@@jerometurner8759 It is a comment on reflection and I understood from my point of view, and not to be taken literally as this dilutes the sentiment, I would try to digest it yourself and see what your mind conjures.
It feels very incredible to find something like this after so many years. This is a piece of great history and my deep respect for the author continues to grow. Thanks for sharing!
My mother's family was from Velonades in Corfu but I would have been touched to tears, as I now am, even if this was not so. The best documentary I have ever seen. I love Lawrence Durrell's writing but watching this has been a master lesson in life.
Thank you so much Laurence! You have made a whole village happy to remember the event (talking about the wedding scene at Kouramades). I saw myself a kid happily following the crowd (at 16'00 - 16'04) and simply couldn't believe it. Grandma, grandpa, dad and auntie all appearing in different scenes shot at my mum's house made watching the video really fascinating, needless to mention all those beloved elderly faces long gone now. So moving. My female English teachers Lia and Marie Aspioti were close friends of the Durrells, which explains why the final scene of the wedding took place outside Lia's beautiful house at Kouramades. A valuable documentation of a time when filming was only a professional privilege. I really feel grateful for this.
The summer after working on this film I also set off for Greece for the first time and loved the place. My girlfriend loved it so much she went to live there!
I had been searching for that series, Spirit of Place for some years. Saw it when it came out in 1976 and never saw it since. The BBC tend to lose stuff from that era. Well done digging it up. Yammas.
Wow! That was a master class in poetic communication. My spirit has been washed clean. Thank you Mr. Durrell. And thank you, Laurence Williamson, for posting this gem.
As a Greek, i must thank you Mr.Durrell !Although you have portrayed us, Greeks, much better than we really are.But then again, in the past decades Greeks were very different from us, youngsters ,they were really connected with our homeland.(excuse my English).
@@MsMesem If you want to feel something of the original Greek spirit(at least what's left of it) stay out of tourist destinations. Go to the villages or the nearly deserted small islands.
@@CaptainHarlock-kv4zt My best experiences in Greece included getting a little lost on my Vespa on Crete, eating the eggs of a sea urchin caught with a long fork by a Greek on Ios, and wandering on the mainland.
Blessings for posting this.........So true to the Greek islands.......and to go once and tour Greece and it's fabulous Greek islands, always forces you to go back time and again. After all the Greeks gave the entire world true cultured civilization, the arts, medicine, history, the sciences, the Olympics, Opera, all types of Sports and so much more, so it is natural for all human beings to be drawn to it's beauty and fabulous Greek heritage and many other wonders dating back to the beginning of civilized times in humanity.
Arguably the pre eminent English author of the second half of the twentieth century. He was apparently considered for the Nobel Prize in 1961 and, in my opinion, should have got it for the Alexandria Quartet alone. This is a superb post, of interest historically, aesthetically and as a literary backdrop. Many thanks for posting.
Thanks. It is great to see so many people enjoying it. Durrell seemed to be very relaxed making it, no doubt due to the brilliant Peter Adam who produced it and interviewed him. The film was Bafta nominated and filmed in 1975. It was edited by Simon Rose with whom I worked for many years.
What a nice documentary! Beautiful words of someone who knows how to write! It seems that Durrell's spirit will visit us transformed even in a sort of youtube writing idol.
What a wonderful personality Durrell had. And what a pleasure it is to listen to him speak in such a refined and intelligent way, in the very places he made famous in his books. I believe that he made several films for the BBC. Will they also be released on UA-cam?
Thanks for the great video. This was actually 1982, as it says that Lawrence Durrell is 70 this year and he was born in 1912. That particular BBC2 logo was only used between 1979 and 1986. Having said that it was surely a repeat and just aired in 1982!!
Well spotted! I didn't have a videorecorder in 1976 when it was first shown but had a Betamax by 1982 when it was repeated. The film was shot in 1975 and edited that long hot summer in a basement cutting room in Goldhawk Road. I went to Greece for the first time the following summer!
Having had many many holidays in Greece over the years i have such a love for the country and the people and having watched the Durrell's on itv this has brought it all together just wonderful Thanks for uploading it Yamas🍻
The scenes at the harbour with the donkeys I believe is Hydra? One of my favourite places after Ermioni. I haven’t visited Greece for 20 years, I hope it hasn’t changed too drastically.
