Alexander the Great (Ο Μεγαλέξαντρος)

Alexander the Great

by Theodoros Angelopoulos.

Once upon a time

a foreign king came to conquer the land of our ancestors.

Alexander who came from the Elli,

a race of warriors who ruled in the mountains,

assembled his brave Macedonians,

chased the foreign king and freed our land.

Afterwards he moved on into the depths of Asia

vanquishing and liberating nations and tongues.

One evening,

as he was looking at the sun setting into the great river,

a sadness fell upon him.

That very night he left his companions

and went away alone

searching for the end of the world.

Long live the 20th century!

Who's there'?

Who's there'?

I came onto the stage in darkness.

The orchestra was playing the introduction. And suddenly...

light!

All lights on me!

The men were calling out excitedly.

They threw their hats up in the air.

- What's he saying? - Something in ancient Greek.

Minister!

Is it true that you are resigning to join the opposing party'?

You must be happy tonight. You have danced with the King.

- It is of no importance. - Indeed.

Ray of the sun,

fairest light of all those shining on seven-gated Thebes,

at last you appeared.

O eyes of golden day,

coming over the streams of Dirce,

you sent away the White-shielded warrior from Argos,

running from here, with your piercing bridle.

L, Alexander,

captain of the rebels

write to his Majesty the government and the Ambassador of England.

The lords are in good health.

Your Grace must arrange

for the landowners to give back the fields to their rightful owners.

There must be an amnesty for me and my men

and all the other prisoners who took to the mountains

because we were wronged

and tried to get back what was rightfully ours from the landowners and the moneylenders.

When you have done what I ask, I shall free the lords and the ladies.

Then no innocent blood will have been spilled.

Alexander!

Alexander! Alexander!

Alexander!

And thou shalt call his name Alexander.

- No one knows Where he came from. - He was found as a child, Wandering

and when I asked him his name, he said, "Alexander".

And no one ever learned anything more about him.

Holy the bread Holy the Wine.

Holy the hay for the horse

Alexander the Great, you are the wind.

And St George, slayer of the dragon.

Holy the silence Holy the sound.

Holy the great word

Alexander the Great, you are the sun

and St George, slayer of the dragon.

Five years of hard labour, Captain.

It blurred my judgment.

Message from the government.

The government offers to pay

any amount of ransom money required to release the hostages

but it is impossible to grant a general amnesty

as this is expressly forbidden by the constitution.

We are Italian anarchists, wanted by the police.

We've heard people talk about Alexander.

We're going to the village too!

Turn round!

Welcome to the community.

We are glad to see you among us again. You belong here.

This village is your village too.

But since you went away,

there have been many changes. You'll see it for yourselves.

We thought we'd gather tomorrow

to discuss every aspect of the situation,

including the kidnapping of the foreigners.

Teacher, vve are all very glad.

Yes! Yes!

Only we must not put the village and everything we have worked for in danger.

Yes! Yes!

The lords are mighty men. The countryside will be swarming with soldiers.

Yes! Yes!

Tomorrow. We'll talk about all that tomorrow.

Tonight we celebrate your homecoming.

Captain and the rest of you, welcome.

Welcome, father.

I have come home, dear Wife.

Piero Cori has told us about your experiment in organising a village commune.

I met him in Paris.

I saw him again in '93 at the Labour Congress, in Genoa.

- We didn't always agree. - Yes. We know.

The loathsome mask has fallen. The man remains.

Sceptreless. Free.

Uncircumscribed. Equal.

Classless. Tribeless. Nationless.

Exempt from all worship, decree. King over himself!

It's like a dream.

Who are you'?

Italian anarchists, wanted by the police.

What do you want'?

To stay here

as long as it is necessary to avoid arrest.

We shall respect your convictions.

But in order to stay, you must obey the laws of the community.

Work in the community Workshop...

in the sheepfold...

and elsewhere.

Conform to the rulings of the elected judges.

Defend the community in case of danger.

Respect the sovereign authority of the community.

There is no private ownership.

Everything belongs to all.

Men and Women have equal rights.

Father, let me in!

Let me in!

Father, let me in.

Let me in.

Father, let me in!

Go ahead, Teacher!

Tell me, fair youth, so handsome and honest.

Which country do you come from'?

I Worship the people.

The world is my country.

Freedom of thought is my faith.

Houses belong to the men who live in them.

It's shameful to ignore this.

Time belongs to philosophers.

Houses belong to the men who live in them It's shameful to ignore this.

Time belongs to philosophers. The fields belong to the men who toil in them.

Goodbye my beautiful home, goodbye.

Beloved mother and father.

Welcome to the feast and to the community.

I'll be a fearless fist for the Revolution.

Like Leonidas, I'll know how to die.

Teacher,

the village has changed.

After so many years in jail,

we have returned and we haven't got anything.

Everything belongs to the community.

Our houses are not our houses any more.

We have to beg for our Women

to beg for our children to beg for our cattle.

Captain, we are surrounded.

The army is everywhere - in the bushes, by the river, in huts.

Why, Captain?

We had forgotten all about it.

We don't need the time here. No one rules us.

Down with clocks!

Message from the captain, Alexander the Great!

The little lord has a cold.

The others are well

but they have begun to be afraid

that you are going to sacrifice them

in the name of the nation's prestige and so on and so forth.

- In our last lesson... - Teacher!

I suggest there is no lesson today.

No matter what has happened, we must go on like before.

That is Why no issue should be left unaddressed.

There is the question of the slaughtered sheep. I move for a trial.

They have to be here to be tried. Who's going to bring them in'?

We believe the time has come to give a political meaning to the kidnapping.

We must consider the Englishmen political prisoners

- and put them on trial. - As enemies of the people.

Since this morning, we are besieged. Events have overtaken us.

The slaughtered sheep are the least of our Worries.

The decisions do not come from us any more.

We are the majority, Teacher.

Angel's Sword. Listen to the eternal word.

The blade knows no law, your head will fall.

If you don't kill, you'll be killed.

You bow your head, the blade is merciless.

If you hesitate, you'll be massacred.

If we resort to violence, we are lost.

Their relentlessness will be met with relentlessness.

Old man, builders say that a stone has seven faces. It's wise to try them all.

I move that the trial takes place as if they were present

and the sentence will be carried out when we return to normal.

We, the elected judges of the community,

shall pronounce sentence on Alexander and his men,

accused of the wilful destruction of communal property.

Captain Alexander and the rest of you, what is your defence?

I caught him trying to enter the village secretly.

He wants to talk to you.

He sent his scribe.

British Warships have blockaded Phaliron bay. Their guns are pointing at Athens.

My government has submitted its resignation.

Greece will be a laughing stock.

Why doesn't the government grant amnesty?