- Theo Angelopoulos' Trilogy: The Weeping Meadow

(aka "Trilogy: The Weeping Meadow" or "Eleni" or "Tårarnas Äng")

directed by Theo Angelopoulos
Greece 2004

Angelopoulos moves his forces like a juggernaut to stage formidable set-pieces, coups de théâtre that impress with their vast scale without necessarily engaging our emotions. In his most remarkable feat, he constructs a low-lying town in a dry lakebed only to drown it for a spectacular inundation. There follows a floating funeral on a water-borne raft, players posed beside the open coffin, as a flotilla of boats proceeds with a flourish of black flags. Prows part the water as the camera glides ahead, like a courtier preparing the way, but a sudden change of angle confronts us with a massive phalanx of figures reflected in the floodwater, with blue sky streaking the top of the frame.

While primal drums beat, village women dance around a flaming bonfire bearing icons, turning to superstition to lift the “dark curse” that sent torrential floods. Later, a demonstration of tribalist revenge puts dozens of dead sheep hanging from a tree (the camera panning down to the blood mingling in the mud). More than before, Angelopoulos here succumbs to a cosmic miserabilism, allowing the churning dark clouds above and the mud below to seep into his work.

Excerpt from Robert Kessler's comments at Bright Lights Big City HERE

Posters

Theatrical Release: 12 February 2004

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DVD Comparison:

New Yorker - Region 1- NTSC vs. Sandrews - Region 2 - PAL vs. Artificial Eye - Region 2 - PAL

Big thanks to Arvid and Per-olaf Strandberg for the Screen Caps!

(New Yorker - Region 1- NTSC LEFT vs. Sandrews - Region 2 - PAL - MIDDLE vs. Artificial Eye - Region 2 - PAL - RIGHT)

DVD Box Covers
Distribution	New Yorker Region 1 - NTSC	Sandrews Region 2 - PAL	Artificial Eye Region 2 - PAL
Runtime	2:42:10	2:42:15 (4% PAL speedup)	2:42:20 (4% PAL speedup)
Video	1.78:1 Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 6.26 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s	1.78:1 Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 6.06 mb/s PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s	1.78:1 Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 5.23 mb/s PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate: New Yorker
Bitrate: Sandrews
Bitrate: Artificial Eye
Audio	Greek (Dolby Digital 2.0)	Greek (Dolby Digital 2.0)	Greek (Dolby Digital 2.0)
Subtitles	English, None	Swedish, Norwegian, None	English, None
Features	Release Information: Studio: New Yorker Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 1.78:1 Edition Details: • Interview with Angelopoulos (29:00) • Trailer • Booklet with a print interview with Angelopoulos, an abridged modern Greek history timeline, and an essay by the director DVD Release Date: Dec 19th, 2006 Keep Case Chapters 22	Release Information: Studio: Sandrews Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 1.78:1 Edition Details: DVD Release Date: 2005-06-15 Keep Case Chapters 24	Release Information: Studio: Artificial Eye Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 1.78:1 Edition Details: • Interview With Theo Angelopoulos (4:3 / 29:10) • Theatrical Trailer (2:22) • Filmography ( 1 page) • Biography (1 page) DVD Release Date: June 27th, 2005 Keep Case Chapters 17

Comments:

ADDITION: New Yorker - Region 1- NTSC - Dec 06 - We can tell by the times that the New Yorker was taken from an unconverted PAL source and hence exhibits the artifacts associated with that frugal process (combing and a dulling of the image clarity). There really isn't much else to say - it has that usual greenish haze over it that many NY'er European films transfers have. It offers the same director interview as the Artificial Eye, but does include a nice booklet - it's only positive attribute. We strongly recommend the Artificial Eye release for this magnificent film.

***

Artificial-Eye are going to release 11 more films of the great director Theo Angelopoulos in the near future! We can't wait.

The picture in the AE disc is very sharp, and even tough I haven't seen this in cinema, it looks like this should be the original colors for the film.

We get a solid 2.0 mix, where most of the information is on the front speakers. Why the 5.1 mix is absent I don't know, maybe there wasn't enough space on a single disc?

In the extras we get a 30 minute interview with Theo Angelopoulos. He's speaking of the collaboration with Tonino Guerra, about the actors and the music in his films.

Great work AE ! (Thanks Per-Olaf Strandberg)

*****

It is very tough to say which is most correct - colors are very slightly varied in the two transfers, but they are equally as sharp. Obviously the deal-breaker for many is that the Sandrew has no English subtitles. We feel the Artificial Eye is the more accurate representation.

-Gary Tooze

DVD Menus

New Yorker - Region 1- NTSC

(Sandrews - Region 2 - PAL - LEFT vs. Artificial Eye - Region 2 - PAL - RIGHT)

Screen Captures