So THAT'S where it is! It looked incredible. Even though motor vehicle's are still prohibited, I cannot imagine it has retained the feel that emanates from this documentary.
This is such an evocative stitching together of Lawrence Durrell's voice, cadence, poetry and landscape. And the cinematography is as captivating as Corcyra is alluring. Is there a means to obtain a personal copy? I can't find anything on the BBC site, as though they don't even recall its making. Whether yes, or whether no -- posting this to UA-cam for us to become mesmerized by is a gracious example of humanity. Thank You.
Hi Steve, thanks for your kind words. I was the assistant editor on this film and loved it. I went to Greece for the first time the following summer, I made a vhs copy when the film was repeated a few years later and could make a dvd if you wanted. It was an early coproduction for the BBC which is possibly why they have no record of it. It was such a good film I thought it should be available - Durrell was also very important!
@@laurence.williamson Good evening, Laurence. I meant to get back to you earlier but I guess I waited until today... I would love to get a DVD of this to go along with my collection of Durrell first editions if the offer is still open. I don't know how to contact you, however. So, any suggestions would be appreciated. Best! -- Steve.
@@SpiralLink Hi Steve, no problem to make a dvd for you however it will be made from the same vhs copy that I have uploaded to youtube. It may look slightly better but you will see video artefacts unfortunately. To contact me search online for my name and 'film editor' in the uk and you should locate my personal work website which has contact details on it. Happy Christmas!
@@laurence.williamson that's a little amazing that you were involved in the production of this masterpiece, yet you had not stepped foot on Greece until after the event.
My thanks to you too, Laurence. This may be the same question as Robert's (2 years ago), but has anyone tracked down the other program in the series, Spirit of Place: Lawrence Durrell's Egypt? I contacted the BBC (November 2018), but they couldn't help - they are not set up to provide access to single programs like this.
All I have found is a written account by Lawrence Durrell himself of the trip to Egypt to shoot "Spirit of Place: Lawrence Durrell's Egypt" movies2.nytimes.com/books/98/09/13/specials/durrell-magazine.html
Although changed obviously since 1975, the Ionian Islands are relatively still like this, architecturally and culturally. Luckily there are strict building controls that make sure that new housing for example follows the 'look' of traditional Ionian architecture, itself in turn heavily influenced by Venetian and British presence in centuries past.
And I like the Musik very , very much !. ❤❤ In den 70ziger Jahren las ich eine Menge von Durrell ! Auch die Korrespondenz mit Hanry Miller , so " Den Koloss von Marossi " BEAUTIFUL !😊 Ich liebe Griechenland . 😍🤗 n Koloss von
The Egypt film was filmed the following year (1976) as far as I remember and made with a completely different crew. Still directed by the great Peter Adam. It's possible the BBC still hold a copy of the original 16mm film in their library. If anyone has a vhs lurking in their attic I would be happy to transfer it and upload it.
@@johnoregan7154 Hi, I discovered that there is a copy in the BBC library but I was unable to get it out. The BBC are now wary of their stuff going on to UA-cam! The copy was only a low res viewing copy but the 16mm master was also there. This would be costly to transfer though. It was probably an early coproduction like the Greek film was. So copyright is probably not clear which may also be why the BBC has left it alone. It is a shame. I will try again via a different route.
@@laurence.williamson laurence... You say the BBC had a copy in the library? Were you permitted to view it there? Would gladly make the trip to London just to see it.
I'm glad you liked it. Sadly I only kept this episode when it was re broadcast in the early eighties. I worked on this film (uncredited) as assistant film editor in 1975 and was lucky enough to meet Durrell at a preview screening. I think this film was particularly well made, great interviews, superb photography with a then new 20 to 1 lens and beautifully stitched together. Quite memorable.
43 min pérennité....hmmm , hard to find a healer in Greece, very hard. The old ways of medecine have all but disappeared. The jabs sold well there, people won over by big pharma. Very sad.
