Eternity and a Day (1998)

Many of us who viewed Eternity and a Day at January's 1999 Palm Springs International Film Fest, had our fun afterwards, cracking jokes at the length this film (132 minutes) in relationship to its title. There were scenes that seemed quite never ending, the wedding dance scene, to name just one. Nevertheless, take some of it away, and the symmetry of the film might well be broken. Then again, there is an awful lot of symbolism to digest all at one sitting. So go to see it on empty, and come away fully nourished and satisfied.

Greek director Angelopoulos has created a spellbinding tour de force. Eternity and a Day is a brilliant film in it's haunting poetic imagery.

I highly recommend this prized Greek film, an American Oscar submission.

Fmovies: Final episode of a trilogy that got started at the beginning of the 90s, Angelopoulos asks himself the same questions that the writer Samuel Beckett once did: how to end? And he adds a new precision that will make an impact in the final answer: how to end one's life when there is only one day left to live? It is when our time is limited that we paradoxically make the most of it and we understand this by witnessing Alexandre's trip between the past, the present and the future in the last day of his life. Even though he metaphorically travels through his memories, his present will to take the boy to the border gives him the chance to make a last good action before his death. The photography, that goes from cold colours for scenes from the present to warm colors for the flashbacks, is dazzlingly full of sobriety. The words from the letters that give this poetical Odyssey its tempo are so wise that they fill us with wonder. And when we finally get the answer to the question "Tomorrow, how long does it last?", we realize that Alexandre is ready and he is no longer afraid to die. "Eternity and a day" is a magnificent legacy of this director who passed away too early but who left us several masterpieces and awards. Full review on our blog Los Indiscretos : https://losindiscretos.org/english/eternity-and-a-day-1998- theodoros-angelopoulos/

"An Eternity and a Day", as the title translated in English means, is the answer Alexandros -the film's hero- receives as an epiphany, while pondering on the meaning of Tomorrow.

We surmise that he has only a few days left to live, and watch him face a dilemma: should he choose to give some meaning to the rest of his life, learn to love, care and express himself to the people he's in close contact with; or wither away, a stranger in his own life only to die a pointless death?

Contrary to popular opinion, the film's concept is really this simple.

Theo Angelopoulos has managed to win the appraisal of many, at the same time obtaining a hateful opposition. And while there are sequences in the film which will have you rolling your eyes and proclaiming "Get on with it!", it's unique pictorial beauty and lyricism will more than make up for the lack of movement.

Some of the downsides are the director's constant moulding of the world (and a strange one it is, where an 8 year old boy can debate like an adult and everyone spouts poetry instead of words) to fit his own megalomaniacal impulses - but maybe that's not a sin after all, maybe that's just what Creation is all about...

A deserved 7.

Eternity and a Day fmovies. Not as heart-warming as "Kolya," nor as powerful as "L'Avventura," but still a movingly worthwhile experience. The leaps from one point in the hero's lifetime to another are poignant. Many of the directorial flourishes are quite memorable; the wedding sequence is not to be missed!

Our hero, Alexos, exists in the present urban world in which the weather is gloomy and almost everyone wears black; but his mind wanders to the past, where the sun infallibly shines over the shore and nearly all wear white. Yet when Alexos imagines himself in his past, he's still shrouded in black; he can't even dream that he could be happy, until a street urchin appears to rattle him from his shell.

This film does contain elements we've seen before, but arranges them in a fresh way. It reminded me how precious and fleeting each moment really is, and how wondrous it can be to share our moments with others.

Thessaloniki this day. A very sick bearded man leaves his seaside house to go to the hospital for the few days remaining. Suddenly he decides to search the area. He rescues a small Albanian boy chased at the traffic lights by the police while cleaning car windows for a living. He saves the same kid when ready to be sold to foreigners. This happens in Greece but it can happen anywhere. He makes a tour with the kid. He visits the frontier looking like a Nazi camp with spectators watching while hanging on the wire fence. He speaks with Dionysios Solomos,the poet of the 'Hymn to liberty' and 'Free begieged'.A poet that used to pay people in Zakynthos to buy a word for poetic exploitation. Theo Angelopoulos plays an important sociophilosophical role as a very talented director in expressing the human relation,the national language and many other concepts. Angelopoulos purports to open a new road for understanding the world,life,death,love,poetry,music,child innocence,a man to die very soon,a wedding with the married couple dancing in circle movements. This movie has a faster mode than previous ones by the

same director. First prize in Cannes in competition with Benigni's 'life is beautiful'. A film with the warm performance of Bruno Ganz. A film with the magnificent music of Eleni Karaindrou. A masterpiece for 10 out of 10.

While not as thoroughly awe-inspiring as "Ulysses Gaze," "Eternity and a Day" is one of the most masterful films I've seen. It is full of beautiful, haunting images that have stayed with me long since seeing it. Like the other Angelopoulos films I've seen, it is a somewhat dense, contemplative film, but it shouldn't be seen as intimidating or unaccessible. The storyline, despite the frequent flashbacks, is easy to follow, the the emotional impact never ceases. An impressive, inspiring film.