Did anyone see it last night?
Are there any reviews, reactions, reports, etc?
shareYes, I did and unfortunately i can't say i enjoyed it.
It was rather disappointing actually, with over-the-top performances and confusing storytelling. The cinematography and score were as always great but the story was very mumbled. What I didn't like was the fact that it seemed like a series of abstracts rather than a coherent story. That is entirely my personal opinion though.
The press has yet to publish officially reviews of the movie but from what I gathered in the premiere and what was announced on internet blogs the opinions were rather negative. We'll see if Aggelopoulos re-edits his film until its official screening in Berlin. (The Dust of Time will be screened in Berlin, but out of competition, as it was announced by Aggelopoulos himself)
But did you like The Weeping Meadow?
shareAngelopoulos always tends to get a lot of negative press, his style's pretty uncompromising. The important thing is, what did people wanting to see a new Angelopoulos movie think? 'Disappointing to people who loved the Weeping Meadow or Travelling Players' is quite different to 'Disappointing for film festival goers and Harvey Keitel fans' (which I think was a pretty inevitable reaction, especially with a famous cast).
shareYes, you have a point there but the problem in my opinion is that Aggelopoulos compromised a lot of things in the Dust of Time. The poetry of images is for the most part absent, the pacing is un-even, the movie feels too short and the actions of the characters seem unjustified.
Personally, I like Aggelopoulos and he is the most iconic director in Greece. The Weeping meadow got raving reviews four years ago, but unfortunately the Dust of Time is not a winner. And it's not a matter of negativity from the press. In Greece, at least, the majority of his movies get enthusiastic reviews. It is the viewers that have a negative feeling towards Aggelopoulos' movies.
PS. Harvey Keitel is not in the movie as he was replaced by another usual suspect of Theo's, Bruno Ganz.
Yeah, I wonder what he was shooting for as I remember thinking that the running time looked awfully short for the kind of project this was supposed to be. I mean, part of the delay between this and Weeping Meadow had to do with the amount of time and effort that was required in order to secure all the locations in all the different countries. Why would this picture be barely over 2 hours when the last one was almost 3? I know duration doesn't have to mean anything but in Theo's cinema it's a given and it corresponds with the hypnosis produced by the imagery. Maybe he was going for more of an abstract quality as you alluded to earlier though the question remains, in what way does that benefit the picture? Whatever the case, and FWIW, this is the shortest Angelopoulos since The Beekeeper (US running time).
shareThe English-speaking press appears to be responding favorably so far.
Dan Fainaru, Screen Daily: http://www.screendaily.com/ScreenDailyArticle.aspx?intStoryID=42143
Ronald Bergan, The Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/filmblog/2008/nov/25/1
What about Irne Jacob's performance ? One of the reasons that make me want to see the film. Although I know that the last you get in an Angleopoulos' film is the acting...
I am not a fan of his films, but I was really moved by The Weaping Meadow and liked Eternity and a Day.Perhaps, Theo is changing.According to an interview of his i read yesterday the Dust of Time must be his most "fast-moving" film. OK,it may not be as fast as in an american blockbuster,but that's a change to his slow-mving shots...
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