Theo Angelopoulos

Theodoros "Theo" Angelopoulos (Greek: Θεόδωρος Αγγελόπουλος, pronounced [ˌændʒəˈlɒpəlɒs]; 27 April 1935 – 24 January 2012) was a Greek filmmaker, screenwriter and film producer. He dominated the Greek art film industry from 1975 on,[1] and Angelopoulos was one of the most influential and widely respected filmmakers in the world.[2][3][4] He started making films in 1967. In the 1970s he made a series of political films about modern Greece.

Theo Angelopoulos
Angelopoulos presenting his film The Dust of Time in 2009 in Athens, Greece
Born
Theodoros Angelopoulos

(1935-04-27)27 April 1935
Athens, Greece
Died24 January 2012(2012-01-24) (aged 76)
Piraeus, Greece
Alma mater
Occupation(s)Film director, screenwriter
Years active1965–2012
SpousePhoebe Economopoulou (1980–2012; his death)
Children3
AwardsPalme d'Or (1998)
WebsiteOfficial website Edit this at Wikidata

Angelopoulos' films, described by Martin Scorsese as that of "a masterful filmmaker", are characterized by the slightest movement, slightest change in distance, long takes, and complex, carefully composed scenes. His cinematic method is often described as "sweeping" and "hypnotic."[2][5]

In 1998 his film Eternity and a Day went on to win the Palme d'Or at the 51st edition of the Cannes Film Festival, and his films have been shown at many of the world's esteemed film festivals.[6]

Biography

Theodoros Angelopoulos was born in Athens on 27 April 1935. His father Spyros hailed from the town of Ampeliona, Messenia in the Peloponnese.[7] During the Greek Civil War, his father was taken hostage and returned when Angelopoulos was 9 years old; according to the director, the absence of his father and looking for him among the dead bodies (during the "Dekemvriana" in Athens) had a great impact on his cinematography.[8][7] He studied law at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, but after his military service went to Paris to attend the Sorbonne. He soon dropped out to study film at the Institut des hautes études cinématographiques (IDHEC) before returning to Greece. There, he worked as a journalist and film critic. Angelopoulos began making films after the 1967 coup that began the Regime of the Colonels. He made his first short film in 1968 and in the 1970s he began making a series of political feature films about modern Greece: Days of '36 (Meres Tou 36, 1972), The Travelling Players (O Thiassos, 1975) and The Hunters (I Kynighoi, 1977). In 1978, he was a member of the jury at the 28th Berlin International Film Festival.[9]

Theo Angelopoulos is a masterful filmmaker. He really understands how to control the frame. There are sequences in his work—the wedding scene in The Suspended Step of the Stork; the rape scene in Landscape in the Mist; or any given scene in The Traveling Players—where the slightest movement, the slightest change in distance, sends reverberations through the film and through the viewer. The total effect is hypnotic, sweeping, and profoundly emotional. His sense of control is almost otherworldly.

—Martin Scorsese[5]

He quickly established a characteristic style, marked by slow, episodic and ambiguous narrative structures as well as long takes (The Travelling Players, for example, consists of only 80 shots in about four hours of film). These takes often include meticulously choreographed and complicated scenes involving many actors.

His regular collaborators include the cinematographer Giorgos Arvanitis, the screenwriter Tonino Guerra and the composer Eleni Karaindrou. One of the recurring themes of his work is immigration, the flight from homeland and the return, as well as the history of 20th century Greece. Angelopoulos was considered by British film critics Derek Malcolm[3] and David Thomson[4] as one of the world's greatest directors. Famous film directors including Werner Herzog[10] Emir Kusturica,[11] Akira Kurosawa,[12][13][14] Ingmar Bergman,[15] Wim Wenders,[16] Dušan Makavejev,[17] William Friedkin,[18] Manuel de Oliveira,[19] Michelangelo Antonioni among others,[20] were also admirers of his works.

