ILM EACHING

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ILM EACHING
Slaskie Zory
Thriasio Elefsina

• Mourning Rock
• the film from A to Z

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• The class found that
• The silhouettes of the living women remind us of
  the shadows in Hades, the ancient Greeks
  underworld. Everyone is a Passenger in this
  world.
• The black and white photograph is in accord with
  the films theme, life and death. And Life again.
• An ancient stone, like the well in the
  foreground, is Memory itself. It tells you
  stories, if you are willing to listen. There she
  sat, the sad mother in search of her lost
  daughter Persephone. Even a goddess as Dimitra
  can feel the pain of loss. Accordingly the
  christian world built a small church at the same
  spot for another Mother, the Virgin Mary.
• This well quenched the thirst of man and
  beast. It is also a tunnel leading to the
  valley above or below, depending on ones point
  of view.

The shadows of the living are those of mourning
women on their way to the Virgin Marys church,
on a day of remembrance for those deceased. The
procession takes them through the ancient ruins
of a one-time cemetery and place of rituals that
had to do with death and afterlife. The
photograph is worth a thousand words. It unites
ancient and modern Elefsina, our town, our
people, our lives but also is a sober commentary
on human predicament in the industrial era. This
is not a dark or morbid film. It is the story of
a town and its people during a period of over ten
years, seen through the eyes of a pilgrim. We,
the class of 2006, are intimate with this film.
It is part of our growing up.
Film reviews
Where and how one sets the camera is a moral
issue. Every angle in filming becomes an ethical
choice. Ph.Koutsaftis, the director
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eschylos, the Elefsinian-born ancient dramatist.
We watch his statue on the move and finally
placed at the towns entrance. He wrote Seven
against Thebes. It is assumed that the seven
ancient graves in Elefsis belonged to those
kings. gelastos Petramourning stone, the well in
Elefsis where goddess Dimitra sat disguised as an
elderly woman in mourning for the loss of her
daughter. spropyrgosthe neighboring town, also
in the industrial area. It owns his name to a
Hellenistic white tower, the ruins of which are
shown in the film. ttici, the name for our region
goes back 2500 years phrodite, goddess of love
and beauty. The cubbyholes in the rock held
peoples dedications to the divine through the
ages. They still do! drian, the roman
emperor-benefactor, who had the aqueduct
built. rcheologosarchaeologist. For the last 20
years, Mrs Papaggelli, seen in the film, is
responsible for the site and the museum of
Elefsis. naskafiexcavation. Perceived from above
it is an open wound on the body of the
earth. krokeramoornamental tile
I never asked the workers in the excavations to
repeat a gesture for the films sake. The hand
that removes an ancient vase from its earthly
nest brings a cosmic circle to a close, so to
speak. Its beginning was made 2.500 ago from the
person that placed it there. Ph. Koutsaftis, the
director
Photo taken from www.elefsina.gr
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yzantinoanything to do with the Byzantine era,
during which Elefsis was abandonned (4th century
15th century), mainly for fear of pirates.
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hanges are inherent in anything human. So are
they in the documentation of a towns existence.
Photo taken by the poet Andreas Embirikos in 1955
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imitra, goddess of the Earth. She came to Elefsis
in quest of her daughter, Persephone, abducted by
Hades, god of the underworld. Pleased with her
mortal hosts, she taught them the cultivation of
barley and the Elefsinian rituals. ramaancient
theatrical play, divided in tragedy, comedy and
saryrical drama iamartiriaprotest. Elefsinians
are deeply involved in the towns predicament. In
their anxiety about the future they often protest
against the local industries. imoskopisipoll. In
the film the people of Elefsina voted against
industry expansion,in what proved to be a futile
attempt to stop pollution.
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lefsis. Our towns ancient name meaning
Arrival cclissakismall church. You can see
that of St Zachariah with the antiquities
integrated in the Christian structure, Panagia
Messosporitissa, dedicated to the Virgin Mary,
built inside the archeological area, St Nicholas
on the beach, associated with miraculous events,
and St.George, Elefsinas patron
saint. rgostasiofactory. Cement and steel, are
produced here and petrol is refined. rgatisindust
rial worker. Hard working conditions of the past
are recalled by pensioners in the film.
