The "great-journey" motif, mind-boggling sequences, and sparsely dialogued three hour running time of Theo Angelopolous' recent film Ulysses' Gaze make it cinema in the tradition of 2001: A Space Odyssey. Like Stanley Kubrick's 1968 classic, Ulysses' Gaze is quite a stirring movie. With Homer's Odyssey as its thematic source, Angelopolous' film sensitively addresses the twentieth century Balkan conflict.
The movie opens with grainy black and white footage of Slavic community life in the early 1900's: we see women doing laundry, men at work outside, etc. These early recordings of regional customs are passionately pursued by "A" (Harvey Keitel), an exiled contemporary filmmaker returned to his native Greece. A has only heard of these films Ð they remain undeveloped Ð but to him they represent an innocent perspective blind to ethnic differences; they are insights into an era long since gone. Observing the devastating effects of present-day war, A travels the Balkan peninsula in search of these elusive reels. He visits film archives to inquire after their whereabouts, but he only encounters a cold shoulder. These films are taboo, not to be discussed, they only evoke hatred in this day and age of war and ethnic intolerance.
As usual, Keitel is compelling, but for atypical reasons. His character is a man of few words, and those spoken are thick with metaphor and mystery. Keitel floats through this picture, disconnected and silent, dazed by the harsh conditions in the Yugoslavian region. His face alone describes a man disturbed to the core by the region's unrest. In one memorable train scene he expresses frustration, anger, and then desire without raising or lowering his voice; his eyes do all the talking.
Angelopoulos nicely retells Homer's classic in this modern context. Like Ulysses, Keitel's filmmaker returns covertly to find chaos in his homeland. In a fantastic scene that parallels Ulysses' experience in Hades, A imagines himself speaking with deceased relatives at a New Years Eve celebration. In it, the passage of several years is suggested by the people drifting in and out of the camera's view, and strange men who come in and clear the room indicate political turmoil of 1940's Greece. When A bids farewell to a young woman before heading down river for distant lands, we are reminded of Ulysses leaving Calypso for the open sea In a brilliant reconstruction of the Circes episode, another woman attempts to keep A in her house by putting a hole in his boat. Like the conniving goddess of Odyssey, the young woman attempts to seduce her guest. He, like Ulysses, is able to defend himself from her charm, and eventually gains the psychological upper hand on her. Like Homer's hero, Keitel encounters terrible sights and tricky situations, but manages to maintain his focus and carry on.
Ulysses' Gaze resembles a bleak dream; in this gray world of desolate streets and gutted houses and nameless people, our hero drifts towards Sarajevo, tracking down some undeveloped glimpses of a brighter time. People tell him that they once had possession of the reels, but now no longer do. They are further on, they might not even be recoverable, they tell him. For all of the despair of this film, there is an undercurrent of hope embodied by the youth orchestra - comprised of young Bosnians, Croatians, Serbians - that plays in the streets of foggy Sarajevo. Their music represents faith and courage and an innocence that A feared had been lost.
Ulysses' Gaze is long and requires patience. It may have benefited from a more liberal editing job, but for the most part the drawn out scenes help establish the sense of a arduous odyssey. However, the cryptic way in which A speaks is a little frustrating sometimes you want him to just say what he means without becoming overly prosy. The film has subtitles but also makes use of English; sometimes the transitions from language to language are a bit disconcerting. The prospective viewer may also benefit from studying a little bit on the Balkan situation and its history, as I wish I had done prior to seeing Angelopoulos' film. But these are trivial matters, and do not much interfere with the audience's appreciation of this fascinating movie.
Indeed, Ulysses' Gaze handles pertinent subject matter with original style. It's hypnotic cinematography, sensitive acting, and haunting musical score make watching it a unique experience. It inspires thought and emotion long after you've left the theater.