Time and Space in Contemporary Greek-Cypriot Cinema

299 Pages·2015·10.117 MB·English

by  Lisa Socrates

Lisa Socrates
NSEC
NEW STUDIES IN EUROPEAN CINEMA
L
i
s
a

S TIME AND SPACE
o
c
r
a IN CONTEMPORARY
t
e
s

Why does the 1974 war in Cyprus remain so dominant in Greek-Cypriot cinema? T GREEK-CYPRIOT
i
How has this event shaped the imagination of contemporary filmmakers, and how m
e CINEMA
might one define the new national cinema that has emerged as a result? This book
a
explores such questions by analysing a range of Greek-Cypriot films that have n
d
hitherto received little or no critical discussion.
S
p
a
The book adopts a predominantly conceptual approach, situating contemporary c
e

Greek-Cypriot cinema within a specific cultural and national context. Drawing on i
n
the work of the French philosopher Gilles Deleuze, and particularly his theories of C
o
time and space, the author explores ways in which Greek-Cypriot directors invent
n
t
new forms of imagery as a way of dealing with the crisis of history, the burden of e
m
memory and the dislocation of the island’s abandoned spaces.
p
o
r
a
r
y

G
r
e
e
k
-
C
y
p
LISA SOCRATES is a PhD candidate at University College London. She has pub- ri
o
lished articles on Greek-Cypriot national cinema and identity and has translated t

C
Greek-Cypriot poetry from Modern Greek into English. i
n
e
m
a
ISBN 978-3-0343-0988-2
PETER LANG
www.peterlang.com
Lisa Socrates
NSEC
NEW STUDIES IN EUROPEAN CINEMA
L
i
s
a

S TIME AND SPACE
o
c
r
a IN CONTEMPORARY
t
e
s

Why does the 1974 war in Cyprus remain so dominant in Greek-Cypriot cinema? T GREEK-CYPRIOT
i
How has this event shaped the imagination of contemporary filmmakers, and how m
e CINEMA
might one define the new national cinema that has emerged as a result? This book
a
explores such questions by analysing a range of Greek-Cypriot films that have n
d
hitherto received little or no critical discussion.
S
p
a
The book adopts a predominantly conceptual approach, situating contemporary c
e

Greek-Cypriot cinema within a specific cultural and national context. Drawing on i
n
the work of the French philosopher Gilles Deleuze, and particularly his theories of C
o
time and space, the author explores ways in which Greek-Cypriot directors invent
n
t
new forms of imagery as a way of dealing with the crisis of history, the burden of e
m
memory and the dislocation of the island’s abandoned spaces.
p
o
r
a
r
y

G
r
e
e
k
-
C
y
p
LISA SOCRATES is a PhD candidate at University College London. She has pub- ri
o
lished articles on Greek-Cypriot national cinema and identity and has translated t

