Cliffs of Freedom

{{Infobox film

| name = Cliffs of Freedom

| image = Cliffs of Freedom movie poster.png

| caption = Theatrical release poster

| director = Van Ling

| writer = {{Plainlist|

Van Ling
Marianne Metropoulos
Kevin Bernhardt

}}

| based_on = {{Based on|Daughter of Destiny|Marianne Metropoulos}}

| producer = {{Plainlist|

Casey Cannon
Marianne Metropoulos

}}

| starring = {{Plainlist|

}}

| cinematography = Cory Geryak

| editing = {{Plainlist|

Greg Daniels
Richard Lord

}}

| music = George Kallis

| studio = {{Plainlist|

RanchWorks Picture Show
Aegean Entertainment

}}

| distributor = Round Hill Media

| released = {{Film date|2019|2|21|London|2019|3|1|New York}}

| runtime = 137 minutes{{cite web |url=https://bbfc.co.uk/releases/cliffs-freedom-2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200113224232/https://bbfc.co.uk/releases/cliffs-freedom-2018 |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 13, 2020 |title=Cliffs of Freedom (2019) |website=British Board of Film Classification |access-date=January 13, 2020}}{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/cliffs_of_freedom |title=Cliffs of Freedom (2019) |website=Rotten Tomatoes |publisher=Fandango|access-date=March 8, 2019}}{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/cliffs-of-freedom|title=Cliffs of Freedom Reviews |website=Metacritic |publisher=CBS Interactive |access-date=March 8, 2019}}

| country = United States

| language = {{Plainlist|

Greek
English

}}

| budget =

| gross = $300,842{{cite web |title=Cliffs of Freedom (2019) |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=cliffsoffreedom.htm |website=Box Office Mojo |publisher=IMDb |access-date=November 18, 2019}}

}}

Cliffs of Freedom is a 2019 independent historical drama romance film based on Marianne Metropoulos{{'s}} novel Daughter of Destiny. Produced by Casey Cannon and Metropoulos, the film is the directorial debut film by Van Ling from a screenplay by Ling, Metropoulos, and Kevin Bernhardt.{{cite web |url=https://www.playbill.com/article/watch-trailer-for-new-film-cliffs-of-freedom-featuring-patti-lupone-and-christopher-plummer |title=Watch Trailer for New Film 'Cliffs of Freedom', Featuring Patti LuPone and Christopher Plummer |first=Andrew |last=Gans |work=Playbill |date=January 10, 2019 |access-date=October 29, 2020}} It stars Tania Raymonde, Jan Uddin, Raza Jaffrey, Patti LuPone, and Christopher Plummer.{{cite web |url=https://mubi.com/films/cliffs-of-freedom |title=Cliffs of Freedom Cast and Crew |website=Mubi |access-date=September 10, 2018}}

The film was released in the United States on March 1, 2019 by Round Hill Media.{{cite web |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Cliffs-of-Freedom-(2019) |title=Cliffs of Freedom (2019) - Financial Information |website=The Numbers |access-date=April 20, 2019}}

Plot

The film is a story of an ill-fated romance between a young and beautiful Greek village girl and a conflicted Turkish officer during the dawn of the Greek War of Independence against the Ottoman Empire in 1821. Twenty-year-old Anna Christina (Tania Raymonde) is smitten by Colonel Tariq (Jan Uddin), a rising star in the Turkish army who has growing doubts about his countrymen's brutal methods of governance, and who had once spared her life on a cliff-top when she was a child. However, their budding romance brings tragedy to her family and her village.