Given that it was filmed in 1976, Paddy had in all probability seen it and liked it. In archive.ert.gr/7857/ at 30'-31'25 Paddy speaking in greek about the influence George Katsimbalis, the Colossus of Maroussi, had on all of them, particularly on Lawrence Durrell.
I met and sketched Patrick Leigh Fermor when I visited Kardamili about 15 years ago and he told me to watch this if 'it became 'available' as he put it. I watched it now for the first time and it's one of the most beautiful programmes I've seen in years . So thank you to all involved especially the 'poster'.
Why? Just because he used "One" for first person "I" in his conversation? If that is the sole reason, I think you are being a bit unfair. One has been used quite a lot in such a way by older people in their generation. Just because he used one, doesn't mean he was posh or snob.
@@sinogarcon as an Australian 9with Greek heritage), I always found the use by the English of the prefix Un- to be quite amusing. eg 'Unhand me!' ... 'Not stupid, but unschooled.' And there was one Laurence used here as well!
I would imagine that his family had no choice but to learn the language, as they were there for 4 years, and I daresay 95% of the population did not speak English.
Greek religion preach that animals have no soul I bet Gerald wouldn’t like that. You never talk about your mother and brothers and sister. Or Spiros 🤷♀️
@@stradavisinului You know, Alexandra, it was interesting that you thought the music was romanian. So I did a bit of UA-cam searching, because I had no knowledge of romanian traditional music. Athough I should have, considering Romania is a Balkan country, with rich history and, as people who visited it have told me, with very friendly and smart people. And also a friend of Greece! But, me, well I only knew the Great Dimitri Candemir - who is not traditional, of course- and nothing else..! Unfortunately, I got confused. I only found some song-dances with a really quick rhythm, which sound like Slavic Balkan, and I don't really like them. But where are the tunes that distinguish Romania from the rest? And where are the sad and melancholic songs? :-) If you have a suggestion, It would be great. Especially songs/tunes with traditional clarinet, which was the one that got you confused in the first place, when you heard it in the documentary.
The music does not capture the spirit of the place - the inauthentic zorba music and the epirus music are so disingenuous in a film about Corfu. And cricket was introduced in Corfu during the English rule.
I beg to differ too. The music playing at the end of the episode for instance, "Thalassaki mou" (My dear sea), is a traditional song of the Aegean; from the island of Kalymnos, most experts agree. The lyrics roughly go like this: My dear sea don't pound the sailors - My sea why did you drown the young woman's husband? - she's too young and black doesn't become her. Here's a full version of the song, with scenes from "The girl in black", one of Durrell's favorite greek films : ua-cam.com/video/uCBY2ZuFy2o/v-deo.html
Hi Jane, that's correct. Sappho Durrell came along to the screening of this film when it was finished. There were only 5 or 6 of us at the screening. She was very quiet throughout and seemed shy. Her life had been troubled and after she died letters came to light that indicated that the relationship she had with her father had been particularly difficult - to put it mildly.
Once upon a time life was lived, not just occasionally consumed. I can not express my gratitude enough for this documentary.
Can you expand on your though. About how life was lived. Examples?
like a dream
Stop taking pictures of your cup of coffee and just drink it
@@jerometurner8759 It is a comment on reflection and I understood from my point of view, and not to be taken literally as this dilutes the sentiment, I would try to digest it yourself and see what your mind conjures.
Agreed!
What an absolute delight. What a man
I love this so much, I shall watch and listen again....
WONDERFUL!
As a Greek, I consider the Durrell family as the embodiment of Greek-British friendship.
Phenomenal yet Breath taking. Thank you for sharing such a wonderful perspective.
Warmest regards.
J
It feels very incredible to find something like this after so many years. This is a piece of great history and my deep respect for the author continues to grow. Thanks for sharing!
I got to love this man
My mother's family was from Velonades in Corfu but I would have been touched to tears, as I now am, even if this was not so. The best documentary I have ever seen. I love Lawrence Durrell's writing but watching this has been a master lesson in life.