While critics have speculated on how he developed his style, Angelopoulos made clear in one interview that "The only specific influences I acknowledge are Orson Welles for his use of plan-sequence and deep focus, and Mizoguchi, for his use of time and off-camera space."[21] He had also cited Andrei Tarkovsky's 1979 work Stalker as an influence.[22]

Angelopoulos was awarded honorary doctorates by the Université libre de Bruxelles, Belgium in 1995, by Paris West University Nanterre La Défense, France, by the University of Essex, UK in July 2001,[23] by the University of Western Macedonia, Greece in December 2008,[24] and by the University of the Aegean, Greece in December 2009.[25]

Death

Angelopoulos died late on Tuesday, 24 January 2012, several hours after being involved in a crash while shooting his latest film, The Other Sea in Athens.[26] On that evening, the filmmaker had been with his crew in the area of Drapetsona, near Piraeus when he was hit by a motorcycle ridden by an off-duty police officer. The crash occurred when Angelopoulos, 76, attempted to cross a busy road. He was taken to a hospital, where he was treated in an intensive care unit but succumbed to his serious injuries several hours later. Prior to his death he suffered at least one heart attack.[27][28] His funeral was a public expense, on 27 January at the First Cemetery of Athens.[29]

Filmography
Film and television work by Theo Angelopoulos
Year Original title English title Director Writer Notes
1968 Η εκπομπή
(I Ekpombi)		 Broadcast Yes Yes Short film
1970 Αναπαράσταση
(Anaparastasi)		 Reconstitution Yes No
1972 Μέρες του '36
(Meres tou '36)		 Days of '36 Yes No Part 1 of the "Trilogy of History"
1975 Ο Θίασος
(O Thiassos)		 The Travelling Players Yes Yes Part 2 of the "Trilogy of History"
1977 Οι Κυνηγοί
(I Kinighi)		 The Hunters Yes Yes Co-writer
Part 3 of the "Trilogy of History"
1980 Ο Μεγαλέξανδρος
(O Megalexandros)		 Alexander the Great Yes No
1983 Αθήνα, επιστροφή στην Ακρόπολη
(Athina, epistrofi stin Akropoli)		 Athens, Return to the Acropolis Yes Yes Segment of Capitali culturali d'Europa
1984 Ταξίδι στα Κύθηρα
(Taxidi sta Kythira)		 Voyage to Cythera Yes Yes Co-writer
Part 1 of the "Trilogy of Silence"
1986 Ο Μελισσοκόμος
(O Melissokomos)		 The Beekeeper Yes Yes Co-writer
Part 2 of the "Trilogy of Silence"
1988 Τοπίο στην ομίχλη
(Topio stin Omichli)		 Landscape in the Mist Yes Yes Co-writer
Part 3 of the "Trilogy of Silence"
European Film Award for Best Film 1989
1991 Το Mετέωρο Bήμα Tου Πελαργού
(To Meteoro Vima tou Pelargou)		 The Suspended Step of the Stork Yes No Part 1 of the "Trilogy of Borders"
1995 Το βλέμμα του Οδυσσέα
(To Vlemma tou Odyssea)		 Ulysses' Gaze Yes Yes Co-writer
Part 2 of the "Trilogy of Borders"
1995 Lumière et compagnie Lumière and Company Yes Yes Co-director/co-writer
Segment: Up to 52 seconds
1998 Μια αιωνιότητα και μια μέρα
(Mia aioniotita kai mia mera)		 Eternity and a Day Yes Yes Co-writer
Part 3 of the "Trilogy of Borders"
Palme d'Or 1998
2004 Τριλογία: Το λιβάδι που δακρύζει
(Trilogia I: To Livadi pou dakryzi)		 Trilogy: The Weeping Meadow Yes No Part 1 of the trilogy on modern Greece
2007 Chacun son cinéma To Each His Own Cinema Yes Yes Co-director/co-writer
Segment: Trois minutes (Three Minutes)
2008 Η Σκόνη του Χρόνου
(I skoni tou chronou)		 The Dust of Time Yes No Part 2 of the trilogy on modern Greece
2011 Mundo Invisivel Invisible World Yes Yes Co-director/co-writer
Segment: Sky below
—[30] I alli thalassa The Other Sea Yes Yes Part 3 of the trilogy on modern Greece

