Eternity and a Day is the last part of the Balkan trilogy directed by Greek director Theo Angelopoulos, and the film is still a continuation of his typical style that utilize long takes to construct film language. This article selects a long shot of about 90 seconds starting at 1:46:30 and ending at 1:47:57 at the end of the film, while the shot is not the longest or the most striking one in the film but it also has its special role.
First of all, this shot achieves the transcendence of linear time and space-time and the overlap of time and space in the same shot. And the shot focuses on the Alexander's last meeting and conversation with the poet - Dionysios Solomosthrough time and space. they boarded the bus together, and the bright yellow light in the bus temporarily dispelled the sadness and misery in the hearts of the two people, which is the only happy journey in the film. And people coming and going on the bus in fact also metaphorically refers to the life of the Alexander. At the end, the great poet, his spiritual pillar in his later years, who longed to write in his native language but failed to fulfill his long-cherished dream until his death, boarded the bus. The poet looked at Alexander and recited a poem, which included “radiant sun”, “no trace either of clouds or mist”, “endless sky”, “petal of heart” and “life is sweet”. The placement and timing of this shot is unique.Before this shot is the old man and the child experienced a day of reality in the sad people and things finally trust and rely on each other, after this shot is the separation of the little boy and the old man which means they need to each face the unchangeable reality and meet their destiny. This shot happens to take place at night, therefore this shot seems to be a warm dream arranged by the director for Alexander and the little boy, a memory that sums up his life, or the last radiance of the setting sun that give him a last glimpse of light and happiness.therefore this shot seems to be a warm dream arranged by the director for Alexander and the little boy, a memory that sums up his life, or the last radiance of the setting sun that give him a last glimpse of light and happiness.therefore this shot seems to be a warm dream arranged by the director for Alexander and the little boy, a memory that sums up his life, or the last radiance of the setting sun that give him a last glimpse of light and happiness.
At the same time, this shot directly leads to the Alexander 's question is also the director's question and the final appearance of the poet leads to the theme about time and eternity. The poet appears at the end to recite the final verse telling the protagonist that life is so sweet, which seems to be the opposite of the day the protagonist is experiencing. In one day, he confronted the reality and the cruelty of society such as seeing countless people die on the borderline and saw the irreparable regrets of the past , even the future to go to the hospital to face the days of waiting for death, however his spiritual anchor, the man he admired, told him that life is sweet. The director tells the story through a desperate, seemingly tragic philosophical way of thinking , but through the joy of the bus shot and the poet's poetry is actually encouraging the audience to use optimism to interpret the concept of life and death, so as to achieve a deep exploration of the fate of mankind's discursive view of the film. Although the poet does not directly answer Alexander 's question, it is the first time in the film that he asks the question of time and eternity that has plagued he all his life, and is worth exploring as a human being. It also paves the way for the final theme of the film to deepen.and is worth exploring as a human being. It also paves the way for the final theme of the film to deepen.and is worth exploring as a human being. It also paves the way for the final theme of the film to deepen.
The visual composition of the shot also contains deep meaning. The poet enters the bus and sits on different sides of the carriage with Alexander and the little boy, arranging two people from different time and space in the same space, while also reducing the distance between the two time and space to only the aisle of the carriage, adding a unique poetic and temporal shift, forging a heavy sense of time and history. As the poet began to recite the poem, the camera gradually advanced and focused on the poet, especially when the poet finished reciting the poem and was ready to leave, through the focus of the camera, you can clearly see the poet looked back and seemed to want to say but still, making people think about. And after the poet left, the camera did not move, waiting for the Alexander 's anxious pursuit but did not get any answer,making this shot restrained but direct, calm and bland but passionate and spirited.
In terms of sound design, this shot is mostly silent except for the poet's chant and the natural external murmur of the bus. It is also the director's use of de-dramatization, through understatement, silence or suppression of emotions as well as leaving a gap leaving some moments where nothing happens including silence, pauses, and long strolls (Bordwell, 2005, pp 152-153). The two techniques are combined in this shot. First, the poet boards the car, the director keeps the shot of the poet strolling to his seat, and leaves two periods of blank silence. First, the poet boarded the car, the director keeps the shot of the poet strolling to his seat, and leaves two periods of blank silence. First, at 1:46:40 , the poet sits down and is silent for about ten seconds before slowly turning to Alexander and beginning to read the poem,followed by a medium close-up. There is also a silence of about 10 seconds between 1:47:38, when the poet stands up to leave, and 1:47:49, when the poet finally leaves. The first 10 seconds of silence gives Alexander and the poet a moment of contemplation with objective camera language, as if giving the audience a moment of silence to think. The second ten seconds of silence will allow the audience to observe in detail, to appreciate the complex inner world of the characters from their facial expressions and subtle changes.The second ten seconds of silence will allow the audience to observe in detail, to appreciate the complex inner world of the characters from their facial expressions and subtle changes.The second ten seconds of silence will allow the audience to observe in detail, to appreciate the complex inner world of the characters from their facial expressions and subtle changes.
If the whole film is exploring the question about how long tomorrow will be, or about time and eternity, then this shot gives the poet's answer and also better helps Alexander to find his own answer. Time seems to be a mystery, the cycle never stops , and because of this absolute change of time, it is the true meaning of the wonderful life, and those in the passing time dazzling
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