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Theo Angelopoulos

Greek film director, screenwriter and film producer (1935–2012)

Greek film director, screenwriter and film producer (1935–2012)

FieldValue
imageTheodoros Angelopoulos Athens 26-4-2009-2.jpg
nameTheo Angelopoulos
captionAngelopoulos in 2009
birth_nameTheodoros Angelopoulos
birth_date
birth_placeAthens, Greece
death_date
death_placePiraeus, Greece
resting_placeFirst Cemetery of Athens
alma_mater{{Plainlist
occupationFilm director, screenwriter
years_active1965–2012
spouse
children3
awardsPalme d'Or (1998)
website
  • University of Athens
  • IDHEC Theodoros "Theo" Angelopoulos (; 27 April 1935 – 24 January 2012) was a Greek filmmaker, screenwriter and film producer. He dominated the Greek art film industry from 1975 on, and Angelopoulos was one of the most influential and widely respected filmmakers in the world. He started making films in 1967. In the 1970s he made a series of political films about modern Greece.

Angelopoulos' films, described by Martin Scorsese as those 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." Angelopoulos has said that in his shots, “time becomes space and space becomes time.” The pauses between action or music are important to creating the total effect.

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.

Biography

Theodoros Angelopoulos was born in Athens on 27 April 1935. His father Spyros hailed from the town of Ampeliona, Messenia in the Peloponnese. 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. He studied law at the 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.

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 and David Thomson as one of the world's greatest directors. Famous film directors including Werner Herzog Emir Kusturica, Akira Kurosawa, Ingmar Bergman, Wim Wenders, Dušan Makavejev, William Friedkin, Manoel de Oliveira, Michelangelo Antonioni among others, 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." He had also cited Andrei Tarkovsky's 1979 work Stalker as an influence.

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, by the University of Western Macedonia, Greece in December 2008, and by the University of the Aegean, Greece in December 2009.

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. On that evening, the filmmaker had been with his crew in the area of Drapetsona, near Piraeus when he was hit by a motorcycle, which unconfirmed reports suggested was 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. His funeral was a public expense, on 27 January at the First Cemetery of Athens.

Filmography

YearOriginal titleEnglish titleDirectorWriterNotes
1968*Η εκπομπή*
(*I Ekpombi*)*Broadcast*Short film
1970*Αναπαράσταση*
(*Anaparastasi*)*Reconstitution*
1972*Μέρες του '36*
(*Meres tou '36*)*Days of '36*Part 1 of the "Trilogy of History"
1975*Ο Θίασος*
(*O Thiassos*)*The Travelling Players*Part 2 of the "Trilogy of History"
1977*Οι Κυνηγοί*
(*I Kinighi*)*The Hunters*Co-writer
Part 3 of the "Trilogy of History"
1980*Ο Μεγαλέξανδρος*
(*O Megalexandros*)*Alexander the Great*
1983*Αθήνα, επιστροφή στην Ακρόπολη*
(*Athina, epistrofi stin Akropoli*)*Athens, Return to the Acropolis*Segment of *Capitali culturali d'Europa*
1984*Ταξίδι στα Κύθηρα*
(*Taxidi sta Kythira*)*Voyage to Cythera*Co-writer
Part 1 of the "Trilogy of Silence"
1986*Ο Μελισσοκόμος*
(*O Melissokomos*)*The Beekeeper*Co-writer
Part 2 of the "Trilogy of Silence"
1988*Τοπίο στην ομίχλη*
(*Topio stin Omichli*)*Landscape in the Mist*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*Part 1 of the "Trilogy of Borders"
1995*Το βλέμμα του Οδυσσέα*
(*To Vlemma tou Odyssea*)*Ulysses' Gaze*Co-writer
Part 2 of the "Trilogy of Borders"
1995*Lumière et compagnie**Lumière and Company*Co-director/co-writer
Segment: *Up to 52 seconds*
1998*Μια αιωνιότητα και μια μέρα*
(*Mia aioniotita kai mia mera*)*Eternity and a Day*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*Part 1 of the trilogy on modern Greece
2007*Chacun son cinéma**To Each His Own Cinema*Co-director/co-writer
Segment: *Trois minutes* (*Three Minutes*)
2008*Η Σκόνη του Χρόνου*
(*I skoni tou chronou*)*The Dust of Time*Part 2 of the trilogy on modern Greece
2011*Mundo Invisivel**Invisible World*Co-director/co-writer
Segment: *Sky below*
—*I alli thalassa**The Other Sea*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.

