{"id":4352,"date":"2017-11-21T18:16:37","date_gmt":"2017-11-21T16:16:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.wearewhatwedo.gr.com\/?p=4352\/"},"modified":"2017-11-28T16:06:59","modified_gmt":"2017-11-28T14:06:59","slug":"kazantzakis-great-movie-iannis-smaragdis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wearewhatwedo.gr.com\/en\/2017\/11\/kazantzakis-great-movie-iannis-smaragdis\/","title":{"rendered":"Kazantzakis: A great movie by Iannis Smaragdis"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"You feel it from the first second. From the first chord. From the very first shot.<\/p>\n

From the first syllable uttered by Odysseus Papasipilopoulos and Marina Kalogirou, that this is not just a film. This is not simply another premier.<\/p>\n

You can sense that this is going to be a great movie<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A great Greek man. Nikos Kazantzakis.<\/p>\n

A film made by a younger generation of great Greeks.<\/p>\n

A film full of light.<\/p>\n

A film full of Crete. Full of Greece.<\/p>\n

A film about Greece. For the Greeks who cause hurt and for the Greece that heals.<\/p>\n

A film about the Greece we conceal inside of us. For the Greece we love. For the Greece we want to reach.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

This movie is an ode to love, to friendship, to family, at to the highest ideals.<\/p>\n

Iannis Smaragdis<\/strong> at the greatest moment of his career.<\/p>\n

A great director and an even greater Greek.<\/p>\n

He writes, directs, inspires and gets inspired.<\/p>\n

This film gives you the impression of an insight, like this is a metaphysically karmic momentum for him.<\/p>\n

A conductor who dares.<\/p>\n

And you feel that Kazantzakis – his figure at least and his stature – “gave” the green light to make this film a reality.\u00a0 You sense it from the very first moment that in a metaphysical way Smaragdis<\/strong> and Kazantzakis<\/strong> agreed upon everything, and have co-directed the whole piece.<\/p>\n

It seems like inspiration, power and boldness have been granted to him generously to direct a movie bigger than life itself.<\/strong><\/p>\n

A genius cast. Targeted. Masterfully selected. Polished.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Nikos Kazantzakis could not have been better incarnated\/ embodied by anybody other than Odysseas Papasipilopoulos.\u00a0 The only exception would have been, if Nikos Kazantzakis would have been portraying himself. An actor of enormous caliber, in the greatest role of his life.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Marina Kalogirou<\/strong> was elegant, simple, concrete, earthy, with weight and extraordinary rhythm and without unnecessary coquetries.\u00a0Maria Skoula<\/strong> was magical as the mother while Argiris Xafis<\/strong> was exuberant and with a huge acting reach, justifying the title as one of the most consistent perhaps actors of his generation.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

An unsurpassed performance by Stathis Psaltis<\/strong>, otherwordly, eerie, metaphysical, ascetic and certainly karmic. Each bit of it contains wisdom, serenity and an absolute katharsis.\u00a0Iannis Smaragdis<\/strong> offered him the swansong that he deserved.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Nikos Kardonis<\/strong> blows the doors off as Aggelos Sikelianos. A part for which he clearly studied and prepared for diligently, delivering a flawless performance from beginning to end.\u00a0Thodoris Atheridis<\/strong> escapes from everything we\u2019ve seen from him up to today, surrendering to the magic touch of Smaragdis. Zeta Douka<\/strong> as Melina Merkouri proves that she can confront roles of great personalities without mimicries and superficial caricaturist performances. Instead she rises to the challenge with moderation, courage and self-confidence.<\/p>\n

\"\"Stephanos Lenaios, Yulica Skafida, Amalia Arseni, Takis Papamatthaiou, Alexandros Kollatos and the wonderful little one, Alexandros Kambaxis<\/strong> and so many other actors offer the film the continuous peaks that are needed in such a difficult venture.\u00a0There is no such thing as a small role in such a movie. Each character is a piece in the puzzle of the life of Nikos Kazantzakis. At every twist and turn of the film, at every meaningful start and at every end, an actor gave to the film, the stature and the boost that is critical to keep the audience engaged.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Special mentions<\/strong><\/p>\n

–Aris Stavrou<\/strong>, one of the best DoP\u2019s (Directors of Photography) in the country, provides\/ offers the film the light and color of Greece, with such absolute success that you want to “break” the screen to taste with your fingertips the Sublime…<\/p>\n

–Minos Matsas<\/strong> composes the soundtrack of the film and his music feels and sounds like a\u00a0 handmade weft, so innately Greek that it becomes ecumenical … Rare.<\/p>\n

-Set and costume design bear the signature of Giorgos Patsas<\/strong>, the magician of set and costumes especially when it comes to period films.<\/p>\n

-Congratulations to the production team, who managed to provide to the film all the unattainable things it needed and deserved. And mainly to the producer Eleni Smaragdi<\/strong>, the guardian angel of Iannis Smaragdis. Another \u201cHelen of Troy”. And just like Eleni Samiou<\/strong> (the crucial woman in the life of Kazantzakis), they are the two great rare women at the side of two great men.<\/em><\/p>\n

The film does not let you think about what could have been done differently. It leaves no room for you to think of something else, however small. Because this is probably\u00a0 one of the most important films of modern Greek cinema.<\/p>\n

This is a Great Movie. And for unattainable works of art you can not speak in mundane terms.<\/p>\n

This is a film that will move and touch you. You will\u00a0 probably both cry and laugh and you will feel a hand lifting you up and whispering to you: \u201cTo the darkness we respond with light\u201d.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Some crazy people. Some unreasonable ones. A handful of\u00a0 great Greeks managed to make the utopia, paradise on earth. This is just such a moment. And this movie has just begun its long journey. And now it belongs to Greece, it belongs to the whole world.<\/em><\/p>\n

A film to be\u00a0 watched by not only all Greeks but also by all those who saw in Hellenism what the soul wants to become when it touches the sky.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

With love,<\/p>\n

Eftychia Fragou<\/p>\n

————————————————————————————————————<\/p>\n

Actors:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Nikos Kazantzakis: Odysseas Papaspiliopoulos<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Eleni Samiou: Marina Kalogirou<\/em><\/p>\n

Nikos Kazanatzakis (as a kid): Alexandros Kampaxis<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Nikos Kazantzakis (older): Stephanos Linaios<\/em><\/p>\n

Father of Kazantzakis: Argiris Xafis<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Mother of Kazantzakis: Maria Skoula<\/em><\/p>\n

Aggelos Sikelianos: Nikos Kardonis<\/em><\/p>\n

Eva Sikelianou: Amalia Arseni<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Itka: Gioulika Skafida<\/em><\/p>\n

Jules Dassin: Alexandros Kollatos<\/em><\/p>\n

Melina Mercouri: Zeta Douka<\/em><\/p>\n

Giorgos Zormpas: Thodoris Atheridis<\/em><\/p>\n

Priest: Staths Psaltis<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

-Official trailer-<\/strong><\/p>\n