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ylakaskeeper. They know a lot about the historic
sites they keep, which to them is a second
home. ovos tou thanatoufear of death. The
Elefsinian rituals eradicated it from human
hearts. otiafire. The film starts with the the
flame burning from the industrial chimney, a sad
parallel to Persephones torch. Its double nature
is seen in the industrial accident of 1992 and in
fire-jumping in the streets. iloksenia
hospitality. A neat table with a few humble Greek
dishes and a glass of water along with a warm
welcome within short notice is what we call
hospitality.
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alatasmilkman. His professions extinction,
documented on film, signals the end of an era in
the towns history.
There is something sacred about our ground.
Ancient relics are preserved through the
centuries, waiting to be discovered by modern
Man. Does this happen elsewhere, I wonder? Corina
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istory is everywhere you tread on in
Elefsis ierophant the priest in charge of the
Elefsinian rituals. He showed the initiated
terrible sights but comforted their hearts about
life after death. asanthe Greek Muslim from
northern Greece is among the workers in Iera
Odos.
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era odosthe sacred way the initiated took from
Athens to Elefsina. It covered a distance of
approximately 22 kms. Part of it was revealed
within the decade the film was made. van one of
the refugee workers at Iera Odos. His name is the
Russian equivalent to John. (see
J) conostasismall structures resembling
churches, usually seen at the edges of the
streets where fatal traffic accidents occurred.
Eleni is seen in the film lighting their candles
in an ageless Greek memorial custom.
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iannis o Rossos St.John the Russian. The 18
year-old-youth canonized in the 20th century
lived in 18th century Turkish-occupied Russia. He
is still much revered in Greece, as shown in the
film.
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ronos in mythology he was a titan, in Elefsis it
was the name of a factory, now used for cultural
events. terismataburial gifts. Among them an
ancient mirror speak of mundane
beauty. afeniocoffee shop, with a traditionally
male clientele, a meeting place where political
and social issues are discussed over a small cup
of Greek coffee. atastrofidestruction. The word
used for the 1922 tragedy in Asia Minor.
Following the defeat of the Greek army by the
Turks, one and a half million refugees sought
sanctuary in Greece. Most of the elderlies seen
reminiscing in the film are refugees. ore the
small statue of the young woman running away
during Persephones abduction is back home after
traveling to the USA
She must have been a woman on her bloom Corina,
who was the one to note the specific scene.
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imaniport. Along with the neighboring shipyard
it is one of the towns landmarks eoforiobus.
The word means that which transports the
people. Since the first shootings of the film
transportation has dramatically
improved. ofoshill. The rituals hill was
brought down by the cement industry, and its
French tower broken to pieces so that it could be
rebuilt elsewhere. Iksiarheio registry office.
Even a dull bureaucratic process acquires poetic
value through Ph. Koutsaftis camera.
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ystesthe initiated in the Elefsinian rituals.
The word has to do with myoI half-close my
eyes, and mysticosecret ysteriarituals. Those
initiated swore not to reveal their secrets.
Thus, little is known about them to this
day. armaro marble, the stuff ancient monuments
are made of.
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ecrotafiocemetary. Many modern houses are built
on ancient graves. omismacoin. When found in a
tomb, it signifies the fare of the boatman that
takes souls to the other side of existence. A
custom surviving up to this day.
