A Quest for Eternity 2018

Abstract

A Quest for Eternity (2018) is a research documentary produced during the PhD research of Iakovos Panagopoulos in the University of Central Lancashire with the title: "Reshaping Contemporary Greek Cinema Through a Re- evaluation of the Historical and Political Perspective of Theo Angelopoulos's Work”. The documentary consists of four different chapters and provides new information using the data from the semi-structured interviews analysing the approach of Angelopoulos’s style. The first chapter focuses on the historical/political aspects of Theo Angelopoulos’s films, especially in his first period up until Alexander the Great (1980). The second chapter emphasises the connection between Theo Angelopoulos’s work with the estrangement techniques of Bertolt Brecht. This chapter reshapes our knowledge regarding this connection and elaborates on the debate between the traditional Brechtian approach of Angelopoulos’s work and the post-Brechtian approach. Also, this chapter played a crucial role in the further development of my personal gaze in cinema and the work around the manifesto chapter of the research. The third chapter stresses the importance of Greek coffee shops (kafeneion) as an ideal location in Theo Angelopoulos’s films. This is the first time that there has been a specific research regarding this topic and the particular reasons behind this historical representation. So, this chapter also provides new knowledge about this topic. The last chapter talks about the birth of the Greek Weird Wave movement, contemporary Greek cinema, and how this new gaze could be influenced by Theo Angelopoulos’s work.

For the creation of this research documentary we had the opportunity to interview some of the most important researchers that devoted their lives and their careers to the work of Theo Angelopoulos. We were able to obtain some really interesting insights from them and to combine them with different field researchers (history, sociology etc.), in order to have a fresh approach of the universe of Theo Angelopoulos. There are key people featured in this documentary, including Prof. Stathi, Dan Georgakas, Prof. Horton, and Prof. Seferiadis, who are offering a new perspective on the form and style of his films.

Directed: Iakovos Panagopoulos
Written: Iakovos Panagopoulos
Produced: Iakovos Panagopoulos