I am surprised that so many people commented positively on this film!
Mr. Angelopoulos was trying to be epic and grandiose but he is just hollow. I had the impression that all the time he was saying: "O mortals, behold how much we, Greeks, have suffered over the century!" Yet, maybe except for Sarajevo at the end, there was not a single scene in this film, directed so that it will make one share a compassion for the things you see. Until the orchestra and fog of Sarajevo, all the feelings in this film remained declared but unfleshed.
Many people here compare it to Underground. But Underground made me cry. While Odysseus only made me angry and later made me indifferent.
By the way, it made me angry because it portrays a very unobjective helleno-centric view of the developments of the region. I do come from this region and I do have a pretty good knowledge on its history so this film cannot deceive me, but it would probably deceive thousands of viewers worldwide! I wouldn't complain about such an ethnocentric narrow-minded view from an average Greek citizen - all our nations are faulty in this regard. But definitely not from an artist claiming the standing of Mr. Angelopoulos!
In fact, if you wonder how the infamous "deep-rooted tribal hatred" of the Balkans comes about - you might want to watch exactly this film as an example of an instrument to that end! The main suggestion of the film is that Greeks are the only fine people on the peninsula (similar feelings run in every country in the region). Despite, or because of that, they are awfully mistreated by the barbarians of the north for a hundred years. The barbarians of course are types living in total misery - both material and spiritual.
Mr. Angelopoulos was trying to be epic and grandiose but he is just hollow. I had the impression that all the time he was saying: "O mortals, behold how much we, Greeks, have suffered over the century!" Yet, maybe except for Sarajevo at the end, there was not a single scene in this film, directed so that it will make one share a compassion for the things you see. Until the orchestra and fog of Sarajevo, all the feelings in this film remained declared but unfleshed.
Many people here compare it to Underground. But Underground made me cry. While Odysseus only made me angry and later made me indifferent.
By the way, it made me angry because it portrays a very unobjective helleno-centric view of the developments of the region. I do come from this region and I do have a pretty good knowledge on its history so this film cannot deceive me, but it would probably deceive thousands of viewers worldwide! I wouldn't complain about such an ethnocentric narrow-minded view from an average Greek citizen - all our nations are faulty in this regard. But definitely not from an artist claiming the standing of Mr. Angelopoulos!
In fact, if you wonder how the infamous "deep-rooted tribal hatred" of the Balkans comes about - you might want to watch exactly this film as an example of an instrument to that end! The main suggestion of the film is that Greeks are the only fine people on the peninsula (similar feelings run in every country in the region). Despite, or because of that, they are awfully mistreated by the barbarians of the north for a hundred years. The barbarians of course are types living in total misery - both material and spiritual.