"THE TRAVELLING PLAYERS" "A film by Theo Angelopoulos" "The play you are about to see in five acts is Spyridon Peresiades' immortal idyll" ""Golfo the Shepherdess", with a superb cast of famous actors, both seasoned players and others who are young." "The love of Golfo, tragic and profound, deep in your heart will resound." "In the fall of 1952 we returned to Aegion." "A few veterans, but mostly younger actors." "We were tired." "We hadn't slept for two days." "LONG LIVE MARSHAL PAPAGOS!" "THE SAVIOUR OF THE NATION" "If we don't want to see our streets" "If we don't want another Red December..." "We must all rally around the Marshal." "With your vote you can make this coming Sunday, the 16th of November 1952, a historic day." "A day of victory for the national forces." "This is why you must vote for Papagos." "By voting for him you vote for the only national candidate." "For the man who led our army to victory... against the communist rebels in 1947-49." "A vote for the Marshal is a vote for peace, prosperity, law and order." "Tomorrow afternoon..." "The Minister of Propaganda of the Third Reich, Goebbels, accompanied by Ioanis Metaxas, our National Leader," "will pass through our town on his way to ancient Olympia." "The National Youth Organization invites everybody to welcome him, suitably and respectably dressed for the occasion. "" "Ioannina" "Lefkada, Xanthi..." "Leave it, father." "I'll do it." "Write down the dates too." "You will come back." "No matter how many years go by, you will come back, full of remorse, to ask forgiveness." "One night in shame you will come back." "It won't come out!" "Why is everyone happy and smiling, father?" "Why don't you get your little bastard." "Dammit!" "Dammit!" "Because on a golden day like this, my child the black tears stopped, old wounds were healed." "The wheat grew tall." "And the stones turned into flowers and golden streams." "Left turn!" "Forward march!" "Why?" "Didn't you like it?" "You will come back." "No matter how many years go by, you will come back, full of remorse, to ask forgiveness." "Broken-hearted, you will come back." "Why is everyone happy and smiling, father?" "Why is the sun so bright today?" "Why is the day so clear?" "Because on a golden day like this, my child" "the black tears stopped, old wounds were healed." "The wheat grew tall and the stones turned into flowers and golden streams." "You, this way." "In room 15, the others in 17!" "The day has come and in the dawn the morning star has set." "The peaks are drenched in sunlight and nightingales sing." "Partridges bathe in the streams but the proudest partridge of them all, the beautiful Golfo, has not appeared." "But here she comes!" "Good day to you, Tassos." "Good day to you, Tassos." "Good day to you, Golfo." "They might be watching!" "No one can see us save the birds of the forest." "And the birds?" "Not like that... scared... the way your mother would say it." "No one can see us save the birds of the forest and the surrounding peaks." "And the birds?" "From the beginning, comrade." " Good morning." " Good morning." "Hello, mother." "Don't look at me." "I look awful in the morning." "I'm on a 48-hour pass." "We leave for the border in a couple of days." "At least you don't hate me like your sisters." "Still the same obsession!" "I knew you'd come." " Again?" " I dreamt about it." "No, this was something different." "We were in a garden." "It was summer." "You were three or four years old." "The air was fragrant." "Someone was singing." "No, it was Mr. Kokinos playing the violin." "Remember him?" "Then, I don't know what happened." "You ran to me." "Hid between my legs." "I held you tight until you started to sink inside me" "and disappeared." "I got up then." "Mr. Kokinos was still playing the violin." "But I couId feel you inside me." "Good day to you, Tassos." "Welcome, beautiful partridge, for whom my eyes pined." "Good day to you, Golfo." "Orestes!" "Orestes!" "Orestes!" "How are you, father?" "I am rotting!" "The daisy told me that you don't love me." "That you no longer adore me." "You cannot melt away my sadness, however sweet your caresses... however sweet your caresses... however sweet your caresses... having great power." "And the earth was illuminated with his glory." "And he cried out in a mighty voice saying:" "Babylon!" "Babylon the great has fallen!" "When are you leaving?" "Tomorrow morning... for the border, from what they say." "Then we'll soon be at war here, too." "One night I crossed the river!" "There can be no doubt for any Marxist, that a revolution is impossible without revolutionary conditions." "What are the characteristics of revolutionary conditions?" "When a crisis breaks out in the ruling classes" "When a crisis breaks out in the ruling classes and indignation of the oppressed classes emerge." "When