The author has studied the music and traditions of the village of Olympos for over twenty years.
On the subject, he published, in particular, a book whose title was adopted for the film: https://www.nota.it/prodotto/un-giorno-nella-gioia-lindomani-nel-pianto/
Download the complete PDF of the Notes onthe Film here:
NOTES ON THE FILM – by Giuliano d’Angiolini (pdf)
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TRANSLATION OF SUBTITLES
Fixed framing of landscape, introduction (01:14 ):
On the Greek island of Karpathos, during festive gatherings, men sing improvised rhymed couplets.
Each verse sung by the individual singer is taken up in chorus by the entire assembly.
By responding to each other, the singers establish a real dialogue between them. These meetings last for many hours and even for a whole night and the musical thread never stops.
Through this exchange, made of poetry and music, in a dimension alien to that of everyday time, the participants access a sort of psychic communion.
Music, the feelings it arouses and the topics touched upon arouse great emotion in them. The atmosphere is often very sad and leads to crying.
The ghlendi, the sung dialogue (mandinàdhes):
Singer A (to singer C):
02:24
I want to sing to you because my heart aches
03:12
Because I see the tears flowing from your eyes
Singer B (to singer C):
03:53
I hope that the grace of Saint John will come to your aid
04:26
And that your wife will soon recover from her illness
Singer C (crying):
05:22
The doctors made a mistake, and now I have to endure it
06:08
Ah! I see her health improving, and little by little I’m gaining courage
Singer D (to singer C):
07:45
You are always affectionate and deserve every praise
08:14
Because you are always by her side, never giving up
Singer A (to singer C):
08:47
The doctors made a mistake, and you have realized it
09:32
Saint John will grant you the grace to come to your aid
Singer E (to singer C):
10:17
Be patient, I beg you
11:32
And better days will soon come for you
12:06
Don’t think about the money you spend for her
12:42
Ah! May God give you what you desire
Singer D (to singer C):
13:08
When all this is over, everything will be forgotten
13:37
And then may your children feel happy
Singer F (to singer C):
14:15
Don’t think about money, sad money
15:00
When illness comes, it’s right to spend it
Singer G (to singer C):
15:41
Great is the Saint who drives away sorrows
16:23
I want your home to be filled with joy
Singer H (to singer C):
17:03
Ah! Don’t be sad, everything will pass
17:46
And your bitter mouth will laugh again
Singer I (to singer C):
19:00
Great is the Saint and he will help you
19:30
Next year your wife will come here too
Singer B (to singer C):
21:08
Great is his grace and he will help you
22:03
To quickly heal the bitterness you feel in your heart
Singer L:
22:56
Saint John takes us all in his arms
23:35
And fills every home with joy
Singer E (to the absent wife of singer C):
24:08
My little Mary, how strong you are! I want you to resist
25:03
And that you may marry your good children well
25:57
I hope that all your ills will cease
26:32
And that your children will be successful in life
Singer L (to visitors from the nearby village of Mesochori):
28:41
Saint John loves all the inhabitants of Olympos
29:25
May he also grant the gift of good health to those of Mesochori
29:53
Since they honored us by coming here to Saint John’s holiday,
30:33
We will do the same for their celebration on September 8th.
Singer M :
31:06
They came and honored us, as they were not used to doing.
31:41
And now our friends are more numerous to celebrate with us.
Singer F:
32:19
Oh, Saint John! Come with us too.
33:14
I will ask you for your help, my dear friend.
Singer B (to visitors from the nearby village of Mesochori):
33:52
Welcome to the people from the nearby village: they came to our celebration.
34:25
And they brought great joy tonight to our hearts.
Singer G:
35:34
The asphalt road now makes things easier.
36:12
And each of their visits always makes us proud.
Fixed shot of the ghlèndi around the table; dancers in the background:
39:00
The years pass, they flow, and they don’t come back
Those beautiful moments… We can’t forget them
End of previous scene (43:40):
After the singing phase, the ‘high dance’ follows, which also lasts for many hours. It is a time of silence of the words, of thoughts and feelings. It is a time of body and physical joy.
