one scene, the director has depicted the joyful dance parade of a marriage in the background while a horse moans to his death in the foreground. That to me was one of the most perfect illustrations of life itself. Joy and sorrow being internal to life is the message he symbolically wants to put forward. There are other symbolic scenes as well, most prominent of which is the floating hand of a statue in the river. As a chopper pulls the hand out of the water and takes it across the highrise buildings it shows us how Ancient Greece and modern Greece have collided. The cinematography I must say is mesmerizing. The Greek landscape is extremely well depicted and could be an advertisement for Greece tourism. Theo's distinct style of lethargically reminiscing a scene is put forward here as well. He dwells and dwells over scenes. That may put some people to sleep. Overall, an exemplary movie which needs more recognition.
Rating : 7/10