the misery and suffering of the oppressed classes take a more acute form." "When as a consequence of the above mentioned conditions there is a great increase in the activity of the masses who in times of peace quietly allow themselves to be robbed but in revolutionary times are forced by circumstances and the crisis in the ruling classes" "towards independent historical action." "We must explain to all governments:" "We know you are the armed force against the proletariat." "We will march against you, in peace, whenever possible, with guns when it becomes unavoidable." "Feasts!" "Bread!" "Gallows!" "Tell me, girls..." "How are you doing?" "Where are you going?" "Here comes Golfo and there's Tassos, too." "Come in and see them." "Outside don't wait, the play is great!" "Don't debate, it's already eight!" "Tell me, you guys..." "How are you doing?" "Where are you going?" "Here comes Golfo and there's Tassos too." "Come in and see them." "The day has come and in the dawn the morning star has set." "The peaks are drenched in sunlight and nightingales sing." "Partridges bathe in the streams but the proudest partridge of them all, the beautiful Golfo, has not appeared." "But here she comes!" "Good day to you, Tassos." "Welcome beautiful partridge, for whom my eyes pined." "They might be watching!" "No one can see us save the birds of the forest and the surrounding peaks." "And the birds?" "What is it?" "What's wrong, Golfo?" "How can we be together when you run from the eagle's shadow." "How can we be together when you run from the eagle's shadow." "I thought it was the shadow of a man." "Don't be afraid." "Only God is here to see us and surely it is His wish" "that we love each other faithfully and honourably." "Look around you Golfo at the clouds around us which like a mist, like a blanket thrown from heaven" "shield us from malicious gossip and indiscreet eyes." "You are my only thought, my only dream..." "And truly I pray for you and light a candle to the Virgin Mary." "You will come back." "No matter how many years go by, you will come back, full of remorse, to ask forgiveness." "One night in shame you will come back." "When you realize you were mistaken, broken-hearted you will come back." "In the meantime the Turks occupied Karahissar." "It was August 1922." "The front was breaking up." "Our soldiers arrived, threw down their arms." "The Greek Army no longer existed." "Disaster had struck." "I managed to board an Italian ship, swimming all the way from Aghia Triada." "Thank God there were the Italians." "They had designs on Asia Minor too but they were more human, but they were more human, and bringing them to Greek soil." "Whlle the French, the Americans and especially the British who helped cause the war as it served their own interests" "showed the worst conduct." "I boarded that ship with nothing on but my pants." "Finally, we arrived in Keratsini." "I was so hungry." "I longed for spaghetti cooked in oil." "I kept saying to myself:" "I wish I had something to eat!" "I jumped into the sea." "The others jumped too." "I jumped into the sea." "The others jumped too." "He gave me an old shirt to wear." "I set out for Piraeus with a man from Chios." "We reached a country tavern where they were cooking beans." "There was a couple inside." "I asked for some water." ""Where are you from?" they asked." ""We are the first refugees from Asia Minor," I replied." ""Sit down," said the couple." ""Give them something to eat. "" "We ate a whole portion of beans." "They also treated us to some retsina wine." "It turned out that they were royalists." "It turned out that they were royalists." "And some nonsense about the last king of Byzantium." "I said: "I've eaten, I thank you, goodbye!" And we left." "I was furious." "We spent the night in a church in Piraeus." "All the refugees had gathered there." "I slept in a pushcart." "In the morning I told my companion from Chios:" ""We'll go find work. "" ""Where?" he said." ""Wherever we see a smoke stack, we'll go. "" "We finally saw one." "I was barefoot." "I asked the guard at the factory:" ""Excuse me, we are refugees." "Are there any jobs for us?"" ""Come in," he said." "They gave us 2 drachmas a day and a place to sleep." "It was better than nothing!" "In the meantime I wondered what had happened to my family." "I saw an old neighbour." "How are you?" "He was the brother of Vassilis, the actor." ""Your oldest brother was lost," he told me." ""Your father, mother and the kid got off at Mytilene. "" "I searched heaven and earth to find them." "But I never did." "Black is the night on the mountains," "On the cliffs, the snow is falling." "In the wilderness, in the darkness... on the hills, on the rocks, on the paths..." "The Greek draws his sword!" "At 5:30 this morning, 28th October, 1940." "the Italian Armed Forces attacked