The author has studied the music and traditions of the village of Olympos for over twenty years.
On this 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 Film Notes here:
Film Notes – by Giuliano d'Angiolini (pdf)
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SUBTITLES TRANSLATION
Fixed landscape shot, introduction (01:14):
On the Greek island of Karpathos, during festive gatherings, men sing improvised rhyming couplets.
Each verse sung by the individual singer is taken up in chorus by the entire assembly.
By responding to one another, the singers establish a genuine dialogue. These gatherings continue for many hours, even all night, and the musical thread never breaks.
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.
The music, the feelings it evokes, and the topics it touches on, stir great emotion in them.
The atmosphere is often very sad and leads to tears.
La ghlendi, the sung dialogue (mandinadhes):
Singer A (to singer C):
02:24
I want to sing for you because my heart aches
03:12
Because I see tears flowing from your eyes
Singer B (to singer C):
03:53
I hope that the grace of St. John will come to help you.
04:26
And may your wife soon recover from her illness.
Singer C (crying):
05:22
The doctors made a mistake and now I'm suffering from it.
06:08
Ah! I see his health improving and little by little I gain courage.
Singer D (to singer C):
07:45
You are always affectionate and deserve every praise
08:14
Because you are always by his side, never giving up
Singer A (to singer C):
08:47
The doctors made a mistake and you realized it.
09:32
Saint John will grant you the grace to come to your aid
Singer E (to singer C):
10:17
Please be patient.
11:32
And better days will soon come for you
12:06
Don't think about the money you spend on 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 is right to spend them
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
Cantor I (to cantor C):
19:00
Great is the Holy One and he will help you
19:30
Your wife will come next year too.
Singer B (to singer C):
21:08
Great is his grace and he will help you
22:03
To quickly cure 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 Maria, how strong you are! I want you to resist.
25:03
And may you marry your good children well.
25:57
I hope all your troubles will cease
26:32
And may your children 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 bring good health to those of Mesochori
29:53
Since they did us the honor of coming here to San Giovanni
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 our friends are now 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 party
34:25
And they have given much joy, this evening, to our hearts
Singer G:
35:34
The paved 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, how can we 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 silence of thoughts and feelings. It is a time of body and physical joy.