Thank you so much Laurence! You have made a whole village happy to remember the event (talking about the wedding scene at Kouramades). I saw myself a kid happily following the crowd (at 16'00 - 16'04) and simply couldn't believe it. Grandma, grandpa, dad and auntie all appearing in different scenes shot at my mum's house made watching the video really fascinating, needless to mention all those beloved elderly faces long gone now. So moving. My female English teachers Lia and Marie Aspioti were close friends of the Durrells, which explains why the final scene of the wedding took place outside Lia's beautiful house at Kouramades. A valuable documentation of a time when filming was only a professional privilege. I really feel grateful for this.
It was my favourite scene in the film, beautifully shot and edited. How fantastic that you have found it. I am really pleased.
Thanks for sharing xoxo
An absolute masterpiece! When times are tough I always revisit this video to experience the ultimate calmness
You said it for me
Brilliant. Haven't seen this for 41 years. Encouraged me to set off for a road trip to Greece on 7/7/77.
The summer after working on this film I also set off for Greece for the first time and loved the place. My girlfriend loved it so much she went to live there!
I had been searching for that series, Spirit of Place for some years. Saw it when it came out in 1976 and never saw it since. The BBC tend to lose stuff from that era. Well done digging it up. Yammas.
My sister was born that day, 7/7/77 🎁lucky day.
It made me very badly want to go to Greece.
Indeed. That and Henry Miller's Collosas of Marousi
Wow! That was a master class in poetic communication. My spirit has been washed clean. Thank you Mr. Durrell. And thank you, Laurence Williamson, for posting this gem.
A great English writer. Loved this documentary!
What a joy this documentary is! Thank you so much for making this widely available! ❤
Sublime...thanks for sharing.
Wonderful thank you Laurence. A complete surprise to see and hear Lawrence Durrell after being a fan since the 1960's.
As a Greek, i must thank you Mr.Durrell !Although you have portrayed us, Greeks, much better than we really are.But then again, in the past decades Greeks were very different from us, youngsters ,they were really connected with our homeland.(excuse my English).
Yes, sadly I met two young Athenians who couldn't rcognise a fig tree to save themselves.
@@MsMesem If you want to feel something of the original Greek spirit(at least what's left of it) stay out of tourist destinations. Go to the villages or the nearly deserted small islands.
@@CaptainHarlock-kv4zt Never sought out main tourist destinations... I like the lost places so you are preaching to the converted of long experience.
@@MsMesem Haha very poetic...Nice!
@@CaptainHarlock-kv4zt My best experiences in Greece included getting a little lost on my Vespa on Crete, eating the eggs of a sea urchin caught with a long fork by a Greek on Ios, and wandering on the mainland.
One of the most moving documentaries i have ever seen.
oh a masterpiece but audio so low on my iphone max volume .. can hardly hear 😿
You may have a problem with your iPhone unfortunately. Try watching on a different piece of equipment.
Thank you for posting. I met Lawrence Durrell in 1975. He considered Spirit of Place one of his best works.
Bronte 7 How lucky
Blessings for posting this.........So true to the Greek islands.......and to go once and tour Greece and it's fabulous Greek islands, always forces you to go back time and again.
After all the Greeks gave the entire world true cultured civilization, the arts, medicine, history, the sciences, the Olympics, Opera, all types of Sports and so much more, so it is natural for all human beings to be drawn to it's beauty and fabulous Greek heritage and many other wonders dating back to the beginning of civilized times in humanity.
ravenblackhawke, I am truly grateful to you for writing such beautiful things about my country.
Love from a greek lady who lives in Corfu.
Arguably the pre eminent English author of the second half of the twentieth century. He was apparently considered for the Nobel Prize in 1961 and, in my opinion, should have got it for the Alexandria Quartet alone.
This is a superb post, of interest historically, aesthetically and as a literary backdrop.
Many thanks for posting.
Thanks. It is great to see so many people enjoying it. Durrell seemed to be very relaxed making it, no doubt due to the brilliant Peter Adam who produced it and interviewed him. The film was Bafta nominated and filmed in 1975. It was edited by Simon Rose with whom I worked for many years.
Recently i read the Alexandrian quartet!!! Wonderfull books. Durrell is a very esoteric writer. English literature is among the best(if not THE best)
@@laurence.williamson this is the best thing I have seen since who knows when. The silent moments throughout the documentary were mesmeresing.
Wanted to know little more about the man while reading his marine Venus book. This is quite a find.