our frontiers along the Greek-Albanian border." "Our forces are defending the land of our fathers!" "Our show tonight is dedicated... to this first army communique and to victory." "The day has come and in the dawn the morning star has set." "The peaks are drenched in sunlight and nightingales sing." "Partridges bathe in the streams but the proudest of them all, the beautiful Golfo, has not appeared." "But here she comes." "Good day to you, Tassos." "Welcome, beautiful partridge, for whom my eyes pined." "They might be watching." "No one can see us save the birds of the forest" "No one can see us save the birds of the forest" "And the birds?" "What is it?" "What's wrong, Golfo?" "How can we be together when you run from the eagle's shadow." "I was terrified." "I thought it was the shadow of a man." "Don't be afraid." "Only God is here to see us and surely it is His wish that we love each other faithfully and honourably." "The daisy told me that you don't love me... that you no longer adore me." "I did it!" "At first they didn't want to take me." "I said: "Take me even as an auxiliary. "" "In the end they took me." "Undress." "Are you coming?" "Are you coming?" "where everything in life is fleeting." "Come and place a kiss on my hair." "If we don't want to see our streets smeared once again with the hammer and sickle." "If we don't want another Red December..." "We must all rally around the Marshal." "We must all rally around the Marshal." "the 16th of November, 1952, a historic day." "A day of victory for the national forces." "This is why you must vote for Papagos." "A vote for the Marshal is a vote for the only national candidate." "For the man who led our army to victory... against the communist rebels in 1947-49." "His victory will mean peace, prosperity, law and order." "Is this where you said the Englishman was hiding?" "You!" "I was terrified." "I thought it was the shadow of a man." "You made me drunk, you made me mad." "I lost my head." "I don't know what to say." "Oh, God!" "They'll kill each other!" "Oh, God!" "They'll kill each other!" "And I'll scratch your eyes out, you and that witch." "Take this bread and cheese, child." "I'll go and tend my sheep." "Are you still standing, you ingrate!" "Kneel and ask forgiveness from that angel!" "Kneel and ask forgiveness from that angel!" "is Spyridon Peresiades' immortal idyll" ""Golfo, the Shepherdess", with a superb cast..." "It looks like the Englishman managed to escape at night." "We have information he was hiding on stage last night, disguised as a woman." "disguised as a woman." "Informer!" "Bitch!" "I came from beyond the sea, from Ionia." "And you?" "Fire!" "I can feel your daughter watching us like a dog." "Why don't you send her away?" "Anyone who doesn't like it can leave!" "I escaped from prison with six others." "When the front collapsed, they handed us over to the Nazis." "The resistance movement is growing, Electra..." "I got a message from Orestes." "I'm leaving for the mountains to find him." "How many ships have floundered in your eyes blue as the sea." "Ships whose only purpose was to dock in love's harbour." "In your mischievous blue eyes, my wildest dreams, my sweetest dreams were swallowed up," "my sweetest dreams were swallowed up, hurling against the rocks of your heart." "Never before in my life have I ever seen such eyes, so blue, so large, so bright." "Tell me, you girls..." "Where are we going?" "What are we eating?" "How I love the girls... a bit of thigh, a bit of breast... come to the cafe.." "with a wonderful play." "Such lips and eyes." "Such firm young bodies you'll never hope to find anywhere." "Everyone outside!" "Me, comrade!" "It's the partisans!" "Turn off the lights!" "They're gone!" "They're gone!" "Now is the time to forge the public order... and our democratic liberties!" "Countrymen, let us unite" "with the national army and our allies" "for the liberation of Greece, under the leadership of a government of National Unity." "GOVERNMENT OF NATIONAL UNITY" "FREEDOM TO THE PEOPLE" "And now happy at last, free from fascism!" "We can all go home, brothers, together, all together," "now that the occupation is over." "Enslaved people, tortured people," "the wind of freedom is blowing." "Onward!" "And all together let us cry:" "Onward, brothers!" "THE WIND OF FREEDOM IS BLOWING." "ONWARD!" "AND ALL TOGETHER LET US CRY:" "ONWARD, BROTHERS!" "Partisans, soldiers of the People's Army!" "Break the bonds of slavery!" "The bell of freedom is ringing!" "Let all the slaves rise up!" "THE BELL OF FREEDOM IS RINGING!" "Comrades, let's rise and take to the streets." "Men and women, with guns in hand." "Faithful always to the red flag." "United with the party which summons you." "Tear down the foundations of palaces and thrones... heavy chains, emblems and laws." "Shame to