Yes, I'm Greek; but that doesn't matter about my high rate for this film.
I'm actually very hard when reviewing Greek productions, especially those about Historic events.
This film totally surprised me - positive.
I didn't expect to see a SO WELL dramatic anti-war WW2 by a Greek director and producer. Most of the Greek films about the WW2 are very bad (in direction/production), extremelly very melodramatic and they lack of realism. This is VERY dramatic, VERY emotional and VERY realistic!
Obviously, there are some mistakes. Although the SS uniforms are quite good & accurate, some (or more) of the civilians/prisoners clothing are modern (not of that period, 1944). Also, some dialogues are "too much" for me or for realism. I understand, the main role character (the GREAT HERO of Left Wing, Napoleon Soukatzidis) as interpreter but also as man had a special releationship with the camp commander, but some dialogues were "too much" - the Greek hero had "too much" audacity/nerve, so a "normal" Nazi SS commander wouldn't accept his tone.
Also, during the outdoor scenes when they were tranfering the prisoners to execute them, there are modern signs and other modern things on the road scene - the production failed to cover/removed them from the scene. Finally, the execution scene took much too long. Yes, I understand, the main character (Napoleon Soukatzidis) actually had the #167 number (of the 200 total) to stand on the wall and get shot - so, a lot other prisoners would executed before him - but even so, the director could have a dramatic shot and a "fade out" (avoiding the repeated scenes of the shooting).
I left the VERY BEST in last:
I believe I watched probably THE MOST HEROIC & MOST POETIC and DRAMATIC scene I ever watched in a similar film!!! "The Last Dance" the night before the execution!!! When the "200" realized they've been selected for execution and not for move them to other camp... suddenly one starts the music with a violin some other started playing a Cretan lyre... and soon you watching the entire "200" dancing with pride fast happy Cretan dance (and Pontiac dance, afterwards) and they keep dancing all night long!
I never watched SO HEROIC-POETIC & DRAMATIC scene, in my intire life! I've watched a lot similar films, I knew all about this story (is one of the most notorious stories from the Nazi Occupation in Greece)... but oh boy, how much I cried with pride, watching these men dancing and singing loud and saying "good-bye" to the LIFE itself and welcoming death!
An AMAZING film, a rare "gem".
I'm actually very hard when reviewing Greek productions, especially those about Historic events.
This film totally surprised me - positive.
I didn't expect to see a SO WELL dramatic anti-war WW2 by a Greek director and producer. Most of the Greek films about the WW2 are very bad (in direction/production), extremelly very melodramatic and they lack of realism. This is VERY dramatic, VERY emotional and VERY realistic!
Obviously, there are some mistakes. Although the SS uniforms are quite good & accurate, some (or more) of the civilians/prisoners clothing are modern (not of that period, 1944). Also, some dialogues are "too much" for me or for realism. I understand, the main role character (the GREAT HERO of Left Wing, Napoleon Soukatzidis) as interpreter but also as man had a special releationship with the camp commander, but some dialogues were "too much" - the Greek hero had "too much" audacity/nerve, so a "normal" Nazi SS commander wouldn't accept his tone.
Also, during the outdoor scenes when they were tranfering the prisoners to execute them, there are modern signs and other modern things on the road scene - the production failed to cover/removed them from the scene. Finally, the execution scene took much too long. Yes, I understand, the main character (Napoleon Soukatzidis) actually had the #167 number (of the 200 total) to stand on the wall and get shot - so, a lot other prisoners would executed before him - but even so, the director could have a dramatic shot and a "fade out" (avoiding the repeated scenes of the shooting).
I left the VERY BEST in last:
I believe I watched probably THE MOST HEROIC & MOST POETIC and DRAMATIC scene I ever watched in a similar film!!! "The Last Dance" the night before the execution!!! When the "200" realized they've been selected for execution and not for move them to other camp... suddenly one starts the music with a violin some other started playing a Cretan lyre... and soon you watching the entire "200" dancing with pride fast happy Cretan dance (and Pontiac dance, afterwards) and they keep dancing all night long!
I never watched SO HEROIC-POETIC & DRAMATIC scene, in my intire life! I've watched a lot similar films, I knew all about this story (is one of the most notorious stories from the Nazi Occupation in Greece)... but oh boy, how much I cried with pride, watching these men dancing and singing loud and saying "good-bye" to the LIFE itself and welcoming death!
An AMAZING film, a rare "gem".