| DAYS
OF '36
(Greece,
1972, 110 minutes, colour)
Directed
by : Theo Angelopoulos
Written by : Theo Angelopoulos, Petros Markaris,
Thanassis Valtinos and Stratis Karras
Cinematography by : Giorgos Arvanitis
Production design by : Mikes Karapiperis
Music by : Giorgos Papastefanou
Sound by : Thanassis Arvanitis
Edited by : Vassilis Syropoulos
Produced by : Giorgos Papalios
With : Giorgos Kiritsis (Lawyer), Christoforos
Chimaras (Minister), Takis Doukakos (Chief of Police),
Kostas Pavlou (Sofianos), Petros Zarkadis (Lukas Petros),
Christophoros Nezer (Prison Warden), Vassilis Tsaglos
(Guard), Yannis Kandilas (Kreezis), Thanos Grammenos
(Sofianos' brother)
SYNOPSIS
A trade unionist is assassinated at a workers' rally
and a former police informer, Sofianos, is arrested
and charged with the murder. The accused, a greatly
troubled personage, currently out on probation, an ex
drug-trafficker is being used to infiltrate and bring
down his old accomplices. He is visited in prison by
a Conservative Member of Parliament with whom he has
a homosexual relationship. Using a smuggled gun, the
prisoner takes the politician hostage creating an embarrassing
and increasingly absurd scandal for the authorities.
The government find themselves in a delicate predicament.
If they do not free the hostage they will lose the support
of the Conservatives and if they do the support of the
democrats.. Forced to deal with a situation they cannot
control and when «reason» and threats fail, they attempt
to dispose of Sofianos, at first clumsily (a botched
attempt to poison the prisoner), then, finally, with
the devastating accuracy of a bullet as they send in
a sharpshooter to finish the job. Order is finally restored
but in the process two facts have emerged that reflect
Angelopoulos' view of Greek history as portrayed in
this film. Firstly that the government was so weak and
corrupt that the actions of one person almost brought
it down and secondly that it was so incompetent that
it could solve a problem only through murder.
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