Thankyou
What a nice documentary! Beautiful words of someone who knows how to write! It seems that Durrell's spirit will visit us transformed even in a sort of youtube writing idol.
Thanks for sharing this beautiful story with me!
Want to get back to Melegalas 😍
Thank you for sharing this, very much appreciated!
What a wonderful personality Durrell had. And what a pleasure it is to listen to him speak in such a refined and intelligent way, in the very places he made famous in his books. I believe that he made several films for the BBC. Will they also be released on UA-cam?
W Boldys Indeed , Όντως
Thank you so much for this. This has long been one of my favourite documentaries.
I absolutely loved watching this, thanks so much for sharing it.
Thanks for the great video. This was actually 1982, as it says that Lawrence Durrell is 70 this year and he was born in 1912. That particular BBC2 logo was only used between 1979 and 1986. Having said that it was surely a repeat and just aired in 1982!!
Well spotted! I didn't have a videorecorder in 1976 when it was first shown but had a Betamax by 1982 when it was repeated. The film was shot in 1975 and edited that long hot summer in a basement cutting room in Goldhawk Road. I went to Greece for the first time the following summer!
Having had many many holidays in Greece over the years i have such a love for the country and the people and having watched the Durrell's on itv this has brought it all together just wonderful Thanks for uploading it Yamas🍻
I am glad you enjoyed it!
The parts where Durrell reads are just sensational when combined with the pictures. He was a superb writer.
Yes. Many passages follow his book "Prospero's Cell."
bloody priceless....
The scenes at the harbour with the donkeys I believe is Hydra? One of my favourite places after Ermioni. I haven’t visited Greece for 20 years, I hope it hasn’t changed too drastically.
So THAT'S where it is! It looked incredible. Even though motor vehicle's are still prohibited, I cannot imagine it has retained the feel that emanates from this documentary.
Thankyou.
took me a while to get that it was Durrell himself!!! awesome.I´ll watch every bit of movie or series:-D
This is a great companion to his "Prospero's Cell". Many of the phrases and imagery are echoed in that fine work.
Thanks so much for uploading this!!!
Leonard Cohen the first bought and lived in a little house of Hydra, around 1960
Magnifico. Grazie mille Mr. Williamson The Durrell's of Corfu airs on PBS in the states 16 Oct.
What is the music that plays around 36:00 mins? Thank you for this great documentary. Love seeing Laurence Durrell speak here.
It is Bach's Concerto in D Minor Adagio. I was very lucky to work on this wonderful film. Peter Adam was a great film maker.
Beautiful man, beautiful family. Watch the TV series The Durrells. Amazing
This is such an evocative stitching together of Lawrence Durrell's voice, cadence, poetry and landscape. And the cinematography is as captivating as Corcyra is alluring. Is there a means to obtain a personal copy? I can't find anything on the BBC site, as though they don't even recall its making. Whether yes, or whether no -- posting this to UA-cam for us to become mesmerized by is a gracious example of humanity. Thank You.
Hi Steve, thanks for your kind words. I was the assistant editor on this film and loved it. I went to Greece for the first time the following summer, I made a vhs copy when the film was repeated a few years later and could make a dvd if you wanted. It was an early coproduction for the BBC which is possibly why they have no record of it. It was such a good film I thought it should be available - Durrell was also very important!
@@laurence.williamson Good evening, Laurence. I meant to get back to you earlier but I guess I waited until today... I would love to get a DVD of this to go along with my collection of Durrell first editions if the offer is still open. I don't know how to contact you, however. So, any suggestions would be appreciated.
Best!
-- Steve.
@@SpiralLink Hi Steve, no problem to make a dvd for you however it will be made from the same vhs copy that I have uploaded to youtube. It may look slightly better but you will see video artefacts unfortunately. To contact me search online for my name and 'film editor' in the uk and you should locate my personal work website which has contact details on it. Happy Christmas!
There are sites and software that allow you to rip a copy of the film from UA-cam to a MP4/avi file.
@@laurence.williamson that's a little amazing that you were involved in the production of this masterpiece, yet you had not stepped foot on Greece until after the event.
