You need to research about the subject "the marbles of athens" before going to watch this movie, that is almost a drama-documentary, not like a common attoney judge film.
4 Reviews
More an idea than a movie
danielcalegari27 September 2020
Interesting Subject Matter But Rather Confusing and Uneven Script
classicalsteve16 December 2018
To review this adequately, I need to offer some background. From circa 2500 to 2000 BCE, Ancient Greek civilization essentially molded what would become Western Civilization. Art, architecture, government, and communication were spear-headed by the Greeks. In particular, Greek sculpture and marble relief were the envy of Ancient Europe. Then with the dawn of the Middle Ages and the rise of Christianity, their Civilization was all but forgotten. Many texts were lost. Their buildings crumbled. Many statues were destroyed by Christian iconoclasts.
Then in one of the most fascinating turns of history, Renaissance Humanism in Europe rediscovered ancient Roman and Greek culture. At first their texts were rediscovered in the 15th century and eventually printed in the late 15th and 16th centuries. And then in the 17th century, a new group of scholars eventually labeled antiquarians set out to find and understand both ancient and medieval culture and artifacts. By the 18th century, a rebirth of interest in ancient art and antiquities flourished all over Western Europe. In the 18th and 19th century, these scholars began excavating old ruins and ushered in a new field: archeology. Items were taken to newly founded museums in Europe. In particular, the Rosetta Stone and the Elgin Marbles ended up in the British Museum in the early 19th century.
Fast-forward 200 years. Now some countries are claiming certain artworks artifacts should return to their countries of origin. In particular, the Elgin Marbles which once resided inside the Parthenon in Greece are in the midst of a cultural tug-of-war. Greece claims they should return to Greece, and the UK believes they are rightfully theirs. The present film is about a fictionalized court case in which an American-Greek attorney fights in court for the Elgin Marbles to be returned to Greece.
The premise is definitely a fascinating idea. Unfortunately, the film is quite uneven. The attorney for Greece, Andreas (Pantelis Kodogiannis) upholds well in a script that at times became enigmatic. Some of the scenes are in flashback and it sometimes became confusing when were in "present time" and when were in the past. The rioting in Greece as a result of the financial crisis are shown in flash-back, and it wasn't clear until well into the film why were seeing the riots.
There is also a love interest, Eleni (Kassandra Voyagis). We finally understand they had been lovers and Andreas left Greece, but it's never made clear what exactly their relationship had been. Also the portrayal of the British museum curators was much to be desired. They are portrayed as pompous and self-righteous, as if the film wants us to despise them and have us root for the Greeks.
As to the question of the Elgin Marbles: the interesting aspect of all this is that when the Greeks became what we now call Greek Orthodox Christians in late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, for nearly 2000 years, they didn't care at all about their ancient past. These items were all around them, but the Greek Orthodox Church regarded them as heathen. Renewed interest in Antiquity began in Western Europe in the late Renaissance and Enlightenment, not in Greece.
British and French scholars from the late 17th and into the 19th century were the ones who began finding and studying ancient art and antiquities. Greek and Egyptian scholars did not come to the scene until much later. It was the French and the British, and to some extent the Italians, who saw the value in these artifacts. A French and British scholar were the ones who first figured out how to translate Egyptian hieroglyphs. Now of course, Greece claims they made a grave error two centuries ago by not treasuring their past. They were behind the French and the British by 300 years! And yet they feel they have to right to the items now held in the British Museum. My question, which is not addressed in the film: what would have happened to these artifacts if they had not been confiscated by the British and French? They may have been lost to time.
Then in one of the most fascinating turns of history, Renaissance Humanism in Europe rediscovered ancient Roman and Greek culture. At first their texts were rediscovered in the 15th century and eventually printed in the late 15th and 16th centuries. And then in the 17th century, a new group of scholars eventually labeled antiquarians set out to find and understand both ancient and medieval culture and artifacts. By the 18th century, a rebirth of interest in ancient art and antiquities flourished all over Western Europe. In the 18th and 19th century, these scholars began excavating old ruins and ushered in a new field: archeology. Items were taken to newly founded museums in Europe. In particular, the Rosetta Stone and the Elgin Marbles ended up in the British Museum in the early 19th century.
