In memory of Gian Maria Volonté.
And, if the soul is about to know Itself,
It must gaze Into the soul.
Plato, Alcyblades 133 B. C.
It was the winter of 1954.
Yannakis saw a blue ship moored over there...
in the harbor of Salonica.
I was learning the trade with him in those days.
He had set his heart on photographing the ship...
as it left the harbor.
So he waited and kept watch.
One fine morning, the ship sailed away.
Yannakis died that same day.
As I wrote he kept rambling on about three undeveloped reels.
A film which for some reason was never developed...
since then... since the beginning of the century.
I didn't give It much thought at the time.
Theo Angelopoulos, Eric Heumann Amedeo Pagani, Giorgio Silvagni
present
Harvey Keitel in Ulysses Gaze
a film by Theo Angelopoulos.
Good evening.
What's going on here?
We've got big problems.
No sooner did the Organizing Committee announce...
that the film would be shown
and that you were coming here than all hell broke loose.
The religious groups and faclsts
threw us out... of the movie theatre.
We were desperate so we decided to show the film outdoors.
People would have to keep their coats on because of the cold.
We'd use a portable projector and a wall... a symbolic gesture.
In the end we decided to show the film In the market...
We Installed loudspeakers In the town.
Do you hear the bells?
They're all on their knees In church, praying...
to exorcise the evil spirit.
Come with me.
We never thought that your film would cause the same hysteria
in our small town as It did everywhere else in the world.
Were afraid the situation may get out of hand.
You're from Athens?
The person In charge of the Film Archives?
The Mayor wants to see you.
Come with me.
It's unbelievable what's going on.
Excuse me, I'll see you later.
Take care.
Here we are. The border.
Have you decided?
Do we cross?
We cross.
Passport.
Excuse me, I saw the Greek license plate on your car...
The taxi driver who brought me here from Athens...
won't go Into Albania.
They scared him here at Customs.
If you happen to be going through Korytsa...
I'm on my way to my sisters.
Come with me.
We haven't seen each other for 47 years, since the civil war.
Same old story with the illegal Immigrants from Albania...
Here they call them rifugiatl.
What's in the bags?
Various things...
Whatever you can imagine.
Some bought, others stolen...
Gas burners, canned goods, jeans, TV sets, cigarettes...
Mind if she comes with us?
Who me?
What's this place?
Were here... Korytsa.
Why did you stop?
Are you scared?
Who, me? I've been talking to the snow for 25 years.
It knows me. I stopped because the snow said so.
And you've got to respect the snow.
Behind those mountains lies the Skopje-Albanian border.
In two hours with the local bus you're In Monaslir.
I want us to befriends.
In my village, to become friends...
we've got to drink from the same glass...
and listen to the same song.
Know something?
Greece is dying.
Were dying as a people.
We've come full circle.
I don't know how many thousands of years...
among broken stones and statues
and were dying.
But if Greece is to die shed better does It quickly...
because the agony lasts too long makes too much noise.
Hey, Nature! You're alone?
I'm alone too. Have a biscuit!
What are you after?
You're looking for something.
Want me to come along?
No.
Drop me off at the border.
I may have a long way to go.
In early 1904 at Yannakis insistence we left Vanena.
Our photographer's studio wasn't doing well.
We'd been in Yanena six years.
We came hereto Monastir.
Things weren't too good here either.
Then war broke out.
First the Balkan Wars... and then the First Great War.
Hard times.
We packed up and headed for our village Avdella,
but the roads had been cutoff.
Monastir became crowded with refugees and soldiers.
All the armies of Europe have trudged through this street...
and every time they changed its name.
Now here, you see, is where we set up our first movie theatre,
after the First Great War,
when Yannakis came back... from exile in Philipoupolis.
We also brought a projectionist from Salonica.
We opened with a French film.
We opened with a French film, Rin-Tin-Tin...
bu! The print was in bad shape.
It kept falling apart.
We kept it together with pins.
The musicians we'd hired kept loosing track.
Business slowly picked up but we were up to our neck in debt.
Until 1939, just before World War ll when It burnt down.
The film we were showing, a Chaplin comedy, caught fire...
and that was the end of our movie theatre.
Suonie-
The Skopje-Sofia-Bucharest Express is now departing.
Passport.
Passports.
There is a small problem.
You must follow me.
Passport.
Come with me.
This way.
Your brother Miltos was smarter than you.
He got off to Albania in time.
Your brother Miltos was smarter than you and He got off to Albania in time.