Awards

Angelopoulos won numerous awards, including the Palme d'Or at the 51st edition of the Cannes Film Festival in 1998 for Eternity and a Day (Mia aioniotita kai mia mera). His films have been shown at the most important film festivals around the world.[6]

Year Issuer Award Film Result
1968 Thessaloniki Hellenic Association of Film Critics – Best Short Fiction The Broadcast Won[31][lower-alpha 1]
1970 Thessaloniki Best Greek Art Film Reconstitution Won[32][lower-alpha 2]
1970 Thessaloniki Best Greek New Director Won[32][lower-alpha 2]
1970 Thessaloniki Hellenic Association of Film Critics – Best Film Won[32][lower-alpha 2]
1971 Berlinale FIPRESCI – Special Mention Won[33]
1971 Georges Sadoul Best Film of the Year Shown in France Won
1971 Hyères Best Foreign Film Won
1972 Thessaloniki Best Greek Director Days of '36 Won[34][lower-alpha 3]
1973 Berlinale FIPRESCI – Forum of New Cinema Won[35]
1975 Cannes FIPRESCI (Parallel Sections) The Travelling Players[lower-alpha 4] Won[36][37]
1975 Berlinale Interfilm Award – Forum of New Cinema The Travelling Players[lower-alpha 4] Won[36][38]
1975 Thessaloniki Best Greek Film The Travelling Players[lower-alpha 4] Won[36][39][lower-alpha 5]
1975 Thessaloniki Best Greek Director The Travelling Players[lower-alpha 4] Won[36][lower-alpha 5]
1975 Thessaloniki Best Greek Screenplay The Travelling Players[lower-alpha 4] Won[36][lower-alpha 5]
1975 BFI Sutherland Trophy The Travelling Players[lower-alpha 4] Won[36][40]
1977 Cannes Palme d'Or The Hunters Nominated[41][42]
1978 Chicago Golden Hugo for Best Film The Hunters Won
1980 Kinema Junpo Best Foreign Language Film Director The Travelling Players[lower-alpha 4] Won[36][43]
1980 Japanese Academy Best Foreign Language Film The Travelling Players[lower-alpha 4] Nominated[36][44]
1980 Venice FIPRESCI Alexander the Great Won[45]
1980 Thessaloniki Best Greek Film Alexander the Great Won[46]
1980 Thessaloniki Hellenic Association of Film Critics – Best Film Alexander the Great Won[46]
1984 Cannes Palme d'Or Voyage to Cythera Nominated[47][48][lower-alpha 6]
1984 Cannes Best Screenplay Voyage to Cythera Won[47][48][lower-alpha 6]
1984 FIPRESCI International Critic's Prize Voyage to Cythera Won[47][lower-alpha 6]
1984 Rio Critics' Award Voyage to Cythera Won
1986 Venice Golden Lion The Beekeeper Nominated[49]
1988 Venice Silver Lion Landscape in the Mist Won[50][lower-alpha 7]
1989 Berlinale Interfilm Award – Forum of New Cinema Landscape in the Mist Won[52]
1989 EFA European Film Award for Best Film Landscape in the Mist Won[51][53]
1991 Cannes Palme d'Or The Suspended Step of the Stork Nominated[54]
1991 Chicago Golden Hugo for Best Director Landscape in the Mist Won[lower-alpha 8]
1995 Cannes Palme d'Or Ulysses' Gaze Nominated[55][56]
1995 Cannes Grand Jury Prize Ulysses' Gaze Won[54][55]
1995 Cannes International Critics' Prize Ulysses' Gaze Won[54][55]
1995 EFA FIPRESCI – FELIX of the Critics Ulysses' Gaze Won[57][58]
1996 FSCC Prix Léon Moussinac – Best Foreign Film Ulysses' Gaze Won[59]
1996 INSFJ Best Foreign Film Director Ulysses' Gaze Won[60]
1997 Goya Best European Film Ulysses' Gaze Nominated[61]
1997 Mainichi Best Foreign Language Film Ulysses' Gaze Won[62]
1997 Sant Jordi Best Foreign Film Ulysses' Gaze Won[63]
1997 Turia Best Foreign Film Ulysses' Gaze Won[64]
1998 Cannes Palme d'Or Eternity and a Day Won[65][66]
1998 Cannes Prize of the Ecumenical Jury Eternity and a Day Won[65][66]
1998 São Paulo Audience Award – Best Feature Ulysses' Gaze 3[67]
1998 Thessaloniki Best Greek Film Eternity and a Day Won[68]
1998 Thessaloniki Best Greek Director Eternity and a Day Won[68]
1998 Thessaloniki Best Greek Screenplay Eternity and a Day Won[68]
1999 ACCA Silver Condor for Best Foreign Film Ulysses' Gaze Won[69]
2001 ACCA Silver Condor for Best Foreign Film Eternity and a Day Won[70]
2004 Berlinale Golden Bear Trilogy: The Weeping Meadow Nominated[71]
2004 EFA European Film Award for Best Film Trilogy: The Weeping Meadow Nominated[72][73][lower-alpha 9]
2004 EFA Audience Award Trilogy: The Weeping Meadow Nominated[72][73][lower-alpha 9]
2004 EFA FIPRESCI – European Film Academy Critics Trilogy: The Weeping Meadow Won[72][73][74][lower-alpha 9]
2005 Fajr Special Jury Prize – Spiritual Competition Trilogy: The Weeping Meadow Won[75]