YearIssuerAwardFilmResult
Hellenic Association of Film Critics – Best Short Fictionurl=https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000653/1968title=Thessaloniki Film Festival (1968)publisher=IMDb }}
Best Greek Art Film*Reconstitution*url=https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000653/1970title=Thessaloniki Film Festival (1970)publisher=IMDb }}{{efnname=n-TIFF-1970At the Thessaloniki International Film Festival of 1970, *Reconstitution* was also awarded:
Best Greek New Directorname=n-TIFF-1970}}
Hellenic Association of Film Critics – Best Filmname=n-TIFF-1970}}
FIPRESCI – Special Mentionurl=https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000091/1971title=Berlin International Film Festival (1971)publisher=IMDb }}
Best Film of the Year Shown in France
Best Foreign Film
Best Greek Director*Days of '36*url=https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000653/1972title=Thessaloniki Film Festival (1972)publisher=IMDb }}
FIPRESCI – Forum of New Cinemaurl=https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000091/1973title=Berlin International Film Festival (1973)publisher=IMDb }}
FIPRESCI (Parallel Sections){{efnname=n-TTP-1975*The Travelling Players* was also awarded:url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073800/awardstitle=The Travelling Players (1975) – Awardspublisher=IMDb }}
Interfilm Award – Forum of New Cinemaurl=https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000091/1975title=Berlin International Film Festival (1975)publisher=IMDb }}
Best Greek Filmurl=https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000653/1975title=Thessaloniki Film Festival (1975)publisher=IMDb }}{{efnname=n-TIFF-1975At the Thessaloniki International Film Festival of 1975, *The Travelling Players* was also awarded:
Best Greek Directorname=n-TIFF-1975}}
Best Greek Screenplayname=n-TIFF-1975}}
Sutherland Trophyurl=https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0001534/1975title=British Film Institute Awards (1975)publisher=IMDb }}
Palme d'Orurl=http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/archives/ficheFilm/id/2027/year/1977.htmltitle=I KINIGUIdate=27 May 2023trans-title=The Hunterspublisher=Cannes Film Festival }}
Golden Hugo for Best Film
Best Foreign Language Film Directorurl=https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0001001/1980title=Kinema Junpo Awards (1980)publisher=IMDb }}
Best Foreign Language Filmurl=https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000372/1980title=Awards of the Japanese Academy (1980)publisher=IMDb }}
FIPRESCI*Alexander the Great*url=https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000681/1980title=Venice Film Festival (1980)publisher=IMDb }}
Best Greek Film*Alexander the Great*url=https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000653/1980title=Thessaloniki Film Festival (1980)publisher=IMDb }}
Hellenic Association of Film Critics – Best Film*Alexander the Great*
Palme d'Or*Voyage to Cythera*url=http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/archives/1984/awardCompetition.htmltitle=Awards 1984date=27 May 2023publisher=Cannes Film Festival }}
Best Screenplay*Voyage to Cythera*name=n-C-1984}}
FIPRESCIInternational Critic's Prize*Voyage to Cythera*name=n-C-1984}}
Critics' Award*Voyage to Cythera*
Golden Lionurl=https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000681/1986title=Venice Film Festival (1986)publisher=IMDb }}
Silver Lion*Landscape in the Mist*url=https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000681/1988title=Venice Film Festival (1988)publisher=IMDb }}{{efnname=n-vff-1988At the 46th Venice International Film Festival, *Landscape in the Mist* and Theodoros Angelopoulos were also awarded:
Interfilm Award – Forum of New Cinema*Landscape in the Mist*url=https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000091/1989title=Berlin International Film Festival (1989)publisher=IMDb }}
