Rating: 
Summary: A Masterpiece
Review: "A numbing bore?" If Roger Ebert really said that of this film, all i can say is that there is something terribly wrong with Roger Ebert as of late. I beleive he has given his thumbs up to movies like "The Sum of All fears" and "Sam I Am" (this last one litterally being nothing more than a Star Bucks comercial shot like a shampoo comercial).
Ulysses' Gaze is a wonderfull film that like any great pieace of art can be interpreted in any number of ways, depending on the viewer.
The pace of the film is certainly slow, but not in the boring sense but in the character and context building one. In other words, the director is in no hurry to finish the film at the expense of any of the subtlty and humanity necessary to paint his canvass. And in order to drive certain themes home, which unfortunatly are indeed universal, he creates scenes and shoots images that are so charged with emotion and symbolism that anyone who has ever lived in a country with similar situations as those in the balkans can readily identify with them.
This is a powerfull film and its subtlty is worth emphasizing. He really manages to capture the essence of specific situations without ever being at all explicit.
(For those of you interested as well in photography, it is interesting to note that one of the most beautiful scenes in this movie, that of the barge carrying a statue of Lenin down a river, was also used by Josef Koudelka for a picture that appears in his "Caos" book. [ I do have to admit, however, that in my personal belief the scene is a little too long...The one scene of the movie that i personally would have cut a little shorter.Josef Koudelka managed beter results i think]It would be interesting to know if they both, the director and photographer, simply coincided in wanting to incorporate the dismanteling of this one particular statue of Lenin, or if they had previously arranged to both be there...At any rate, the resulting photograph by Koudelka is in my opinion, one of the most beautiful photographs ever.)
Rating:
Summary: A Masterpiece
Review: "A numbing bore?" If Roger Ebert really said that of this film, all i can say is that there is something terribly wrong with Roger Ebert as of late. I beleive he has given his thumbs up to movies like "The Sum of All fears" and "Sam I Am" (this last one litterally being nothing more than a Star Bucks comercial shot like a shampoo comercial).
Ulysses' Gaze is a wonderfull film that like any great pieace of art can be interpreted in any number of ways, depending on the viewer.
The pace of the film is certainly slow, but not in the boring sense but in the character and context building one. In other words, the director is in no hurry to finish the film at the expense of any of the subtlty and humanity necessary to paint his canvass. And in order to drive certain themes home, which unfortunatly are indeed universal, he creates scenes and shoots images that are so charged with emotion and symbolism that anyone who has ever lived in a country with similar situations as those in the balkans can readily identify with them.
This is a powerfull film and its subtlty is worth emphasizing. He really manages to capture the essence of specific situations without ever being at all explicit.
(For those of you interested as well in photography, it is interesting to note that one of the most beautiful scenes in this movie, that of the barge carrying a statue of Lenin down a river, was also used by Josef Koudelka for a picture that appears in his "Caos" book. [ I do have to admit, however, that in my personal belief the scene is a little too long...The one scene of the movie that i personally would have cut a little shorter.Josef Koudelka managed beter results i think]It would be interesting to know if they both, the director and photographer, simply coincided in wanting to incorporate the dismanteling of this one particular statue of Lenin, or if they had previously arranged to both be there...At any rate, the resulting photograph by Koudelka is in my opinion, one of the most beautiful photographs ever.)
Rating:
Summary: patience, patience...
Review: ...and you'll be rewarded. Several of the reviewers below expressed problems with the pacing of this film -- one even went so far as to charge that Angelopoulos has created a 'pale imitation' of a Tarkovsky film with his long shots &c. While I could definitely see some parallels with Tarkovsky's work (the aforementioned long shots; the interplay between past & present, dream & reality; the non-linear progression of the story), I would hardly denigrate the director's efforts as a 'pale imitation'. I won't doubt for a moment that Angelopoulos admires and has been inspired by Tarkovsky's work -- but this is a director with his own vision, not one he has derived from the creativity of another artist.
The cinematography is breathtakingly stunning throughout -- and the long shots with which some viewers evidently find fault are in my opinion perfectly in tune with the flow and rhythm of the film. Too many people get used to the choppy, hurry-up-and-get-to-the-point techniques of Hollywood -- when something deeper, with more of an artistic foundation comes along, they have trouble relating to it. There are subtleties at work here -- masterful brushstrokes on film -- that must be taken in with an open, attentive mind. The small and the large combine into the cohesive whole that is this film -- sit back and let them do their work, don't try to guess where the film is going next or wonder how it's going to arrive there.
Keitel offers up a marvelously natural performance -- a review I read nailed it in part when it mentioned that Keitel doesn't so much 'deliver' his lines as become a vehicle for them. I got the feeling throughout the film that he was drawing his performance from a place very deep within himself, giving himself to it completely, allowing Angelopoulos' vision to animate his work. As a result, he is completely believable in his role as the exiled Greek filmmaker simply identified in the credits as 'A'.
Eleni Karaindrou's soundtrack (and the work of the great violist Kim Kashkashian in particular) complements the film perfectly. She has worked with Angelopoulos in the past, and continues to do so -- her music stands well on its own merit.
Not having seen this on the theatrical screen, I can't speak to the quality of the transfer -- and I must admit to having been disappointed by Fox-Lorber DVDs in the past -- but I thought the colour-drained look of many scenes in the film was perfect. Angelopoulos has stated that he 'feels' a film with all of his senses -- that translates into the exprience of viewing it as well...at least for me.
Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: The Journey: an intense crash course
Review: A tremendous, deep exploration of one man's journey. So heartfelt, so real is the journey portrayed that we are along for the ride, learning as he does, feeling as he does. I found it to be a crash course on how to fully live life, live in the moment and take what comes. A sort of meditation on remaining peaceful inside despite the turmoil outside. At the same time, the main character feels, experiences as much along the way as he possibly can. I find it to be almost a religious experience in the sense that it has the ability to help me to become more like what I want to be by watching the excellent yet real example portrayed by Harvey Keitel's character.
Rating:
Summary: European Fatalism
Review: For those of us who grew up in Europe or it's fringes, this is a beautiful and devastating movie. Almost any nation in europe has been either on the giving or the receiving end of opression, genocide or just plain betrayal,and in most cases,both. After countless centuries the final result is an overwhelming guilt with righteous indignation. Of course the unescapable result of this is, the fatalism most europeans seem to adopt. In the USA we do have the mistreatment of indigenous indians (or more curiously the denial of such), but not the feeling of guilt. We can dismiss such acts by laying the blame on the past generations. Europeans have no such luxury. They can only run bewildered , hopeless , directionless, with no possibility of a better tomorrow as the symbol of their last round of misfortune , obscenely floats down the river on a barge. The Lenin ( I am finding it hard just to capitalize his name) statue scene reminded me of a scene in a World War II movie I saw once ( I don't remember the name). In that the Allied forces going around the fields and playing a Bach piece on a gramophone to lure the Germans hiding in the bushes to come out and surrender. The scene left a great feeling of sadness and despair in me. How did the nation that produced a Bach ( and more ) ended up in such a sad , betrayed situation? Now that was obscene. European history is full of obscene things, that should never have happened. American history is not much different, but Americans have not come to grasp it yet. Wait another century and you will understand. Meanwhile try a little thought experiment. Imagine you are standing on the banks of Mississippi, and the man who got you fired, raped your family, took away your house, and got you thrown in jail, supressed your religious beliefs and opinions, is traveling down the river on a barge to become the governor of the state. How would you feel? Sinan
Rating:
Summary: the modern story of Ulysses....
Review: From the director of Eternity and a Day and Ulysses' Gaze, this monumental masterpiece follows the adventures of a small acting troupe in Greece. Modern Greek history and politics are examined through the experiences of the members of the troupe (Orestes, Electra and Chrysothemis) over the time period of 1936 - 1952. As said "One of the best films in the history of world cinema."... (FIPRESCI)
Rating: 
Summary: No Idea but
Review: Had such difficulty hanging on to the journey. Could not but grasp the numbing sadness and hopelessness of a people. So many "nowhere" with no hope.
Rating:
Summary: My two cents
Review: I found this movie to be visually stunning and poignant at times. I was most affected by the scene at the end where the fog allowed people a brief respite from the war - the orchestra played, people held hands or danced, one could watch a bit of Shakespeare - yet all to a bitter conclusion. However, I found many scenes where characters moved in and out of time and their roles to be confusing. Perhaps it would have helped if I'd had a better understanding of the history of war in the Balkans as well as the story of Ulysesses, but it was difficult to understand what analogy the director was trying to portray at times. In order for a viewer to be sympathetic to the characters, they must feel connected to them. This didn't always happen for me because I was always two steps behind trying to figure out the last scene - what it meant, how it related to the story, etc. Perhaps watching it again will enlightnen me.
Rating: 
Summary: And no stars for the DVD...dissapointing
Review: I had high hopes for this film, but it ultimately comes off as a pale imitation of a Tarkovsky film, an attempt to copy in form while paying little attention to content. It just seems that Angelopoulos had a few very thin ideas and he spread them over three hours so that they would appear to have some weight. While there are a few excellent images in this film, they are few and far between, and there is little to hold your interest otherwise. The acting is also, at times, very stilted and clunky. If you would like to a see a film that is similar in pacing and theme then see Tarkovsky's "Nostalghia", "The Sacrifice" (both of which also feature Erland Josephson), or "Stalker". About the DVD: Even if you enjoyed this, or think you might, this is possibly the single worst transfer to DVD that I have seen. The image is grainy, colors are bland, and digital blocks and color lines pop up periodically. Very, very sloppy. Steer clear of this DVD!
Rating:
Summary: And no stars for the DVD...dissapointing
Review: I had high hopes for this film, but it ultimately comes off as a pale imitation of a Tarkovsky film, an attempt to copy in form while paying little attention to content. It just seems that Angelopoulos had a few very thin ideas and he spread them over three hours so that they would appear to have some weight. While there are a few excellent images in this film, they are few and far between, and there is little to hold your interest otherwise. The acting is also, at times, very stilted and clunky. If you would like to a see a film that is similar in pacing and theme then see Tarkovsky's "Nostalghia", "The Sacrifice" (both of which also feature Erland Josephson), or "Stalker". About the DVD: Even if you enjoyed this, or think you might, this is possibly the single worst transfer to DVD that I have seen. The image is grainy, colors are bland, and digital blocks and color lines pop up periodically. Very, very sloppy. Steer clear of this DVD!
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