the worker, shame to the slave who doesn't drown such a life in blood." "Till when the foreign boot?" "Onward, revolutionaries!" "Halt!" "Tell me, oh Muse of the much troubled hero..." "No sign of Golfo as yet." "Perhaps some misfortune has befallen her." "Tassos, my son!" "Forgive us, father." "Golfo poisoned herself and I stabbed myself." "A single grave I beg you dig and bury us there together, in each others arms." "My children!" "Tassos!" "Golfo!" "Dead!" "The world kept them apart." "But here they lie united in the grave." "Would you believe that she refused to be my wife?" "Me, the nephew of the richest of shepherds, grandson of the proudest family in the region?" "Golfo, know that Kitsos is deadly serious." "If you love another your fate will be black and bitter." "Dogs will devour you and vultures your lover!" "My Golfo never insulted anyone." "What are you saying?" "You're telling me these lies?" "She insulted me to my face and you're defending her." "She insulted me to my face and you're defending her." "I said good day and she, drunk with rage, hurled insults at me." "I couldn't catch her for she ran away." "Or else I would have brought her back to you dead." "Don't pay attention to what women say!" "They have the brain of a bird." "Miserable creatures!" "Forget Kitsos." "I, who am his uncle tell you plainly:" "I will never consent to Kitsos... marrying Tassos' mistress!" "You talk too much, shepherd." "Wait and see!" "Take it easy, Master Zissis." "Get lost!" "For God's sake!" "Leave me alone!" "My God, they'll kill each other!" "No!" "The daisy told me that you don't love me, that you no longer adore me." "You cannot melt away my sadness, however sweet your caresses." "however sweet your caresses." "I don't believe you any more, I tell you!" "The daisy told me that you don't love me and so I weep in despair." "No!" "No!" "No!" "Who else was with him?" "Where is he now?" "In the mountains!" "Who else was with him?" "In the mountains!" "In the mountains!" "In the mountains!" "After the Germans left the country, in the fall of 1944, in October," "the British, under General Scobie, entered Athens and the first government of National Unity was formed." "There were demonstrations, enthusiasm." "Because we all believed in the liberation, because we had all given of our best." "We even believed in alliances and the aIllies." "We even believed in alliances and the allies." "to have the People's Army disbanded, after the resignation of the communist ministers," "and when we saw the Nazi collaborators, free and armed again by Scobie," "we felt betrayed." "They told us to take part in the demonstration, but in fact the people took to the streets spontaneously." "But the British had planned it." "They wanted an armed confrontation." "But we didn't know it." "The people took to the streets carrying flags, full of emotion, shouting." "The blow on that Sunday in December, took us by surprise." "Many had brought their children." "No one expected it." "The masses filled the squares." "It was indescribable!" "They were on the roof of the King George Hotel, and on the pediments of the royal palace." "We could see the barrels of their guns all around us." "We were surrounded by police." "The crowd was shouting." "Suddenly we heard shots!" "I was in the middle of the square." "Someone was hit near the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier." "The people dipped a flag in his blood and raised it high up and began shouting:" "FREEDOM!" "FREEDOM!" "NO MORE OCCUPATION!" "And they kept firing at us from the pediments." "Suddenly, someone else was hit in the square." "We fell to the ground." "Near me a boy with a bugle." "He was wounded" "but he got up and stood on the sidewalk shouting:" ""One more time, I want to cry out, to blow my bugle!" "He fell." "They took him away." "I don't remember." "We regrouped and marched forward." "At the corner further down there was a group of policemen." "We surrounded and disarmed them." "But the others kept firing at us from the roof." "We kept marching." "Britishers and Americans watched indifferently from the windows of the King George hotel." "We reached Omonia Square." "There they fired at us a second time." "Some were taken to hospital." "Those less badly wounded we took with us on stretchers made from doors we wrenched from nearby houses." "The victims were buried the next day, December 4th." "We took to the streets again." "On the way back we were attacked again by the fascists and the militia in Omonia Square." "The only thing I remember:" "The crowd down on their faces in the square and the barrels" "of the guns protruding from the hotel across the square." "In two days there were 28 dead and more than 200 wounded." "That same night the People's Army responded with attacks on police stations." "Fighting