Eternity and a day

The film marks the conclusion of the famous "Border Trilogy" which began with To Meteoro Vima tou Pelargou (The Suspended Step of the Stork, 1991) and continued with To Vlemma tou Odyssea (Ulysses' Gaze, 1995). With this work, Theodoros Angelopoulos brought Greece its first Palme d'Or at Cannes, awarded by a unanimous committee vote. This victory served as a sense of vindication following 1995, when the creator had expressed his intense disappointment after To Vlemma tou Odyssea (Ulysses' Gaze, 1995) failed to secure the top prize. The lead cast features the great Swiss actor Bruno Ganz in his first Greek collaboration—a relationship that would be repeated later for Angelopoulos' sake. Initially, the director intended to work again with Marcello Mastroianni, but the Italian star's failing health prior to his death in 1996 made this impossible. Notably, Petros Fyssoun dubbed into our language the voice of Ganz, while Pemy Zouni provided the voice for Isabelle Renauld. The film marked the debut of young Achilleas Skevis and the final cinematic appearance of Alexandra Ladikou. Filming took place in the characteristic landscapes of Thessaloniki, Florina, Arnaia, and Kakoudia in Halkidiki. Musically, the film is graced by Haris Alexiou performing "Panselinos o Erotas" (Full Moon Love), with music by Eleni Karaindrou and lyrics by Kostas Georgousopoulos. Its commercial run was exceptional, ranking second in ticket sales for that season with a total of 200,000 tickets.