Monastir, January 7th, 1915.
Following information supplied by Ivan Malevsky, butcher...
men from our military police discovered In the house...
of Yannakis and lliltos Manakis or Manakias...
photographers and cinematographers...
an important cache of firearms and explosives.
It is believed that these were meant to be used in attacks...
and sabotage against the Bulgarian army...
and the allied Germany army...
to be carried out by terrorist and anarchist groups...
connected with the Federation organization based in Salonica.
The Military Court of the First Infantry Regiment...
of the Bulgarian army,
convened forthwith...
and sentenced to death in absentia...
the brothers Yannakis and Millos Manakis or Manakias...
and issued orders for the confiscation of all photographs
and film found in their house and studio.
Attention!
Port arms!
Arm!
Take aim!
In the name of His Majesty King Ferdinand of Bulgaria. .
The death sentence against Yannakis Manakls or Manakias...
resident of Monastir, is commuted to exile In Plovdiv...
for the duration of the war.
Where are you going?
Philipoupolis.
Plovdlv.
Sophia.
No vi-Iskar.
Svoge... Mezdra... Cerven...
Brjag... Plaven... Nikopol...
Bridge on the Danube...
Border...
Turnu-Magurele.
Ros/or! Do Vede...
Bucuresti.
Mother, what are you doing here?
Thank God we made it In time.
Come on, we have six hours to reach Costanza.
Come on, child.
You're wasting time.
Good evening, Madam.
Finally! How was yourjourney?
We were worried.
You know... the trains...
Grandmother.
Come, my NY!
How did you like Bucharest?
You've come at last!
Grandfather.
Good evening, grandfather.
Good evening, my girl.
You're late, Katerina.
I was so afraid I'd miss him.
It was New Years Eve, wasn't It when they took him away?
I don't even want to think about it.
Aunt Adela!
Those camps were liberated some time ago.
Only Matthausen took them a long time.
Uncle Vangelis.
Did you have a nice trip?
Did you have a good time, my boy?
Aunt Jenny from Breilla.
Uncle Nikos from Galantz.
What did you see? Tell us.
How was Bucharest?
Is everything ready?
Yes, Madam.
I have prepared the soup.
The table will be ready in half an hour.
When do you want me lo serve dinner'!
He's on his way!
He's here!
He's here! He's here!
Aren't you going lo kiss your father?
He's grown up.
He's grown so tall. He has your eyes.
Happy New Year!
“Am was.!
“am was.!
Aren't you dancing? Don't tell me you don't know how.
One two three...
Come on.
“Aw! Was.
Take us away Mm have, Wm.
I want to leave.
I can't bear it.
You got the permit at last!
Let's see it! Show us!
How many of You are leaving?
About eighty Greek families...
but Jews and Armenians as well...
Conslanza will be quite deserted.
Are you glad to be going to Greece, my boy?
The Peoples Confiscation Committee is here.
Ignore them.
“W!!! New Year "am 1950."
A photograph.
One last photograph.
What was it you said, grandfather?
Here on this land, by these waters...
we lived happily for many centuries.
Come along. Were waiting for you.
Odessa, Constanza, Danube, Germany.
Where the hell are you going?
Don't you know there's a war?
Tripartite Border Control.
Declare destination.
Destination: Germany.
Have you anyone on board?
Nobody.
The first thing God created was the journey.
And then came doubt... and nostalgia...
How about some coffee?
Or do we go right now?
You know me.
I know you.
What are you looking for?
Signs of war? You won't find any.
The wars so close that it might as well be far away.
How long have you been here in Belgrade, Niko?
What attracts me? I don't know.
I don't have any answers.
As for your other question...
I've been here almost three years and I think I'll stay.
But first I want to see an end to this war.
Where are we going?
You'll see.
You asked for the man In charge of the Belgrade Film Archives.
You'll see him.
Despite his age he's holding up pretty well.
Everyone referred me to him.
The man's a walking archive.
What do you want?
Who are you?
Good morning. We're hereto see Mr. Yovisltsa.
Good morning.
I've been expecting you.
This is where I spend all my time.
I'm busy making an Inventory of all the films
made between 1950 and 1955...
when Yugoslavia was Yugoslavia.
I know what you're looking for.
Those undeveloped reels.
I had them.
After Yannakls died Mlltos sold all his material to us.
You know that.
I was young then, full of boyish enthusiasm.
One evening he brought me three reels.
He placed them In my hands.
He was moved... as if parting with something very precious.
