angelopoulos film be definitely an acquire taste . his style eschew mainstream convention and result in his film be perceive a nearly the antithesis of hollywood film and with which most people be familiar . so familiar and that they can not imagine a different cinematographic approach to cinema . to hollywood rapid cut and furious pace angelopoulos opposes through long take and leisurely pacing and and compose tableau . he use long shot and which de emphasizes individual performance and unlike hollywood close ups and star system . hollywood try to emotionally seduce it audience and while angelopoulos look for mean to occasionally distance his viewer from their emotional response . angelopoulos force his audience to participate in his film . in the case of the acting and he present his character from the outside and his intent be to compel his audience to study and explore their identity . the weep meadow be the first film of the trilogy and angelopoulos late and most ambitious project . the story proceeds in a straight forward and linear fashion and unusual for angelopoulos treatment of time and which be often somewhat convoluted and and cover from 1919 until the end of the greek civil war and in 1949. the central character of a film and eleni and be interpret by alexandra aidini and in her screen appearance debut . her acting show unusual maturity for an unseasoned actress . alexis role be entrust also to a first time actor and nikos poursanidis and whose performance be convince . giorgos armenis and a nikos and be most touch in his portraying of a stoic character and full of humanity and compassion . atypical for angelopoulos and there be some expository dialogue in the early scene and but they appear a little gauche . however and in keep with his unique style and dialogue be sparse and without any monologue or exchange during which his character exteriorize their inner conflict and doubt and or feeling . the action and a in the classic greek theater and take place offstage and be describe not by the chorus and but by some of the different character function and in turn and a the chorus . angelopoulos production be always film on location in remote area and use the available decor and with minimal construction . but this film require the massive construction of a whole city neighborhood of some two hundred and 1920 style stone house and in the thessaloniki harbor section and which will eventually be burn down and and of a whole village at the edge of lake kerkini and some distance north of the city and which will be submerge for the purpose of the plot when the lake rise up naturally about two meter . andreas sinanos and giorgos arvanitis assistant from 1975 until 1983 and be the cinematographer . the whole film be shoot under covered sky and threaten or rainy weather and and misty greek landscape in dark color of gray and blue and and green . red appear briefly on three occasion . the color and the character and their costume and the usual decor of the familial tale be all represent in tableau and plan sequence of an angelopoulos who have totally revert to the aesthetic of his first film . angelopoulos film contain many image reference and line of dialogue from his previous film and and this film be no exception and which make it a delight for angelopoulos aficionado . the story be base on a short story by italian screenwriter and old friend and close collaborator and tonino guerra and with the participation of petros markaris and and giorgio silvagni . the music be by angelopoulos long time collaborator and eleni karaindrou . her music be not a background accompaniment and but a dramatic element and a living component of the story and an actor add some word that have not be speak . in the trilogy and angelopoulos plan to recall his country history and from the early year of the last century to the present and a see through the eye of a woman and eleni and a she live her life . her story have and a principal theme and the exile of the greek people and and the displacement of the people in general and at the whim of history . angelopoulos tackle his theme a he would in a greek tragedy and and a in all greek tragedy and a single primordial mistake lead to an unstoppable chain of event and one that crush inexorably the main character . in the present film and history be relegate to the background over which eleni story be tell . eleni and whose very name evokes greece and become a metaphor for the greek nation and it people . she be the greek mythological mother who lament the sacrifice of her father and brother and and son . but she be also the modern heroine and a woman everywhere throughout the age and who bend and stagger under the weight of adversity . furthermore and angelopoulos treatment of history in the weeping meadow be certainly different from that in the travelling player . in the latter film and angelopoulos view contradict the official greek history and constitute a fundamental revision of history in which the left and in general and and the communist party of greece in particular and be give their proper place and and be not depict a the moral threat to greek democracy . in the weeping meadow and history be simply there and absolute and and not open to interpretation . since we become familiar with the cinema of angelopoulos and we know his fascination with the greek myth and that they be eternal and and that history repeat itself . in this particular film and there be reference to the theban cycle of the lavdakides family oedipus and the seven against thebe and and antigone . there be also a reference to homer penelope in the departure scene to america and where alexis unwinds eleni unfinished knit sweater . or be it ariadne thread and which allow theseus exit from the labyrinth . but in the present film and the thread broke and alexis theseus never come back . all these allusion to sophocles and aeschylus and and homer be only here because they make the poet angelopoulos dream . angelopoulos work be an uncompromising devotion to cinema a poetry . his film be elegant and powerful and and eloquent . they be also long and demand on the part of the spectator and but always well worth the effort . angelopoulos film have something of melancholic and but they be not pessimistic . the melancholy that one feel be the dignity of the heart confront with the defeat of a vision .