Customer Reviews

Eleni [VHS]

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Definitely a wonderful movie and one of my personal favorites, Eleni, brings to the screen the true story of a boy whose family suffered terribly during the Greek Civil War 1946-49, but who managed, thanks to his mother's love, to get safely to the USA and raise his own family in peace. It is a movie about war, hunger, suffering, but most importantly courage, honor, sacrifice, and how Love-motherly love, can overcome and prevail even in the most difficult of situations. A great movie indeed which will surely bring tears to one's eyes! Needless to say, both Kate Nelligan and John Malkovich are superb in their roles as mother and son!

This unforgettable film tells the true story of "New York Times" reporter Nicholas Gage and his journey to Greece to discover the truth about his mother's execution by Communists during the Greek rebellion after WWII. The story is brilliantly told as Gage unravels the secrets of his mother's torture and death, minutely observed and eloquently rendered. The film stands as a monument to a loving mother and heroic woman.Gage, the writer and Malkovich and Nelligan, the actors, have done Eleni Gatzoyiannis justice.

Having lived in Greece during the period portrayed in the film, I was dumbfounded by the extremely accurate recreation of the period. In addition to their other accomplishments, the creators of this film (producers, set designers, scripwriters, director, actors and others) deserve great praise for authentically reproducing in every single detail the total environment of the Communist insurgency that lasted, with breaks, from December 1944 until the Greek army managed to finally crush the elusive rebels in August 1949. If there was an Oscar for authentic period reproduction, Eleni would win it hands down.

I saw this film while living in Greece and having had visited many such villages in northern Greece, it was completely mesmerizing. The portrayal of the Greek people at that time and the cultural differences were astonishingly true.

At its first showing, it was picketted and closed after one day only to reopen two days later away from the city center, which was when I saw it.

It completely absorbed my interest and I felt a new sympahthy for the people who lived through those times (many of whom I knew).

It;s a great movie and should be more widely shown!

Definitely a wonderful movie and one of my personal favorites, Eleni, brings to the screen the true story of a boy whose family suffered terribly during the Greek Civil War 1946-49, but who managed, thanks to his mother's love, to get safely to the USA and raise his own family in peace. It is a movie about war, hunger, suffering, but most importantly courage, honor, sacrifice, and how Love-motherly love, can overcome and prevail even in the most difficult of situations. A great movie indeed which will surely bring tears to one's eyes! Needless to say, both Kate Nelligan and John Malkovich are superb in their roles as mother and son!

As a young boy his mother is shot by Communist guerrillas who take over this small town in Greece. 25 years later as a successfull New York newspaper colummnnist he returns home to square up with those responsible for his mother's death.

This true account of a mother's struggle in post-war Greece has haunted me for over twenty years. Since becoming a parent myself, I have often thought of Eleni's sacrifice. It is a great mystery to me why this fantastic film has virtually disappeared from circulation. It's one of the most perfectly realized films you'll come across. The acting, direction, and photography are superb. It's worth owning just for Bruce Smeaton's brilliantly unique musical score. I've tried, without success, to find Greek music in a similar vein.
Much of the opposition to the film in 1985 came from critics who insinuated an anti-Marxist political bias. But they missed the point. The film depicts the story of a mother removed from political machinations that are grinding around her. Eleni wasn't a reactionary, she was a loving mother. Besides, should "Shindler's List" be discredited for having an anti-Nazi political bias? Of course not. Great film.

The story of Eleni is one of tragedy and should be seen by all. It tells of the horrors of the Greek Civil War of the late 1940's and the determination of one woman's fight to save her children. While the Greek version of this story is more detailed about Eleni, the English version still gets her story across and includes the inner story of her adult son's turmoil of resolution of his mother's murder. I also recommend Nicholas Gage's book of Eleni.

This is a fantastic true story about a boy, his mother and his family who are caught up in a communist revolution. If anyone is in doubt about what a choke hold communism can put on a country, see this movie.

It has been many years, but the film stays with me and does for movies what DARKNESS AT NOON by Koestler did in books with their anti-communist message. A very powerful movie, will not be seen in Moscow (or Cambridge,Mass. ) in our lifetime Roger Culpepper