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nomanames mentioned in the film Ancient,
Hermeia, Nikostrati,, Ameinoklia, Evnapia,
Kreokratia, Isithoti, Eleni, Antiphon, Ninion,
Kallias ChristianMartha, Polytimi, Rozalia,
Maria, Despina, Spyridoula, Argyro, Hariklia,
Soultana, Chryssa, Alexandra, Popy, Koula Kostas,
Michalis, Dimitris, Petros, Aggelos, Giorgos,
Panagiotis, Nikos, Stelios, Vassilis, Stratos,
Vaggelis Foreign Hasan, Ivan
Our names Maria, Antonia, Corina, Cornelia,
Christina, Eleni, Fotini, Katerina, Anna,
Aggeliki Kostas, Alexis, Christos, Giorgos,
Thomas, Thothoris, Nikos, Giannis
The highlighted names are of Hebrew or Latin
origin
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ersephone, goddess of the Underworld, associated
with the four seasons. ascha Easter, Passover,
the Christian answer to antiquitys regeneration
myths. appousgrandfather. Elderly people are
kept and looked after in many Greek
households. rosphygesrefugees. Elefsina was a
second home to the Greek people chased away from
Asia Minor by the Turks in 1922 anagiotis
Farmakisthe homeless man with a passion for
antiquity. Remembered by our class even if long
departed. He lived above the earth and below the
stars and the coat covering his head may have
ranked him with the towns fools to the common
mind, but to the maker of the film it hid the
halo (see S) luto or Hades, god of the valley
below etrola, the name of the refinery in
Elefsina apagiannis street, named after a good
doctor who benefited the town ombiprocession,
another word related with the Elefsinian
rituals siphosvote. Greeces gift to
civilization is democracy, the Olympic games,
ancient drama and philosophy. ireaus, the port of
Athens not far from Elefsina. lastiras, Greek
army officer during the 1922 defeat by the Turks.
His was the only regiment to return in order from
the Turkish front. A favorite with the refugees
he later got involved in politics.
I profited from the film, because I got to learn
more about Persephones myth. Christina, who
joined the school in 2005
After his funeral, he is brought back to life by
the force of filmography.
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uotes from the film
The only thing of value is memory. Elefsis always
has something of its mystery to reveal to those
who revisit it (Seneca, roman philosopher, 1st
century) Death to join the ranks of the
immortals. Death is not a bad thing but a good
thing for mortals (inscription on Glafkos
monument) Where do you live? Above the earth
and beneath the stars P.Farmakis, homeless EKAS
I VEVILI Ye who are profane, leave! (ancient
inscription on the temple) Let me be unworthy if
ever I forget you, beloved Smyrna(Davids psalm
paraphrased by papa-Kostas, the refugee
priest) Who is man? What is man? The shadow of a
dream. (Pindar, ancient poet born 522/518
b.C.) What grieves me bitterly, son, is that,
however much we Greeks have suffered, we were
never able to be united.Everything weve suffered
has gone down the drain. (Hariclia, the elderly
refugee from Smyrna)
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odi pomegranate. Persephone was made to eat its
seeds in order not to forget herself while
visiting her mother and to return to the valley
below. It is still a custom to put pomegranate
seeds in memorial offerings containing boiled
wheat. Both are fruit of the earth, protected by
the goddess Dimitra. oman baths were also
discovered in our town.
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alaminathe island seen from our beach. Famous
for a victorious sea battle against the Persian
forces (5th century b.C.) alosname given to
divine fools. They lived during the Byzantine era
and were canonized having shown signs of
sainthood, despite their unconventional behavior.
A modern representative could be Panagiotis
Farmakis. arcofagus ancient marble tomb with
decorations not intended for burial keletosskelet
on. Among those seen in the film, is the twin
burial of the Elefsinian horsemen who died in the
battlefield in Lefktra (371 b.C) kia shadow. The
class toyed with the word in its fearlessness of
death, typical of their youth.
"Ye who read are still among the living, but I
who write shall have long since gone my way into
the region of shadows. For indeed strange things
shall happen, and many secret things be known,
and many centuries shall pass away, ere these
memorials be seen of men. And, when seen, there
will be some to disbelieve, and some to doubt,
and yet a few who will find much to ponder upon
in the characters here graven with a stylus of
iron." from Edgar Allan Poe's "Shadow a
Parable" (1835).
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itancement factory constructed in 1902 in
Elefsina, also a gigantic mythological
figure hriasiothe valley containing Elefsina and
its neighboring towns, Aspropyrgos, Mandra,
Magoula. A welcome site for a military
airport. ragodiatragedy, the religious drama
dedicated to the god Dionysos. heodoros
Tsigosmayor of Elefsina, businessman and father
of the painter Thanos Tsigos. He allowed the
refugees to settle in our town (mentioned as the
man with the lantern) in 1922. opio landscape.
