Greek period drama film directed by Fotos Lambrinos, and written by himself, Anna Makraki and Panos Theodoridis.
At the beginning of the 14th Century, the Byzantine Empire is in turmoil. All of the Empire’s frontiers are under high pressure from its enemies and a civil war is in the making. Living in a village in the Byzantine “thema” of Macedonia, Xenos, witnesses his father’s death and his mother forming a relationship with the village elder. When she gives birth to the elder’s son, Xenos is sent to live in a monastery. When the boy reaches adulthood, he chooses the life of a soldier in the Byzantine army and swiftly rises through the ranks as the civil wars emerge.
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Original Title: Δοξόμπους
IMDb rate: 5,5/10 (original version)
Cast:
Dimitris Siakaras
Varvara Mavromati
Panos Theodoridis
Tasos Palatzidis
Stefanos Kyriakidis
Movie Trivia:
1. “Doxobus”, the original 95m. feature film, has been criticized heavily for lack of consistency, a mostly uneventful plot, and incoherent narration. This edit removes irrelevant dialogue and rearranges some scenes so that the plot makes sense while leaving the film’s merits intact.
2. It is one of the few Greek films dealing with the history of the Byzantine Empire.
3. The film stands out for the great cinematography by the internationally acclaimed Giorgos Arvanitis, mostly known for his work on the films of Theo Angelopoulos (most notably “Landscape in the Mist”, “Ulysses’ Gaze” and “Eternity and a Day”). His career spans almost six decades, including films like “Iphigenia” (dir. by Michael Cacoyannis and starring Irene Papas), “Total Eclipse” (dir. by Agnieszka Holland, staring Leonardo DiCaprio), “Cri de femmes” (dir. Jules Dassin, starring Melina Mercouri) and “The Butterfly’s Dream” (dir. Marco Bellocchio).
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