European Film Award for Best Film*Landscape in the Mist*url=http://www.europeanfilmacademy.org/2008/09/04/1989-2/title=European Film Awards – 1989: The Winnerspublisher=European Film Academydate=4 September 2008 }}
Palme d'Or*The Suspended Step of the Stork*url=https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000147/1991title=Cannes Film Festival (1991)publisher=IMDb }}
Golden Hugo for Best Director*Landscape in the Mist*
Palme d'Or*Ulysses' Gaze*url=http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/archives/ficheFilm/id/3371/year/1995.htmltitle=Festival de Cannes: Ulysses' Gazework=Festival de Cannesaccess-date=5 September 2009publisher=Cannes Film Festival }}
Grand Jury Prize*Ulysses' Gaze*
International Critics' Prize*Ulysses' Gaze*
FIPRESCI – FELIX of the Critics*Ulysses' Gaze*url=http://www.europeanfilmacademy.org/2008/09/04/1995-2/title=European Film Awards – 1995: The Winnerspublisher=European Film Academydate=4 September 2008 }}
Prix Léon Moussinac – Best Foreign Film*Ulysses' Gaze*url=https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000263/1996title=French Syndicate of Cinema Critics (1996)publisher=IMDb }}
Best Foreign Film Director*Ulysses' Gaze*url=https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000369/1996title=Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists (1996)publisher=IMDb }}
Best European Film*Ulysses' Gaze*url=https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000299/1997title=Goya Awards (1997)publisher=IMDb }}
Best Foreign Language Film*Ulysses' Gaze*url=https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0001002/1997title=Mainichi Film Concours (1997)publisher=IMDb }}
Best Foreign Film*Ulysses' Gaze*url=https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000988/1997title=Sant Jordi Awards (1997)publisher=IMDb }}
Best Foreign Film*Ulysses' Gaze*url=https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0001295/1997title=Turia Awards (1997)publisher=IMDb }}
Palme d'Or*Eternity and a Day*url=http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/archives/ficheFilm/id/4920/year/1998.htmltitle=Festival de Cannes: Eternity and a Daywork=Festival de Cannesaccess-date=1 October 2009publisher=Cannes Film Festival }}
Prize of the Ecumenical Jury*Eternity and a Day*
Audience Award – Best Feature*Ulysses' Gaze*
Best Greek Filmurl=https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000653/1998title=Thessaloniki Film Festival (1998)publisher=IMDb }}
Best Greek Director
Best Greek Screenplay
Silver Condor for Best Foreign Film*Ulysses' Gaze*url=https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000038/1999title=Argentinean Film Critics Association Awards (1999)publisher=IMDb }}
Silver Condor for Best Foreign Film*Eternity and a Day*url=https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000038/2001title=Argentinean Film Critics Association Awards (2001)publisher=IMDb }}
Golden Bear*Trilogy: The Weeping Meadow*url=https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000091/2004title=Berlin International Film Festival (2004)publisher=IMDb }}
European Film Award for Best Film*Trilogy: The Weeping Meadow*url=http://www.europeanfilmacademy.org/2008/09/04/2004-2/title=European Film Awards – 2004: The Winnerspublisher=European Film Academydate=4 September 2008 }}
Audience Award*Trilogy: The Weeping Meadow*name=n-EFA-2004-a}}
FIPRESCI – European Film Academy Critics*Trilogy: The Weeping Meadow*url=http://www.fipresci.org/awards/special_awards/special_awards_2004.htmtitle=special awards 2004publisher=fIPRESCIurl-status=deadarchive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120210144111/http://www.fipresci.org/awards/special_awards/special_awards_2004.htmarchive-date=10 February 2012 }}
Special Jury Prize – Spiritual Competition*Trilogy: The Weeping Meadow*url=https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000747/2005title=Fajr Film Festival (2005)publisher=IMDb }}

