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| Theodoros Angelopoulos. 27.4.1935 - 24.1.2012 |
Theodoros was
used to say that his relationship with the cinema started as a nightmare. When
he saw a nightmare the night after he watched his first movie. It
was a movie of Michael Curtis. In fact his relationship with the cinema, but
his life too, came to an end in a truly horrific way at 18:45, the 24th
of January of 2012. However it really impressed me, it was a life lesson, how
he was facing such an end, because we had already experienced the same thing,
in a different way, during the making of another film of his.
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| Theo Angelopoulos during the shooting of the film Ulysses` Gaze. Magnum Photos, 1994 |
It was December
of 1994, during the filming of Ulysses’ Gaze (Το Βλέμμα του Οδυσσέα), when in the room 206 of the hotel Ligos in Florina
the room service opened the door and realized that a half-naked mad was lying
dead right behind it. We heard her scream. This man was Gian Maria Volontè. The
famous Italian actor who was about to play the role that was given afterwards
to Erland Josephson in Ulysses’ Gaze and who had just arrived in Florina in order
to participate in the filming. The day before, Volontè, in the hotel’s lobby
had started to sing old left-wing revolutionary songs. From Avanti Popolo and
Bella Ciao ‘til other songs of the resistance and the partisans. His last
salute just before leave us late at night... he raised his fist and said: “We don’t
surrender, we continue…” He was referring of course to all these extraordinary changes that took place few years ago and had a tremendous impact internationally, but had affected as well the image and
the character of the militant left around the world.
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| Theo Angelopoulos with Maya Morgenstern during the shooting of the film « Ulisses`gaze», Magnum photos, 1994 |
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| Theo Angelopoulos with Harvey Keitel during the shooting of the film « Ulysses`gaze», 1994 |
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| Theo Angelopoulos with Harvey Keitel and Gian Maria Volonté during the shooting of the film «Ulysses`gaze», 1994 |
The reaction of Angelopoulos
when he viewed the dead body of Volontè was a silent inner pain and hours of
isolation in his room. He didn’t speak; he didn’t want to see anyone. Sometime after
many hours called us, his main collaborators, and put to us a simple question. What
are we doing now?
I remember Takis Katselis, his right hand in many of his
movies, responding to him in third person despite the fact that was answering
straight to him: I know that Theodor
Angelopoulos the day his father died he decided to go filming. So did we back
then in Ulysses’ Gaze. This fact is “wish
& curse” and has been transmitted to every one of us who had the chance to
make some steps next to him either in weeping meadows or in other seas but for
sure for an eternity and a day. THIS. We don’t surrender, we continue! We
continue the journey. This is what we learned the most by being next to him. To
travel…
Alexandros Lambridis
@ Conversation against the dust of time. January 2014
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| Small Prespa Lake, 7.1.1997 |
"The journey, the borders, the exile. The human fate. The everlasting return. And not only that.
All my persistences come in and out in my movies, as come in and out, as they silent in order to reappear later on the instruments of an orchestra."
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| The Prespa Lakes and their surroundings were used as background in many of Angelopoulos films |
In memory of the great Greek film director Theodoros Angelopoulos. He lost his life in an accident οn a day like this 4 years ago during the filming of his latest film "The Other Sea"...
