Eternity and A Diary

Written by co-screenwriter Petros Markaris during his months-long work with Theo Angelopoulos, during the period when the Palme d’Or winner Eternity and A Day turned from an idea into a movie, this diary is a rare bedside book in its field. With its rich content that includes references of the script and Angelopoulos cinema, to the dramaturgical discussions, from the way the scenes are shaped to the sequencing, from the set to post-production phases, it offers an in-depth look at the creation process of a film not only for the loyal audience of Angelopoulos and epic story enthusiasts, but also for all filmmakers and cinephiles.

As a testimony to how the script of the film develops step-by-step, we present this text together with the original forewords by Theo Angelopoulos and the one written by Petros Markaris exclusively for the Turkish edition, the work and set programs of the shooting process and after, the scene-shooting list, and set photos.

The diary in your hand is the product of a perpetual disagreement. When starting a new script, Angelopoulos would always say to me, “Remember, that’s how we worked in the previous script,” and I would reply, “You’re wrong”; “We didn’t work that way, we worked differently.”

His answer was the same every time: “As you get older, you begin to forget!”

“You are older than me. Actually, you forget.”

This dialogue was repeated as we begin each new job.

When we met to discuss the script for Eternity and a Day, I said to him, “Look, I’m going to put an end to our arguments now. I’ll keep a diary this time so you don’t shake your head in the future,” I said.

He didn’t answer, but he obviously liked the idea, because after each shift he said, “Don’t forget to write in the diary!” without knowing why.

“Well, that was my idea. Now, don’t give me advice,” I was constantly protesting.

I would like to say that this is the story of the diary you hold in your hand. But that’s not all; this diary is a depiction of the 40-year friendship and relationship of two people of the same generation, with the same political views but completely different characters.