Product Details

• Actors: Harvey Keitel, Erland Josephson, Maia Morgenstern, Thanassis Vengos, Yorgos Michalakopoulos
• Directors: Theo Angelopoulos
• Producers: Ulysses' Gaze ( To Vlemma tou Odyssea ) ( Lo Sguardo di Ulisse ), Ulysses' Gaze, To Vlemma tou Odyssea, Lo Sguardo di Ulisse
• Format: Import, PAL, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 4 (Read more about DVD formats.)
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: AV Channel
• Run Time: 173 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• ASIN: B000FBURZC
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #155,747 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Australia released, PAL/Region 4 DVD: it WILL NOT play on standard US DVD player. You need multi-region PAL/NTSC DVD player to view it in USA/Canada: LANGUAGES: Greek ( Dolby Digital 2.0 ), English ( Subtitles ), ANAMORPHIC WIDESCREEN (1.85:1), SPECIAL FEATURES: Interactive Menu, Making Of, Photo Gallery, Trailer(s), SYNOPSIS: 'A,' a Greek filmmaker living in exile in the United States, returns to his native Ptolemas to attend a special screening of one of his extremely controversial films. But A's real interest lies elsewhere--the mythical reels of the very first film shot by the Manakia brothers, who, at the dawn of the age of cinema, tirelessly criss-crossed the Balkans and, without regard for national and ethnic strife, recorded the region's history and customs. Did these primitive, never-developed images really exist? If so, where are they? - 'Why 'A'? It's an alphabetical choice. Every filmmaker remembers the first time he looked through the viewfinder of a camera. It is a moment that is not so much the discovery of cinema, but the discovery of the world. But there comes a moment when the filmmaker begins to doubt his own capacity to see things, when he no longer knows if his gaze is right and innocent.' --Theo Angelopoulos SCREENED/AWARDED AT: Cannes Film Festival, European Film Awards, Goya Awards, ...Ulysses' Gaze ( To Vlemma tou Odyssea ) ( Lo Sguardo di Ulisse )

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Flawed, difficult, but brilliant, December 20, 2010

By 

K. Gordon - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ulysses' Gaze ( To Vlemma tou Odyssea ) ( Lo Sguardo di Ulisse ) [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.4 Import - Australia ] (DVD)

On the surface, this is deeply flawed; there's some awkward dialogue, Harvey Kietel is OK, not amazing, the female characters are thin. But it's so damn full of breathtaking images, brave cinematic choices, multi-minute long shots, and a heart rending climax, that the flaws don't seem important some how. The story: A Greek film director caught in his own mid-life artistic and personal crisis goes on an odyssey to find lost footage by Greece's first filmmakers, traveling through the Balkans and revisiting his own life in the process. I can certainly understand the mixed reviews. This isn't an easy film, and if watched in the wrong mood, or without knowing what you're getting into (a slow, thoughtful 3 hour rumination on life, the past and art) could be very off-putting. But accepted on its own terms, warts and all it's an amazing odyssey; visual, emotional and thematic.

If you can, find a copy of this on the Greek 'New Star' DVD line. All those transfers were made more recently, and were personally supervised by Angelopoulos, leading to a significant image improvement. Sadly, those discs were only out a short while, and now can be very difficult to locate.