Lifetime achievement awards

Theodoros Angelopoulos was also the recipient of many awards for his long standing career.[6]

Year Provider Award
1995 Université libre de Bruxelles Honorary Doctorate
1996 Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists European Silver Ribbon[60]
2001 University of Essex Honorary Graduate[23]
2003 Copenhagen International Film Festival Honorary Award[76][lower-alpha 10]
2003 Flaiano Film Festival Honorary Award[77]
2004 Montreal World Film Festival Grand Prix Special des Amériques[78]
2004 Busan International Film Festival Hand Printing[79]
2008 University of Western Macedonia Honorary Graduate[24]
2010 Yerevan International Film Festival Lifetime Achievement Award[80]
2009 University of the Aegean Honorary Graduate[25]
2010 Dokuz Eylül University Honorary Doctorate
— Paris West University Nanterre La Défense Honorary Doctorate

Notes
  1. At the Thessaloniki International Film Festival of 1968, The Broadcast was also the recipient of a Honorable Mention by the Hellenic Association of Film Critics Award.[31]
  2. At the Thessaloniki International Film Festival of 1970, Reconstitution was also awarded:
    • The Best Greek Cinematography: Giorgos Arvanitis
    • The Best Greek Supporting Actress: Toula Stathopoulou.[32]
  3. At the Thessaloniki International Film Festival of 1972, Giorgos Arvanitis was awarded the Best Greek Cinematography prize for Days of '36.[34]
  4. The Travelling Players was also awarded:
    • The Best Film in the World for 1970–1980 by Italian Film Critics Association.
    • One of the Top Films in the History of Cinema by FIPRESCI.
    • The Grand Prix of the Arts, Japan.
    • The Golden Age Award, Brussels.
  5. At the Thessaloniki International Film Festival of 1975, The Travelling Players was also awarded:[39]
  6. At the 37th Cannes Film Festival, the Best Screenplay was awarded to Theodoros Angelopoulos, Tonino Guerra, and Thanassis Valtinos, and, the FIPRESCI International Film Critics Award was awarded ex-aequo with Paris, Texas by Wim Wenders.[47]
  7. At the 46th Venice International Film Festival, Landscape in the Mist and Theodoros Angelopoulos were also awarded:[50] Theodoros Angelopoulos, and the film cast and crew were also nominated for:[51]
    • Best European Cinematographer: Giorgos Arvanitis
    • Best European Director: Theo Angelopoulos
    • Best European Screenwriter: Theo Angelopoulos, Tonino Guerra, and Thanassis Valtinos
    • Best European Supporting Performance
  8. At the 27th Chicago International Film Festival, Landscape in the Mist was also awarded the Silver Plaque for Best Cinematography
  9. At the 17th European Film Awards (2004), Theodoros Angelopoulos was also nominated for Best Director.[73]
  10. Theodoros Angelopoulos was the head of the jury of the first edition of the Copenhagen International Film Festival, held between 13–20 August 2003.[76]