Swearing revenge against the Turks, Christina joins the Greek rebellion and inadvertently becomes a local symbol of the Greek resistance movement, inspiring her countrymen and attracting the ire of the Turks, who place a bounty on her head. Having believed that she could leave her feelings behind, Christina must face off against the man who still loves her and wants to keep her safe, but who has now been tasked with her capture. Their encounters and skirmishes inevitably lead to a tragic confrontation during a pivotal battle between the Greeks and Turks that will change the course of history.{{cite web |url=http://apostolospapapostolou.com/cliffs-of-freedom-movie/ |title=Cliffs of Freedom Movie |website=Apostolos Papapostolou |access-date=September 10, 2018}}

Cast

{{Castlist|

Tania Raymonde as Anna Christina
Josey Smith as Young Anna Christina
Jan Uddin as Tariq
Raza Jaffrey as Sunal Demir
Patti LuPone as Yia-Yia
Christopher Plummer as Thanasi
Billy Zane as Christo
Lance Henriksen as Old Demetri
Jamie Christian Ward as Young Demetri
Dino Kelly as Vangeli
Costas Mandylor as Constantine Vakrinos
Kevin Corrigan as Stavros Valvianos
Raquel Cassidy as Christina Vakrinos
Carlo Rota as Mustapha Bey
Ruth Gemmell as Varvara Vakrinos
John Thomas Salazar as Nico Vakrinos
Mike A. Salazar as Alexi Vakrinos
Ivan Kaye as Ghazi Kalif
Simon Kassianides as Gregory
Dennis Boutsikaris as Theodoros Kolokotronis
Khalah Mitchell as Harem Dancer

}}

Production

= Filming =

Principal photography began on October 12, 2016, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with Cory Geryak serving as cinematographer.{{Cite web |url=https://www.abqjournal.com/866105/dunaway-plummer-begin-filming-cliffs-of-freedom-in-nm.html |title=LuPone, Plummer begin filming 'Cliffs of Freedom' in New Mexico |website=Albuquerque Journal |last=Gomez |first=Adrian |date=October 12, 2016 |access-date=September 10, 2018}} Filming wrapped on January 10, 2017.{{Cite web |url=https://hollywood.greekreporter.com/2017/01/10/greek-drama-cliffs-of-freedom-wraps-production-in-new-mexico/ |title=Greek Drama 'Cliffs of Freedom' Wraps Production in New Mexico |website=Hollywood Greek Reporter |last=Kalafatis |first=Joanna |date=January 10, 2017 |access-date=September 10, 2018}} In June 2017, George Kallis was revealed to be scoring the film.{{cite web |url=http://filmmusicreporter.com/2017/06/08/george-kallis-to-score-cliffs-of-freedom/ |title=George Kallis to Score 'Cliffs of Freedom' |website=Film Music Reporter |date=June 8, 2017 |access-date=September 10, 2018}}

Release

= Box office =

The film was released in the United States on March 1, 2019 by Round Hill Media, grossing $16,350 on its opening weekend.{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2019/film/news/spider-man-far-from-home-trailer-sony-record-1203112547/|title=Film News Roundup: 'Spider-Man: Far From Home' Trailer Sets Sony Pictures Record|first=Dave|last=McNary|website=Variety|publisher=Penske Media Corporation|date=January 18, 2019|access-date=January 18, 2019}} As of April 20, 2019, Cliffs of Freedom has grossed an estimated $72,476 in North America and $228,336 in other territories, for a worldwide total of $300,842.

= Critical response =

Michael Ordoña of the Los Angeles Times gave a mixed review by stating "Cliffs of Freedom is a bit rocky, but takes its leap in earnest. The game production does its best with limited resources, thanks, in part, to an impressive supporting cast. Apart from Christopher Plummer, it boasts the likes of Patti Lupone, Kevin Corrigan, and Billy Zane in the — shall we say — Billy Zane role: the smarmy, traitorous Greek collaborator with an eye for Anna Christina; one half-expects him to declare, 'I make my own luck!'. The dialogue is often stiff, the action and plotting unlikely, making the romance hard to swallow. The appealing Jan Uddin and Tania Raymonde do generate enough chemistry in their fleeting time together to keep the proposition afloat. However, the climactic moment, though heavily telegraphed, will leave many scratching their heads."{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-mini-cliffs-of-freedom-review-20190228-story.html|title=Review: Christopher Plummer and good intentions cannot save 'Cliffs of Freedom'|last=Ordoña|first=Michael|website=Los Angeles Times|url-access=limited|date=February 28, 2019|access-date=March 10, 2019}}