Fast-forward 200 years. Now some countries are claiming certain artworks artifacts should return to their countries of origin. In particular, the Elgin Marbles which once resided inside the Parthenon in Greece are in the midst of a cultural tug-of-war. Greece claims they should return to Greece, and the UK believes they are rightfully theirs. The present film is about a fictionalized court case in which an American-Greek attorney fights in court for the Elgin Marbles to be returned to Greece.
The premise is definitely a fascinating idea. Unfortunately, the film is quite uneven. The attorney for Greece, Andreas (Pantelis Kodogiannis) upholds well in a script that at times became enigmatic. Some of the scenes are in flashback and it sometimes became confusing when were in "present time" and when were in the past. The rioting in Greece as a result of the financial crisis are shown in flash-back, and it wasn't clear until well into the film why were seeing the riots.
There is also a love interest, Eleni (Kassandra Voyagis). We finally understand they had been lovers and Andreas left Greece, but it's never made clear what exactly their relationship had been. Also the portrayal of the British museum curators was much to be desired. They are portrayed as pompous and self-righteous, as if the film wants us to despise them and have us root for the Greeks.
As to the question of the Elgin Marbles: the interesting aspect of all this is that when the Greeks became what we now call Greek Orthodox Christians in late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, for nearly 2000 years, they didn't care at all about their ancient past. These items were all around them, but the Greek Orthodox Church regarded them as heathen. Renewed interest in Antiquity began in Western Europe in the late Renaissance and Enlightenment, not in Greece.
British and French scholars from the late 17th and into the 19th century were the ones who began finding and studying ancient art and antiquities. Greek and Egyptian scholars did not come to the scene until much later. It was the French and the British, and to some extent the Italians, who saw the value in these artifacts. A French and British scholar were the ones who first figured out how to translate Egyptian hieroglyphs. Now of course, Greece claims they made a grave error two centuries ago by not treasuring their past. They were behind the French and the British by 300 years! And yet they feel they have to right to the items now held in the British Museum. My question, which is not addressed in the film: what would have happened to these artifacts if they had not been confiscated by the British and French? They may have been lost to time.
Good...
RosanaBotafogo21 September 2021
Everything began to fall apart for the sculptures under attack by the Ottoman Empire., and disastrously perpetuated with Lord Elgin, who sliced up the works to steal them, recently tried to be rescued by the Greek Minister of Culture, still unsuccessfully, remembering that the donation was made by the Turks... Biased by the Hellenic causes, as a backdrop to a fictional infantile Love, in my opinion, the restitution of works from Athens to Athens would be favorable "Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar"...
The Parthenon Marbles need to be returned, but this film is a mess
random-707781 April 2021
I have to wonder about another reviewer here calling himself a classist and saying the apogee of Ancient Greek civilization was "2500 to 2000 BCE."
That is actually earlier than the classical age (by 1500 to 2000 years), earlier than archaic even earlier than Mycenean period.
The classical or golden age of Greece, and when the Parthenon marbles were created was in the period were the fifth and fourth centuries BCE ie from about 500 to 300 BCE, not 2,500 or 2000 BCE!
Also Roman and Greek Culture were not rediscovered in the 15th century CE , they were widely known and living and breathing in the Byzantine Empire with many western European scholars visiting Constantinople, and visa versa all through the "dark ages." Now let's get to this film. It is perhaps the worst argument for return of the Parthenon Marbles I have seen. The parthenon marbles need to be returned, waver poll and survey of UK citizens shows a majority want them returned to Greece, and that majority grows every year. The British Museum holding a "receipt" from, of all things, a brutal and genocidal occupying's power is no different than if the Wailing Wall had been carted away by the Nazis. But this film makes a botch of the case for return.
The classical or golden age of Greece, and when the Parthenon marbles were created was in the period were the fifth and fourth centuries BCE ie from about 500 to 300 BCE, not 2,500 or 2000 BCE!
Also Roman and Greek Culture were not rediscovered in the 15th century CE , they were widely known and living and breathing in the Byzantine Empire with many western European scholars visiting Constantinople, and visa versa all through the "dark ages." Now let's get to this film. It is perhaps the worst argument for return of the Parthenon Marbles I have seen. The parthenon marbles need to be returned, waver poll and survey of UK citizens shows a majority want them returned to Greece, and that majority grows every year. The British Museum holding a "receipt" from, of all things, a brutal and genocidal occupying's power is no different than if the Wailing Wall had been carted away by the Nazis. But this film makes a botch of the case for return.
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