My thanks to you too, Laurence. This may be the same question as Robert's (2 years ago), but has anyone tracked down the other program in the series, Spirit of Place: Lawrence Durrell's Egypt? I contacted the BBC (November 2018), but they couldn't help - they are not set up to provide access to single programs like this.
All I have found is a written account by Lawrence Durrell himself of the trip to Egypt to shoot "Spirit of Place: Lawrence Durrell's Egypt" movies2.nytimes.com/books/98/09/13/specials/durrell-magazine.html
I am sorry but I only had a copy of this one film that I worked on.
I had recored the Egypt Spirit of Place on VHS video but I think it is long gone - I remember it was quite magical, would be sad if it is lost.
Mr Durrell's turn of phrase brings tears, as I pack for my first trip to Corfu. Will I see anything like this?
Although changed obviously since 1975, the Ionian Islands are relatively still like this, architecturally and culturally. Luckily there are strict building controls that make sure that new housing for example follows the 'look' of traditional Ionian architecture, itself in turn heavily influenced by Venetian and British presence in centuries past.
You can yes, it's still there.
And I like the Musik very , very much !. ❤❤ In den 70ziger Jahren las ich eine Menge von Durrell ! Auch die Korrespondenz mit Hanry Miller , so " Den Koloss von Marossi " BEAUTIFUL !😊 Ich liebe Griechenland . 😍🤗
n Koloss von
Wonderful !
Thanks! Was looking for something like this for a while :-)
Watching this made me think of the Blue Zones. Did these people live well into old age before modernization?
Anyone know where I'd find a copy of part 2 re: Alexandria?
Merci...
Amazing documentary… do you know in which year was made ? Late 70s perhaps?
Hi Giuseppe, it was filmed in spring/summer 1975.
Any idea where I can find: "Spirit of Place Lawrence Durrell's Egypt"?
Sorry but I have no idea. I only put this online because I couldn't find it available anywhere and felt it a shame that it couldn't be seen.
Thanks for doing so.
Laurence do you have the version he did on Alexandria ? Thank you Bob
Hi Bob, I am afraid I don't have a copy. I know one exists in the archives but it is difficult to get!
What are some ancient traditions the Greeks still do that they are not aware of?
Can anyone PLEASE tell me how or where i can access Lawrence Durrell in Egypt, the second part of this documentary?
The Egypt film was filmed the following year (1976) as far as I remember and made with a completely different crew. Still directed by the great Peter Adam. It's possible the BBC still hold a copy of the original 16mm film in their library. If anyone has a vhs lurking in their attic I would be happy to transfer it and upload it.
@@laurence.williamson any luck locating it Laurence?
@@johnoregan7154 Hi, I discovered that there is a copy in the BBC library but I was unable to get it out. The BBC are now wary of their stuff going on to UA-cam! The copy was only a low res viewing copy but the 16mm master was also there. This would be costly to transfer though. It was probably an early coproduction like the Greek film was. So copyright is probably not clear which may also be why the BBC has left it alone. It is a shame.
I will try again via a different route.
@@laurence.williamson laurence... You say the BBC had a copy in the library? Were you permitted to view it there? Would gladly make the trip to London just to see it.
@@johnoregan7154 Hi John. I wasn't able to see it, just establish that it existed. The library exists only for BBC use as far as I am aware. Sorry.
Nice.
What a find! Do you have the other episode mentioned at the start?
I'm glad you liked it. Sadly I only kept this episode when it was re broadcast in the early eighties. I worked on this film (uncredited) as assistant film editor in 1975 and was lucky enough to meet Durrell at a preview screening. I think this film was particularly well made, great interviews, superb photography with a then new 20 to 1 lens and beautifully stitched together. Quite memorable.
That's great, he was an interesting character and I loved his books (my favourites are the ones on Greece) thank you ever so much for sharing it!
wow, so grateful to you for posting this. amazing. thank you.
43 min pérennité....hmmm , hard to find a healer in Greece, very hard. The old ways of medecine have all but disappeared. The jabs sold well there, people won over by big pharma. Very sad.
Thanks Larry,...I'm sure Paddy would have approved.
