Great Movie
Added 9/8/2009
The story of Eleni is one of tragedy and should be seen by all. It tells of the horrors of the Greek Civil War of the late 1940's and the determination of one woman's fight to save her children. While the Greek version of this story is more detailed about Eleni, the English version still gets her story across and includes the inner story of her adult son's turmoil of resolution of his mother's murder. I also recommend Nicholas Gage's book of Eleni.
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Great story about the reality of communism on Greece
Added 4/4/2008
This is a fantastic true story about a boy, his mother and his family who are caught up in a communist revolution. If anyone is in doubt about what a choke hold communism can put on a country, see this movie.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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Left wing Hollywood machine
Added 12/9/2006
All freedom loving people need to remember how Communists and their twisted ideology destroyed the lives of so many millions of people around the world including this wonderful lady in a village in Greece.
Since this film truthfully depicts the horrors commited on innocent people in the name of Communist ideology, Hollywood will take its own sweet time in releasing it in DVD format.
5 out of 7 people found this helpful.
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Astonishingly authentic recreation of a period
Added 8/27/2006
Having lived in Greece during the period portrayed in the film, I was dumbfounded by the extremely accurate recreation of the period. In addition to their other accomplishments, the creators of this film (producers, set designers, scripwriters, director, actors and others) deserve great praise for authentically reproducing in every single detail the total environment of the Communist insurgency that lasted, with breaks, from December 1944 until the Greek army managed to finally crush the elusive rebels in August 1949. If there was an Oscar for authentic period reproduction, Eleni would win it hands down.
6 out of 7 people found this helpful.
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Powerful, Beautiful, Haunting
Added 8/5/2006
This true account of a mother's struggle in post-war Greece has haunted me for over twenty years. Since becoming a parent myself, I have often thought of Eleni's sacrifice. It is a great mystery to me why this fantastic film has virtually disappeared from circulation. It's one of the most perfectly realized films you'll come across. The acting, direction, and photography are superb. It's worth owning just for Bruce Smeaton's brilliantly unique musical score. I've tried, without success, to find Greek music in a similar vein.
Much of the opposition to the film in 1985 came from critics who insinuated an anti-Marxist political bias. But they missed the point. The film depicts the story of a mother removed from political machinations that are grinding around her. Eleni wasn't a reactionary, she was a loving mother. Besides, should "Shindler's List" be discredited for having an anti-Nazi political bias? Of course not. Great film.
4 out of 6 people found this helpful.
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