Alexander the Great

On New Year’s Eve, 1900, a notorious bandit known as Alexander the Great escapes from prison on a white horse. He and his gang abduct English diplomats, holding them hostage in his village while demanding amnesty and the return of land to the peasants. He is initially hailed as a savior by the villagers, who have formed a community led by a socialist schoolteacher. Alexander does not join the community, and his authoritarian ways lead to internal strife. When the army intervenes to free the hostages, Alexander meets a tragic end, vanishing into legend.

Although the film alludes to the 1870 "Dilessi Massacre," the real-life Alexander was not a bandit, but rather the Greek guide of the British party! The film uses the name symbolically, with the initial "A" simultaneously referencing both Angelopoulos and the resistance leader Aris Velouchiotos. It stands as a "lone" entry in the director's body of work, filmed between the Trilogy of History and the Trilogy of Silence. It is one of the longest Greek films ever made, the product of an international co-production between Greece, Italy, and Germany; in fact, a rare 235-minute print on 35mm film still exists! Filming took place across Greece, from Dotsiko in Grevena to Hermoupolis and Sounion, concluding with a stunning panoramic vista of Athens. The great Akira Kurosawa paid tribute to the film, stating that while watching it, he felt "the pleasure of cinema in the most absolute sense of the term." The film sold 73,415 tickets during its initial screening in Athens, Piraeus, and the surrounding areas.