began." "Barricades." "The battle of Athens lasted 33 days." ""Representatives of the Greek government" ""Representatives of the Greek government after holding a conference at Varkkiza in order to examine in common ways and means of ending the civil war and reconciling the Greek people, have reached the following joint agreement." "Upon signing the Protocol the chairman of the Conference made the following statement:" "On behalf of the government and the Greek people" "I wish to express our gratitude to the representatives of the British empire and to General Scobie, chief of the Expeditionary Forces, who by their presence and sustained interest in Greek affairs, have given us" "in Greek affairs, have given us is sincerely concerned with the future of Greece." "Long live Great Britain!" "Article 1" "The government will ensure, according to the constitution and established democratic principles, the free expression of the political convictions of the citizens," "abolishing of all pre-existing, repressive laws." "Article 3" "General amnesty is granted to all political offences committed between December 3 1944 and the present signing." "Members of the People's Army who fall to surrender their weapons to the authorities by March 15, 1945 are excluded from this decree of amnesty." "are excluded from this decree of amnesty." "Upon publication of the present Agreement, armed resistance groups and particularly the forces of the People's Army," "are disbanded." "are disbanded." "will be carried out according to the special provisions of the Protocol drafted by the Technical Committee." "Article 9 Both delegations agree, to invite the great allied powers to invite the great allied powers the expression of the genuine will of the people." "Athens, February 12, 1945"" "THE INN AT GRAVIAS" "THE INN AT GRAVIAS in Greek history, was the battle of Gravias." "The Turks were on their way to attack Amfissa." "Then Panourgias and others occupied the mountain passes near Gravias." "occupied the mountain passes near Gravias." "and asked who among them wanted to join him in the dance." "One hundred and eighteen fighters followed him singing." "Once they got to the Inn he shut all the doors and cried:" "Brave soldiers!" "Our country is asking us to do our duty!" "What do you want?" "Who are you?" "What do you want?" "People of Greece, by order of British Imperialism," "on March 31st, the most disgraceful parody of elections will be staged." "The people are being led to the polls, under the spectre of terrorism, under the spectre of terrorism," "and ensure the return of the King, guarantor of British interests and of foreign and domestic capitalism." "The Varkiza Agreement was a farce." "Greeks, the only democratic stand is to stay away from the polls!" "is to stay away from the polls!" "Long live the People's Army!" "HAPPY 1946" "For years now we've been together and we are a well-matched pair," "and to spite the wicked world" "I'll never stop loving you." "I'll keep on loving you and don't you worry." "And I'll build you a little nest." "And when the dusk embraces you, we'll pair off like two birds." "If they tell me to leave you" "I would rather the sun stop shining!" "I would rather the sun stop shining!" "Let them talk and give me a kiss!" "The British cannons and the new decree have forced the rebels to run like hares." "The red bear has fled to the mountains, oh King." "British cannons don't scare us, or Scobie's new decree." "We've written these letters in our blood." "Freedom not Occupation!" "We want to and we'll do it." "We'll bring back the King who'll bring us our freedom!" "Yupie ya ya, yuppie yuppie ya..." "We don't want the King." "We want the people to rule, power to the people." "Yupie ya ya, yupie yupie ya..." "Yupie ya ya, yupie yupie ya... hand in hand with the British and the fascists, will march on Moscow." "General Scobie's cock is all tied up in knots." "He goes to a chic square," "He goes to a chic square," "General Scobie's cock is all tied up in knots." "And if the knots come undone, what will happen to British policy then, Scobie?" "There'll be more knots, General Scobie." "There'll be more knots, General Scobie." "but you'll never succeed in bringing back the King." "The people won't stand for fascism." "They will again raise their heads against British policy." "Come back, come back to your ancient nest, our King!" "Your people are asking for you." "Come back!" "And when you come you won't find any Reds here." "The nation's guardians will protect you." "Come back!" "Orestes hasn't turned in his weapons." "His group is still up in the mountains." "The war isn't over yet!" "We shall not shed a drop of Greek blood," "only the traitorous blood" "of rebels and communists, so that Greece can be saved." "You will have to choose between two camps." "You will have