AllMovie

In this downbeat political drama based on a 1963 story by Thanassis Valtinos, nine left-wing soldiers are trapped in the southern mountains of Greece at the end of the 1949 Civil War and are forced to descend to the sea and safety through enemy territory. The mountainous countryside and glimpses of the sea with an overarching blue sky stand in poignant contrast to the plight of the men who have very little chance of surviving. Peasants who resolve to help them at first turn against them in the end, and the men's ranks start to diminish before they have traveled very far. The stately pace of this poignant and funereal elegy is complemented by excellent acting and a subdued, effective musical score.