Theo Angelopoulos – With a Bare Voice

“In essence, it is a mystery. How is an idea born? There is always a slightly strange and mysterious period beforehand when I feel that something is coming. It is a period of hypnosis, a state like being between sleep and wakefulness, where everything takes on different dimensions. A phrase, a song, or a noise—I hear them in a different way. It is like a pregnancy. Often, a first element emerges, which could be an image from the end of the film or a real person who has already been transformed into a character. Each day, various elements are added, coming to me between five and seven in the morning. Then I get up and take notes…”

This book is based on the conversations between Theo Angelopoulos and Yorgos Archimandritis, which took place as part of the radio series With a Bare Voice (À voix nue) and were broadcast in 2009 by France Culture, the arts and culture station of French National Radio. This radio series consists of five half-hour discussions with personalities who mark our era—philosophers, artists and creators who, at some point in their life, agree to confide their hopes, beliefs, and doubts. This invaluable testimony of the great Greek director is accompanied by his fully updated filmography, as well as rare, unpublished photographic material from his personal archives and from the filming of his movies.

The Greek edition of the book includes a poster featuring posters and photographic material from all of the director’s films.

The book is published in Greece by Patakis Editions and in France by Actes Sud Editions.