Given that it was filmed in 1976, Paddy had in all probability seen it and liked it. In archive.ert.gr/7857/ at 30'-31'25 Paddy speaking in greek about the influence George Katsimbalis, the Colossus of Maroussi, had on all of them, particularly on Lawrence Durrell.
I met and sketched Patrick Leigh Fermor when I visited Kardamili about 15 years ago and he told me to watch this if 'it became 'available' as he put it. I watched it now for the first time and it's one of the most beautiful programmes I've seen in years . So thank you to all involved especially the 'poster'.
32:24
I love this but he was a snob for sure with interesting thoughts sometimes. always good to see used tohavea copy on VHS but nowhere to play it now
Why? Just because he used "One" for first person "I" in his conversation? If that is the sole reason, I think you are being a bit unfair. One has been used quite a lot in such a way by older people in their generation. Just because he used one, doesn't mean he was posh or snob.
@@sinogarcon as an Australian 9with Greek heritage), I always found the use by the English of the prefix Un- to be quite amusing. eg 'Unhand me!' ... 'Not stupid, but unschooled.' And there was one Laurence used here as well!
25,59 I didn't know Laurence could speak greek
I would imagine that his family had no choice but to learn the language, as they were there for 4 years, and I daresay 95% of the population did not speak English.
I never knew the Greeks played cricket, or that the women carried water on their heads like in India. Did they copy it from National Geographic?
Corfu was under English rule hence the cricket.
Alex Holt aka 'Brigham Palava' No, the National Geographic copied them
There is no way they still carry water on their heads, surely!
@@embunchofnumbers And ginger beer.
Greek religion preach that animals have no soul I bet Gerald wouldn’t like that. You never talk about your mother and brothers and sister. Or Spiros 🤷♀️
All very nice but the music is Romanian, not Greek.
Ah, excuse me??Romanian? 🤔
@@sotiriapapadopoulou8945 Yes, starting 2:23'. Never mind, Romania is a Balkan country too. :)
Sorry, I watched it again, it was just that tiny little tune at the beginning that was Romanian. The rest is all Greek. :)
@@stradavisinului You know, Alexandra, it was interesting that you thought the music was romanian. So I did a bit of UA-cam searching, because I had no knowledge of romanian traditional music. Athough I should have, considering Romania is a Balkan country, with rich history and, as people who visited it have told me, with very friendly and smart people. And also a friend of Greece! But, me, well I only knew the Great Dimitri Candemir - who is not traditional, of course- and nothing else..! Unfortunately, I got confused. I only found some song-dances with a really quick rhythm, which sound like Slavic Balkan, and I don't really like them. But where are the tunes that distinguish Romania from the rest? And where are the sad and melancholic songs? :-) If you have a suggestion, It would be great. Especially songs/tunes with traditional clarinet, which was the one that got you confused in the first place, when you heard it in the documentary.
@@sotiriapapadopoulou8945 Thank you, Sotiria, for your nice answer. Here is an example ua-cam.com/video/j2Aqs47YvJE/v-deo.html
The music does not capture the spirit of the place - the inauthentic zorba music and the epirus music are so disingenuous in a film about Corfu. And cricket was introduced in Corfu during the English rule.
I beg to differ. There is some very nice, lovely and authentic music throughout the documentary. All is just right.
I beg to differ too. The music playing at the end of the episode for instance, "Thalassaki mou" (My dear sea), is a traditional song of the Aegean; from the island of Kalymnos, most experts agree. The lyrics roughly go like this: My dear sea don't pound the sailors - My sea why did you drown the young woman's husband? - she's too young and black doesn't become her. Here's a full version of the song, with scenes from "The girl in black", one of Durrell's favorite greek films : ua-cam.com/video/uCBY2ZuFy2o/v-deo.html
glad i got to see this side of durrell as i didnt enjoy his quartet that much do to the terrible images and obscenity
His daughter committed suicide
Hi Jane, that's correct. Sappho Durrell came along to the screening of this film when it was finished. There were only 5 or 6 of us at the screening. She was very quiet throughout and seemed shy. Her life had been troubled and after she died letters came to light that indicated that the relationship she had with her father had been particularly difficult - to put it mildly.
And they stone widows to death for having a boyfriend.