Lifetime achievement awards

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

YearProviderAward
Université libre de BruxellesHonorary Doctorate
European Silver Ribbon
University of EssexHonorary Graduate
url=https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000911/2003title=Copenhagen International Film Festival (2003)publisher=IMDb }}
url=https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0001252/2003title=Flaiano International Prizes (2003)publisher=IMDb }}
url=https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000449/2004title=Montréal World Film Festival (2004)publisher=IMDb }}
url=https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000556/2004title=Pusan International Film Festival (2004)publisher=IMDb }}
University of Western MacedoniaHonorary Graduate
url=https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0001170/2010title=Yerevan International Film Festival (2010)publisher=IMDb }}
University of the AegeanHonorary Graduate
Dokuz Eylül UniversityHonorary Doctorate
Paris West University Nanterre La DéfenseHonorary Doctorate

Notes

References

Sources

Books

Journals, magazines, and web

References

  1. "Theodoros Angelopoulos", editions Kastanioti, p. 189.
  2. "Berlinale 1978: Juries". berlinale.de.
  3. "55ο ΦΚΘ: 1914 – 2014: 100 Χρόνια Ελληνικός Κινηματογράφος". Φεστιβάλ Κινηματογράφου Θεσσαλονίκης.
  4. (2012-01-25). "Ο Αγγελόπουλος ήταν μεγάλη μορφή του ευρωπαϊκού πολιτισμού, είπε ο Εμίρ Κουστουρίτσα".
  5. (2013-01-22). "Οι Ακίρα Κουροσάουα, Βιμ Βέντερς, Ίνγκμαρ Μπέργκμαν είπαν για τον Αγγελόπουλο...".
  6. (12 January 2021). "From Stanley Kubrick to Martin Scorsese: Akira Kurosawa once named his top 100 favourite films of all time".
  7. "Akira Kurosawa's Top 100 Movies!".
  8. (2012-01-25). "Θ. Αγγελόπουλος: πέθανε ο ποιητής των εικόνων".
  9. Δημητρόπουλος, Θοδωρής. "Ο Θόδωρος Αγγελόπουλος μέσα από τα λόγια των άλλων".
  10. (2012-01-25). "Θόδωρος Αγγελόπουλος, 1935 – 2012".
  11. Μικελίδης, Νίνος Φένεκ. (2014-07-26). "Επηρεάστηκα από τον Φελίνι, τον Αντονιόνι και τον Αγγελόπουλο". Ελευθεροτυπία.
  12. (2015-04-02). "Μανουέλ ντε Ολιβέιρα: Ο πρύτανης του σινεμά «έφυγε» σε ηλικία 106 ετών {{!}}thetoc.gr".
  13. Σταθογιάννης, Πάνο. (2012-01-26). "'Δεν έχω πει ακόμα αυτό που θα 'θελα να πω'. Η πιο ειλικρινής συνέντευξη του Θ. Αγγελόπουλου".
  14. The Last Modernist, ed. Andrew Horton, 1997
  15. (29 September 2016). "The Films of Theo Angelopoulos – A Cinema of Contemplation". Princeton University Press.
  16. (9 December 2009). "Honorary Graduates :: Theodoros Angelopoulos". [[University of Essex]].
  17. (15 December 2008). "Honorary Graduates :: Theodoros Angelopoulos". [[University of Western Macedonia]].
  18. (12 July 2001). "Honorary Graduates :: Theodoros Angelopoulos". [[University of the Aegean]].
  19. Kermeliotis, Teo. (2012-01-25). "Famous Greek film director Theo Angelopoulos dies in road accident".
  20. (25 January 2012). "Director Angelopoulos dies after accident while filming". [[Kathimerini]].
  21. (24 January 2012). "Culture – Film – Filmmaker Theo Angelopoulos dies in accident". [[The Guardian]].
