To vlemma tou Odyssea

The film explores the idea of how people must go through their personal Odyssey to reach their destination with an unbelievable poetic quality.  The basic tale is that a nameless exiled Greek-American filmmaker named A (played by Harvey Keitel ) returns to the Balkans after thirty-five years , and is seeking to find  three lost reels of footage from the earliest known extant Greek film , made by the Manakis brothers in 1905.   His quest takes him across changing countries , bounders and war torn cities.  The Romanian actress ,Maia Morgenstern, plays the parts of the four women.  These women can easily be identified with the women  Homer's Ulysses came across  during his voyage.  They also represent all the women whom "A" had loved and lost in past.  The search for the reels of film works as a metaphor for  a search for the common history of  the Balkan countries.  His odyssey , from Ptolemais through Albania ,Bulgaria and Romania , to Belgrade and Sarajevo, allows for a reflection on changing borders , national identity, and the relationship of film to historical and political reality.   Keitel speaks mostly in English, while most of the other characters speak in Greek and other native languages. Keitel gives a good performance in this film about a man's search for missing film reels. But the best performance of the film comes from Maia Morgenstern . She is brilliant. 

Giorgos Arvanitis, Angelopoulos's long time collaborator ,is responsible for  the stunning cinematography.  Many of the scenes are long shots ,that are also long takes , lasting several minutes, Angelopoulos's great signature. The direction is great -beautiful scenery ,  wonderful mesmeric tracking shots and long takes make for a great visual experience.  However working in several  languages takes it's toll and much of the English narration is weak and clumsy.