For 20 years we tried to develop those reels.
Hopeless.
Nothing came through.
We couldn't figure out the chemical formula.
A few years ago a colleague from Sarajevo...
asked me If he could have them.
He was an expert In developing films of that period.
But then the war broke out and we lost touch.
You just have to wait till the war ends.
Did you find a hotel?
I must do something about it.
You've come all this way.
Balkan hospitality and all that...
I've taken care of it.
You'll have to wait until the end of the war.
Goodbye.
Let's go get a drink to forget.
After all there's nothing you can do.
First thing you have to learn is where to change your money.
What's the problem?
They're arguing over who came to the Balkans first...
the Serbs or the Albanians... only to come to the conclusion
that It's all Hegels fault for inﬂuencing Marx.
Something's happened at the Bosnian front.
I really should leave loo.
But what the hell, I can't just leave you...
Let's drink...
To the years in Paris...
to Francoise, to Helga...
to Michele... to Monique...
to Antigone...
to all our busted hopes...
to the world that hasn't changed... for all our dreaming.
To Mikes...
to Kazuko... to Costas...
to all those who chose to leave early...
A rhetorical answer... off-hand...
Danger is my business.
But the truth is that most of the correspondents...
when they want to send in a story or the latest news...
go to various army units outside Belgrade...
and stage the war there... at the cost of a few dollars...
Only a few of them actually enter the war zone.
To Charlie Mingus, to Tsitsanis, lo Cavafy...
to Che Guevara,
lo May of 68.
To Santorini.
To your three reels...
to Eisenstein..
Do we love him?
Let's drink to the two of us, then.
We fell asleep sweetly in one world...
and were rudely awakened in another.
Pity you came all this way for nothing.
But it's alright.
I got a chance to see you... though that's all that came out of It.
Here we are.
Are you out of your mind?
You're not serious, are you?
Well get hold of a correspondent on his way there.
Well ask him to get the Information you need.
When?
Now.
The only way to get there without a permit...
is to follow the rivers.
There's a boat leaving every evening.
It sails from the Danube lo the Sava...
and along the tributaries to Sarajevo.
Yugoslavia is full of rivers...
Only take care.
It's dangerous.
I've got to go to Sarajevo.
Greek, wake up.
The Phllipoupolis police are looking for you.
Phlllpoupolis...
Evros... my house... Evros...
Bulgaria... border...
Greece.
Aegean... sea...
Vania!
Vania...
Vaniushka...
When spring comes...
what would you like me to plant there where your head rests?
A birch to keep you cool and remind you of home?
Tell me what you want, my love.
Or would you like both,
a birch... and a poplar...
from your Gomushka, Vania, my love... 'I.
'Janiafilaniushka...
Vania... Vania...
English... French... Greek army...
German... Bulgarian... army.
'I 994I12I3
I live my life in ever widening circles...
that rise above things...
I probably won't come last... but I'll try.
Good morning... Father... where are you?
Father... Father...
Au revolt.
Child! Tea!
'I 994I12I3
I live my life in ever widening circles...
that rise above things.
I probably won't come last... but I'll try...
I circle around God...
You were sleeping like a baby when I woke you up.
Will you wait for me?
Is it wrong not to love the city where you were born?
But this place stiﬂes me.
Rain and mud in winter... dust in summer.
I'll be back to take you away from here.
I can hear my train coming in.
Stay a little longer...
Only a few minutes.
I can hear the train.
I must hurry.
Tell me that you care... that you'll come back.
I'll be waiting.
What are we celebrating, grandmother?
Were celebrating the fog and something more besides.
But there? Nothing to see.
Well listen to the river.
At least there's that.
Can you imagine what shape the clouds have'?
This one on top of us is like a car.
That other one at the far end of the sky...
looks like grandfather.
Where are you? Where are you?
Dasha... Vide...
Didn'! I say you should wait for me?
Vlde! Dasha! Won't you eat something?
Naomi, go take a look.
Yes, father.
We were just taking a walk by the river.
Our Lord and Maker made a fine mess of things, Sir.
A fine mess!
The children first!
No! Not the children.
I won't let you.
Alright then. Would you mind going down to the river, too?
The boys here want a few words with you.
My children! My children!
Not my children! Please don't take my children from me!
Dasha...
Take her too and drop her In the river with the others.
Yes sir, that's the way it is!
Our Lord and Maker made a mess of it.
Prestanda - Custom - Quality Movie World Ltd. Greece(Kriti) 02012