References
  1. Merry 2004, p. 145.
  2. Horton 1999, preface.
  3. Malcolm 2000.
  4. Thomson 2002, pp. 21–22.
  5. Horton 1999, back cover.
  6. "Theodoros Angelopoulos – Awards". IMDb.
  7. Horton 1999, p. 18.
  8. "Theodoros Angelopoulos", editions Kastanioti, p. 189.
  9. "Berlinale 1978: Juries". berlinale.de. Retrieved 4 August 2010.
  10. "55ο ΦΚΘ: 1914 – 2014: 100 Χρόνια Ελληνικός Κινηματογράφος". Filmfestival.gr (in Greek). Φεστιβάλ Κινηματογράφου Θεσσαλονίκης. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  11. "Ο Αγγελόπουλος ήταν μεγάλη μορφή του ευρωπαϊκού πολιτισμού, είπε ο Εμίρ Κουστουρίτσα". In.gr (in Greek). 25 January 2012. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  12. "Οι Ακίρα Κουροσάουα, Βιμ Βέντερς, Ίνγκμαρ Μπέργκμαν είπαν για τον Αγγελόπουλο..." In.gr (in Greek). 22 January 2013. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  13. Lee Thomas-Mason (12 January 2021). "From Stanley Kubrick to Martin Scorsese: Akira Kurosawa once named his top 100 favourite films of all time". Far Out Magazine. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  14. "Akira Kurosawa's Top 100 Movies!". Archived from the original on 27 March 2010.
  15. "Θ. Αγγελόπουλος: πέθανε ο ποιητής των εικόνων". Edu4u.gr (in Greek). 25 January 2012. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  16. Δημητρόπουλος, Θοδωρής. "Ο Θόδωρος Αγγελόπουλος μέσα από τα λόγια των άλλων". Oneman.gr (in Greek). Archived from the original on 30 May 2016. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  17. "Θόδωρος Αγγελόπουλος, 1935 – 2012". Antikleidi.com (in Greek). 25 January 2012. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  18. Μικελίδης, Νίνος Φένεκ (26 July 2014). "Επηρεάστηκα από τον Φελίνι, τον Αντονιόνι και τον Αγγελόπουλο". enet.gr (in Greek). Ελευθεροτυπία. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  19. "Μανουέλ ντε Ολιβέιρα: Ο πρύτανης του σινεμά «έφυγε» σε ηλικία 106 ετών |thetoc.gr". The TOC (in Greek). 2 April 2015. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  20. Σταθογιάννης, Πάνο (26 January 2012). "'Δεν έχω πει ακόμα αυτό που θα 'θελα να πω'. Η πιο ειλικρινής συνέντευξη του Θ. Αγγελόπουλου". LiFO.gr (in Greek). Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  21. The Last Modernist, ed. Andrew Horton, 1997
  22. Horton, Andrew (29 September 2016). "3 – Angelopoulos, the Continuous Image and Cinema". The Films of Theo Angelopoulos – A Cinema of Contemplation. Princeton University Press. p. 73. ISBN 978-1400884421. We should realize, however, that Angelopoulos is an unusual paradox in the history of cinema: he is very clearly "Greek" as I have demonstrated, and yet he is an international filmmaker who has been influenced by filmmakers from around the globe. He has observed: "I draw techniques from everything I've seen .... I continue to love ... very much the films of Murnau, Mizoguchi, Antonioni. More recently: Tarkovsky's Stalker, Godard's Every Man for Himself and of course Ordet ....
  23. "Honorary Graduates :: Theodoros Angelopoulos". University of Essex. 9 December 2009.
  24. "Honorary Graduates :: Theodoros Angelopoulos" (PDF). University of Western Macedonia. 15 December 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 February 2009.
  25. "Honorary Graduates :: Theodoros Angelopoulos". University of the Aegean. 12 July 2001. Archived from the original on 27 January 2012.