C
Greek-Cypriot poetry from Modern Greek into English. i
n
e
m
a
PETER LANG
www.peterlang.com
TIME AND SPACE
IN CONTEMPORARY
GREEK-CYPRIOT CINEMA
NEW STUDIES IN EUROPEAN CINEMA
VOL. 18
EDITED BY
WENDY EVERETT & AXEL GOODBODY
Peter Lang
Oxford • Bern • Berlin • Bruxelles • Frankfurt am Main • New York • Wien
Lisa Socrates
TIME AND SPACE
IN CONTEMPORARY
GREEK-CYPRIOT
CINEMA
Peter Lang
Oxford • Bern • Berlin • Bruxelles • Frankfurt am Main • New York • Wien
Bibliographic information published by Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche
Nationalbiblio grafie; detailed bibliographic data is available on the Internet at
http://dnb.d-nb.de.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:
Socrates, Lisa, 1966-
Time and space in contemporary Greek-Cypriot cinema / Lisa Socrates.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Includes filmography.
ISBN 978-3-0343-0988-2 (alk. paper)
1. Space and time in motion pictures. 2. Cyprus--In motion pictures. 3. Motion
pictures--Cyprus--History and criticism. I. Title.
PN1995.9.S668S68 2014
791.43’095693--dc23
2014020204
Cover image © alswart – fotolia.com.
ISSN 1661-0261
ISBN 978-3-0343-0988-2 (print)
ISBN 978-3-0353-0690-3 (eBook)
© Peter Lang AG, International Academic Publishers, Bern 2015
Hochfeldstrasse 32, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland
[email protected], www.peterlang.com, www.peterlang.net
All rights reserved.
All parts of this publication are protected by copyright.
Any utilisation outside the strict limits of the copyright law, without the
permission of the publisher, is forbidden and liable to prosecution.
This applies in particular to reproductions, translations, microfilming,
and storage and processing in electronic retrieval systems.
This publication has been peer reviewed.
Printed in Germany
Contents
List of Figures vii
Preface ix
Introduction 1
PART I Nation, Identity, History 13
Chapter 1
Reading Greek-Cypriot Cinema: Deleuze and New Cinema 15
Chapter 2
Conceptualizing Greek-Cypriot Cinema 43
Chapter 3
Contesting the Nation’s Narrative Space and Time:
The Akamas Controversy 71
PART II Division, Memory, Time 97
Chapter 4
Shattered Spaces and the Recollection-Image 99
Chapter 5
The Time-Image and Beyond: From Duration to the Crisis-Image 135
vi
PART III Spaces, Movement, Unity 179
Chapter 6
Constructing Heterotopias in Film: Parallel Spaces and
Undesirable Bodies in Kalabush 181
Chapter 7
The Border, Movement and Chronotopic-Images 217
Conclusion 257
Bibliography 265
Filmography 273
Index 275
Figures
Figure 3.1 A member of EOKA in disguise before iden-
tifying a ‘traitor’ in church. Akamas, Panicos
Chrysanthou, Cyprus, 2006. 82
Figure 3.2 Greek-Cypriots go in search of Rhodou and
Omeris, who have married and eloped to his village.
Akamas, Panicos Chrysanthou, Cyprus, 2006. 83
Figure 4.1 ‘Stamp wallpaper’ depicting war refugees. Lia
Lapithi Shukuroglou <http://www.lialapithi.
com>, 2008. 108
Figure 4.2 ‘Panorama of Pentadaktylos’, the mountain range,
photo printed on plexiglass, 150 × 2000 cm. Lia
Lapithi Shukuroglou, <http://www.lialapithi.
com>, Cyprus, 2010. 121
Figure 4.3 ‘Monuments of Glory and Mourning’, photo
series of landmarks and monuments in Nicosia.
Lia Lapithi Shukuroglou <http://www.lialapithi.
com>, 2008. 124
Figure 4.4 A schoolboy writing lines in an after school
detention. Grade IV: I Do not Forget, Lia Lapithi
Shukuroglou, <http://www.lialapithi.com>,
Cyprus, 2007. 127
Figure 5.1 Close-up of the clock in the abandoned airport.
Time has stood still since 1974. Airport for Sale,
Simon Farmakas, Cyprus, 2007. 136
Figure 5.2 A Greek-Cypriot soldier is captured by an enemy
soldier. Absent, Simon Farmakas, Cyprus, 2009. 152
Figure 5.3 Abandoned aeroplane on the runway. Nicosia
Airport. Airport for Sale, Simon Farmakas,
Cyprus, 2007. 169
viii Figures
Figure 5.4 ‘Three Journeys in Cyprus and the Mediterranean:
Journey 1’. Lia Lapithi Shukuroglou, <http://www.
lialapithi.com>, Cyprus, 2006. 173
Figure 6.1 Mustapha puts on a Disney mask to hide in the
carnival crowd. Kalabush, Adonis Florides and
Theodoros Nicolaides, Cyprus, 2003. 204
Figure 7.1 Michalis crossing the UN border from the south
of the island. Kaan & Michalis, Maria and Lefcos
Clerides, Cyprus, 2007. 238
Figure 7.2 Michalis filming all the new things he sees on the
other side of the island. Kaan & Michalis, Maria
and Lefcos Clerides, Cyprus, 2007. 245