to choose between two camps." "and secret agents working for Moscow." "On the other a movement led by an honest fighter, a heroic soldier, Marshal Papagos!" "When the communists violated the Varkiza agreement and tried to seize power for the second time, our country" "was in mortal danger." "Two years of communist rebellion" "caused the death of thousands of people." "It was then that we appealed to the Marshal." "With the military and moral backing of the United States" "With the military and moral backing of the United States and saved Greece for the second time." "Those communists who were not killed sought refuge behind the Iron Curtain." "So peace was restored." "The Marshal returned home," "having done his duty." "Today he is asking for your vote." "Let the 16th of November 1952 be a day of victory" "for the national forces, a victory for the Marshal." "Did you sign?" "I was caught towards the end of 1947." "We were taken to Vourla, an old brothel turned into a prison." "All the inmates were political prisoners." "Then from Vourla to Lavrion and then to the island across, Makronissos." "The military prison of Athens they called it." "Besides the rebels, there were others... soldiers, cops, thieves..." "Jehovah's witnesses..." "They searched us." "They took our watches, our pens... all we had." "For some the torture began at once." "The interrogations stopped when you signed a declaration against the Communist Party." "I was to be tortured in the guardhouse upstairs." "I was to be tortured in the guardhouse upstairs." "unless you sign the declaration." "I refuse to sign, I said, even if you cut me to pieces." "Two or three hours later they took me down unharmed." "We didn't beat you, but act like you're limping so it will look as if we did." "About 8 o'clock they took me to the police station." "The sergeant turned me upside down, like a goat and beat the daylights out of me." "When he got tired the others started beating and kicking." "I fainted twice." "Then they took us outside." "It was winter, February..." "There were other prisoners." "They made us stand ten meters apart from each other." "Someone was standing guard." "In the morning they beat us again." "Then we were taken to carry large rocks from the sea." "We would take them up the hill and down again for no reason." "One of the tortured prisoners suffered from tuberculosis." "He went up the hill but his chest couldn't make it." "When he reached the top he started spitting blood." "They took him to the hospital." "They would beat us from 5 to 7 or 8 each evening." "And at night they would keep us spread apart from each other so that we couldn't communicate when they went to sleep." "Our feet were so swollen they burst our shoes." "I couldn't walk from the beating." "I couldn't walk from the beating." "Run, run!" "How could I run when I was dragging myself along." "They tortured me for two weeks." "As each blow fell and I groaned the others held their breath." "Little by little the others broke down one by one." "There were only 5 or 6 of us left who would not sign." "The put the pressure on us." "One evening in the twilight I saw them coming." "Camp guards and torturers from the other units, like beasts of prey." "We were outside on the wet ground." "They surrounded us." "This time, I thought, they'll finish us off for good." "I turned to the guy next to me." "going back on the road." "We'd like you with us again, like before." "I'll go over the obstacles." "The intervention of events, sounds, realignments, the intervention of navies from the raging open sea," "the popular speakers, my breast, the cries... the factories..." "October 1917..." "December 1944..." "For all this I have chosen to remain in rags as the French Revolution bore me," "as Mother Spain bore me," "a dark conspirator!" "When sometimes I hear with my own ears strange noises and distant whispers," "when I hear trumpets and songs, endless speeches, hymns and noises," "when I hear speak of liberty, of Biblical laws," "of an ordered life," "I always fall silent." "But someday, someday, I'll open my mouth." "The gardens will fill with waterfalls..." "The same dirtyards will become arsenals." "The same dirtyards will become arsenals." "reciting verses, not hymns, and never submitting to the terrifying power." "Once again they promise a weak freedom!" "Come in!" "Are you his sister?" "We didn't have time to notify you." "As you know he was condemned by a military court." "His sentence has been pending since November 1949." "I'm very sorry." "Good day to you, Tassos." "Let your lovely hair fly" "in the mad south wind." "Now that your youth has blossomed," "Let your lovely hair down." "I was looking for you." "Aren't you dressed yet?" " Are you nervous?" " No." "Orestes!" "In the fall of 1939 we returned to Aegion." "We were tired."