  26. Kermeliotis, Teo (25 January 2012). "Famous Greek film director Theo Angelopoulos dies in road accident". CNN. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  27. "Director Angelopoulos dies after accident while filming". Kathimerini. 25 January 2012.
  28. "Culture – Film – Filmmaker Theo Angelopoulos dies in accident". The Guardian. Associated Press. 24 January 2012.
  29. "Το τελευταίο «αντίο» στον σκηνοθέτη Θ.Αγγελόπουλο". in.gr. 27 January 2012. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  30. Left uncompleted by Angelopoulos' unexpected death in January 2012.
  31. "Thessaloniki Film Festival (1968)". IMDb.
  32. "Thessaloniki Film Festival (1970)". IMDb.
  33. "Berlin International Film Festival (1971)". IMDb.
  34. "Thessaloniki Film Festival (1972)". IMDb.
  35. "Berlin International Film Festival (1973)". IMDb.
  36. "The Travelling Players (1975) – Awards". IMDb.
  37. "Cannes Film Festival (1975)". IMDb.
  38. "Berlin International Film Festival (1975)". IMDb.
  39. "Thessaloniki Film Festival (1975)". IMDb.
  40. "British Film Institute Awards (1975)". IMDb.
  41. "I KINIGUI" [The Hunters]. Cannes Film Festival. 27 May 2023.
  42. "Cannes Film Festival (1977)". IMDb.
  43. "Kinema Junpo Awards (1980)". IMDb.
  44. "Awards of the Japanese Academy (1980)". IMDb.
  45. "Venice Film Festival (1980)". IMDb.
  46. "Thessaloniki Film Festival (1980)". IMDb.
  47. "Awards 1984". Cannes Film Festival. 27 May 2023.
  48. "Cannes Film Festival (1984)". IMDb.
  49. "Venice Film Festival (1986)". IMDb.
  50. "Venice Film Festival (1988)". IMDb.
  51. "European Film Awards – 1989: The Winners". European Film Academy. 4 September 2008.
  52. "Berlin International Film Festival (1989)". IMDb.
  53. "European Film Awards (1989)". IMDb.
  54. "Cannes Film Festival (1991)". IMDb.
  55. "Festival de Cannes: Ulysses' Gaze". Cannes Film Festival. Retrieved 5 September 2009.
  56. "Cannes Film Festival (1995)". IMDb.
  57. "European Film Awards – 1995: The Winners". European Film Academy. 4 September 2008.
  58. "European Film Awards (1995)". IMDb.
  59. "French Syndicate of Cinema Critics (1996)". IMDb.
  60. "Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists (1996)". IMDb.
  61. "Goya Awards (1997)". IMDb.
  62. "Mainichi Film Concours (1997)". IMDb.
  63. "Sant Jordi Awards (1997)". IMDb.
  64. "Turia Awards (1997)". IMDb.
  65. "Festival de Cannes: Eternity and a Day". Cannes Film Festival. Retrieved 1 October 2009.
  66. "Cannes Film Festival (1998)". IMDb.
  67. "São Paulo International Film Festival (1998)". IMDb.
  68. "Thessaloniki Film Festival (1998)". IMDb.
  69. "Argentinean Film Critics Association Awards (1999)". IMDb.
  70. "Argentinean Film Critics Association Awards (2001)". IMDb.
  71. "Berlin International Film Festival (2004)". IMDb.
  72. "European Film Awards – 2004: The Winners". European Film Academy. 4 September 2008.
  73. "European Film Awards (2004)". IMDb.
  74. "special awards 2004". fIPRESCI. Archived from the original on 10 February 2012.
  75. "Fajr Film Festival (2005)". IMDb.
  76. "Copenhagen International Film Festival (2003)". IMDb.
  77. "Flaiano International Prizes (2003)". IMDb.
  78. "Montréal World Film Festival (2004)". IMDb.
  79. "Pusan International Film Festival (2004)". IMDb.
  80. "Yerevan International Film Festival (2010)". IMDb.

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