  22. (27 January 2012). "Το τελευταίο «αντίο» στον σκηνοθέτη Θ.Αγγελόπουλο".
  23. Left uncompleted by Angelopoulos' unexpected death in January 2012.
  24. "Theodoros Angelopoulos – Awards". [[IMDb]].
  25. "Thessaloniki Film Festival (1968)". [[IMDb]].
  26. "Thessaloniki Film Festival (1970)". [[IMDb]].
  27. "Berlin International Film Festival (1971)". [[IMDb]].
  28. "Thessaloniki Film Festival (1972)". [[IMDb]].
  29. "Berlin International Film Festival (1973)". [[IMDb]].
  30. "The Travelling Players (1975) – Awards". [[IMDb]].
  31. "Cannes Film Festival (1975)". [[IMDb]].
  32. "Berlin International Film Festival (1975)". [[IMDb]].
  33. "Thessaloniki Film Festival (1975)". [[IMDb]].
  34. "British Film Institute Awards (1975)". [[IMDb]].
  35. (27 May 2023). "I KINIGUI". [[Cannes Film Festival]].
  36. "Cannes Film Festival (1977)". [[IMDb]].
  37. "Kinema Junpo Awards (1980)". [[IMDb]].
  38. "Awards of the Japanese Academy (1980)". [[IMDb]].
  39. "Venice Film Festival (1980)". [[IMDb]].
  40. "Thessaloniki Film Festival (1980)". [[IMDb]].
  41. (27 May 2023). "Awards 1984". [[Cannes Film Festival]].
  42. "Cannes Film Festival (1984)". [[IMDb]].
  43. "Venice Film Festival (1986)". [[IMDb]].
  44. "Venice Film Festival (1988)". [[IMDb]].
  45. "Berlin International Film Festival (1989)". [[IMDb]].
  46. (4 September 2008). "European Film Awards – 1989: The Winners". European Film Academy.
  47. "European Film Awards (1989)". [[IMDb]].
  48. "Cannes Film Festival (1991)". [[IMDb]].
  49. "Festival de Cannes: Ulysses' Gaze". [[Cannes Film Festival]].
  50. "Cannes Film Festival (1995)". [[IMDb]].
  51. (4 September 2008). "European Film Awards – 1995: The Winners". European Film Academy.
  52. "European Film Awards (1995)". [[IMDb]].
  53. "French Syndicate of Cinema Critics (1996)". [[IMDb]].
  54. "Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists (1996)". [[IMDb]].
  55. "Goya Awards (1997)". [[IMDb]].
  56. "Mainichi Film Concours (1997)". [[IMDb]].
  57. "Sant Jordi Awards (1997)". [[IMDb]].
  58. "Turia Awards (1997)". [[IMDb]].
  59. "Festival de Cannes: Eternity and a Day". [[Cannes Film Festival]].
  60. "Cannes Film Festival (1998)". [[IMDb]].
  61. "São Paulo International Film Festival (1998)". [[IMDb]].
  62. "Thessaloniki Film Festival (1998)". [[IMDb]].
  63. "Argentinean Film Critics Association Awards (1999)". [[IMDb]].
  64. "Argentinean Film Critics Association Awards (2001)". [[IMDb]].
  65. "Berlin International Film Festival (2004)". [[IMDb]].
  66. (4 September 2008). "European Film Awards – 2004: The Winners". European Film Academy.
  67. "European Film Awards (2004)". [[IMDb]].
  68. "special awards 2004". [[International Federation of Film Critics.
  69. "Fajr Film Festival (2005)". [[IMDb]].
  70. "Copenhagen International Film Festival (2003)". [[IMDb]].
  71. "Flaiano International Prizes (2003)". [[IMDb]].
  72. "Montréal World Film Festival (2004)". [[IMDb]].
  73. "Pusan International Film Festival (2004)". [[IMDb]].
  74. "Yerevan International Film Festival (2010)". [[IMDb]].
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