Synopsis
Short film by Nikos Nikolaidis.
A free composition on the poem by Lambros Porfyras.
Lacrimae rerum
1962 Directed by Nikos Nikolaidis
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Nikos Nikolaidis, that infamous guy that directed an infamous film called Singapore Sling (1990), steps into the world of celluloid in 1962 with a free adaptation of a poem by Lambros Porfyras.
"Lacrimae rerum" is the Latin phrase for "tears of things" or "tears for things", which is derived from Virgil's poem Aeneid (c. 29–19 BC). In the passage, Aeneas is contemplating a mural in a temple at Carthage depicting a battle of the Trojan War. Reflecting on the detah of his friends and countrymen, he utters "sunt lacrimae rerum et mentem mortalia tangunt", which means: "There are tears of/for things and mortal things touch the mind."
This short film, which briefly falters technically regarding showing the corners of the…
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This reminded me of all the dreams I've ever had that took place in my house, and how objects and places I walk past every day are very subtly twisted. I always feel tense but, like most dreams, it never registers until I wake up. There is a lot more going on here that I've missed, but what I latched onto most was this gothic recontextualisation of the spaces we think we know; playful and taunting in equal measure. It's really something special.
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Not much to say about this short. Basically the equivalent of a somewhat abstract music video. Set to some great classical music, though.
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In this haunted film from Greek master Nikos Nikolaidis, presented as a free-form adaptation of the poem by Lambros Porphyas, the ornate interiors of a church are cast under blankets of light and shadow. Nikolaidis’s roving camera takes us through three different environments (beach, church, house) and death seems to lurk in every corner and fixture. There is a recurring dilapidated statue (eventually losing its head), a host of candlesticks and ceiling lanterns and an antiquated clock–the final shot suggesting unity of these objects through this abstract design. "Lacrimae Rerum" is a cryptic interpretation that shows a complex aesthete finding his bearings.
Originally published over at The Seventh Art.
And for the fans (I count myself as a newbie to his sizable cult), check out this interview.
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Watched because of Sufjan. Couldn't find the poem to read. I liked the shots with the mannequin.
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Beautiful.
I was thinking seemingly unrelated thoughts: Art exhibitions during the lockdown have been unengaging as fuck, if they were shot like this I'd try to see as many as possible. What a waste that curators are often so dull. (My favorite so far was Cyril Teste's show for Hèrmes menswear s/s 2021, I just wanna mention it because the collection is rather unremarkable but the direction makes the pieces interesting.) Maybe those thoughts could be yet another layer to the "tears of things", how we fail to see their beauty as much as we could, how they too could be beautiful if they were shot like this.
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Beautiful images. Almost dreamlike. And for once with Nikolaidis, not a nightmare.
Part of my effort to watch at least one short film per day. Here is the list I am currently working through, with a random number generator determining the film each day. I will take recommendations for everything that's 40 minutes max.
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Ornamental and sacrificial embellishments, something that Nikolaidis transgressed further into displays of rotten fruits and animal organs in his later films, which became his surrealist trademark. Elevated by epic classical arrangements, he was already in his bags even at the start of his career.
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Ἄμοιρη! τὸ σπιτάκι μας ἐστοίχιωσεν
ἀπὸ τὴν ὀμορφιά σου τὴν θλιμμένη·
στοὺς τοίχους, στὸν καθρέφτη, στὰ εἰκονίσματα,
ἀπὸ τὴν ὀμορφιά σου κάτι μένει.
Κάτι σὰ μόσκου μυρωδιά, κι ἁπλώνεται
καὶ τὸ φτωχὸ σπιτάκι πλημμυρίζει,
κάτι σὰ φάντασμα, θολὸ κι ἀνέγγιχτο,
κι ὅπου περνᾷ σιγὰ τὸ κάθε ἀγγίζει.
Ὄξω, βαρύ, μονότονο ψιχάλισμα
δέρνει τὴ στέγη μας· καὶ τότε ἀντάμα
τὰ πράματα ποὺ ἁγιάσανε τὰ χέρια σου
ἀρχίζουν ἕνα κλάμα... καὶ ἕνα κλάμα...
Κι ἀπ᾿ τὴ γωνιὰ ὁ καλὸς τῆς Λήθης σύντροφος,
τ᾿ ἀγαπημένο μας παλιὸ ρολόι,
τραγουδιστὴς τοῦ χρόνου, κι αὐτὸς κλαίοντας
ρυθμίζει ἀργά, φριχτά, τὸ μοιρολόι... -
Sufjan Stevens and Angelo de Augustine have a new album called A Beginner's Mind. Each song is based on a movie they watched together. My wife Sam and I are going to follow in their footsteps and watch the fourteen movies paired with each track. We're then going to write down some conversation-style essays based on each song as a fun project.
Enjoy!“Lacrimae” / (“Lacrimae Rerum”)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8OTn-C81-o
Sam: It is fitting, in its way, that the last of the film/song combinations in this project is called “Lacrimae” which translates to something like “tears for things.” It is also fitting for the last pairing to include a Greek film, considering how prevalent Greek mythological images and themes appear in the…
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