Alterations brought on by force of Man and not
Nature, are visible in the decade during which
the film was made. afiburial. In the film
ancient burials in a vase, in a rectangular tomb
and in a sarcophagos (see S) are seen. They
should not be viewed as morbid sights rather than
sleeping places. hanatosdeath of people, of
ships, of buildings is just a means to reveal
another existence (see Z). halassa the Sea. A
beautiful prehellenic word for an element of
Nature that is closely associated with Greek
history.
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nplace,that is what the fever of industrialism
has made of the one-time sacred city of Elefsis
nderword, Hades, Hell or is it just a resting
place for all natures dormant rejuvenating
forces?
The undiscoverd country, from whose bourn/ no
traveller returns Hamlet, III, I
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iolation of the landscape will undoubtedly lead
to a violated soul. This film is a warning sign
to those who can heed.
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ill there ever come a time When the Great Bears
and the Gypsys soul And my initiated own, Will
join in celebration? There
will Aggelos Sikelianos, IERA ODOS
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enos stranger Give me the stranger a phrase
in a Good Friday hymn, about Christ handed over
to Pilot.
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mnoshymn. Orthodox hymnography is at its best
during the holy week preceeding Easter, when
Christ is lamented by Mary as Her Sweet Spring
and the churche s gates are bid to open and let
the priest come in, just as Christ entered the
Underworld. Arate pylas Open the gates! E WHO
ARE PROFANE, LEAVE! (The ancient warning to the
uninitiated)
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oiLIFE
We, who are about to graduate, salute you. 1st
Lyceum of Elefsina, undergraduates, class 1 April
2006
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Mourning Stone is an austere film with an
impeccable sense of metre. The materials used
during the shooting result in an outcome that
defies stereotypically beautiful pictures and
evokes poetry. Most probably, the fact that we,
mortals, often avoid bending over the fundamental
questions of our existence, preferring to be
absorbed in less important things, is a way of
defence that ensures our mental balance. Most of
the films that appear on screen try to abstract
our minds from most crucial issues. "Mourning
Stone", on the contrary, is a beneficial breath
of self-knowledge in a long and, sometimes,
incredibly tedious marathon. Giorgos
Panayiotakis
It appears that in the film the viewer
recognizes the daily distress within each one of
us, a distress about the place, a distress about
things, about time. Seeing it in the film, each
one feels that a breeding ground of resistance
against uniformity does really exist. One is
comforted in this thought and can identify. "The
concept of the environment cannot be separated
from memory. It regards being conscious of life
itself, of the quality of life, it is a piece of
oneself. Otherwise, you become poorer. He who
does not have an essential relationship with
nature and history is an invalid". F.
Koutsaftis interview to Giorgos Elafros

• Winner of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture
  National Cinema Award for Best Documentary
• Winner of the audience award
• Winner of the Union of Greek Film Critics Award
• Winner of the CINEMA magazine Award

Whyever did Koutsaftis himself succeed in
creating with so poor materials such a film of
beauty, love, tenderness and compassion? Because,
simply enough, "beauty will save the world" and
"Mourning Rock" is a beautiful film having as
protagonists our beautiful stones, our beautiful
traditions, the beautiful people who live here
and love our small town. The question how death
is trodden by Deathis answered by Koutsaftis'
protagonists. Eternal be their memory. Vasos
Ftohopoylos
If Rubliovs Holy Trinity is of any significance
to the orthodox flock , if Halepas is the most
vigorous voice in contemporary sculpture and
Papadiamandis voices the unutterable wisdom of
our race , this film is the foundation stone of
Greek cinematography, precisely because it
doesnt pretend to it.Dont miss it. It will be
as if you have never got to really know your own
brother. Eleni Stavropoulou
The bottom line is you didnt fear to exhibit
your most personal feelings. We can watch you,
hear you, feel your breath and anxiety. Vena
Georgakopoulou