The Suspended Step Of The Stork

Possibly the most political work of Angelopoulos' career, the film, shot not long after the disintegration of the Soviet bloc, examines immigration and the plight of refugees. In some ways, the director foresaw the troubles within the Balkans that would soon escalate into war. The towering Marcello Mastroianni plays a reclusive man living with refugees who might be a politician missing some ten years ago. Trying to ascertain his identity, a young reporter brings the mysterious man's wife (Jeanne Moreau) to the ghostly town.