Traveling to Greece through film & music
The London Greek Film Festival has been taking place every year since 2008. This year, however, the festival will move online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Under normal circumstances, the screenings would have taken place at the Theatro Technis, an independent theatre in Camden, North London. The festival, due from 13 to 16 May 2020, showcases feature, short and documentary films either by Greek film-makers (no matter where they are produced) or simply related to Greece. According to the organizers, the festival showcases ‘films from Greek Origin Individuals and Production Companies from all over the world, or International Individuals and Production Companies from all over the world, with film or screenplay related to Greece (i.e. subject, myths, history or filming in Greece)’. Today, I would like to take this opportunity to travel back to my beloved home country Greece through film and music.
Traveling to Greece through film:
Films by Greek film-makers
A few months ago, inspired by the BFI London Film Festival I had attended earlier (it took place from 2 to 13 October 2019), I embarked on ‘a cinematic journey around Europe’. My first stop was the Nordic countries (‘A cinematic journey to the Nordic Countries’); I then continued my journey to East (Estonia, Russia, Poland), Central (Germany, Austria, Belgium) and South Europe (Spain, Italy, Greece). France was my last stop, in time for the French Film Festival UK (which took place from 1 November to 15 December 2019).
When I visited Greece through film, I wrote about Theo Angelopoulos, a Greek film-maker carrying the flag of the Greek cinema, well before Yorgos Lanthimos rose to prominence. A writer and director, he was nominated for the Cannes Film Festival Palme d’Or five times; he won the prestigious award in 1998 for the film ‘Eternity and a Day’. It’s a fine example of Theo’s critically appraised cinematic method, which has often been described as hypnotic.
Unfortunately, Theo passed away in 2012 while shooting his latest film, ‘The Other Sea’. Later that year, I watched a lesser-known Greek film, the ‘Boy Eating the Bird’s Food’ by Ektoras Lygizos, at the Leeds International Film Festival. Produced amidst the socio-economic crisis that had begun a few years earlier, this powerful film deals with poverty in modern Greece.
More recently, also at the Leeds International Film Festival, I watched ‘Suntan’ (2016) by Argyris Papadimitropoulos. The story takes us to the small Cycladic island of Antiparos, where a middle-aged doctor becomes infatuated with a much younger woman spending her summer holidays there.
Traveling to Greece through film via Hollywood:
Films by Greek film-makers
Greece has been nominated for the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film five times (but never won). The first nomination was in 1962 with ‘Electra’ by Michael Cacoyannis. In 1971, ‘Iphigenia’ was another film by the same director that was nominated for the Oscar. Both these films were based on ancient Greek tragedies written by Euripides. In 1964, ‘Zorba the Greek’, also directed by Cacoyannis, was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture.
The most recent nomination for the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film was in 2010 with ‘Dogtooth’ directed and co-written by Yorgos Lanthimos. In 2016, Lanthimos was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for his first English-language feature film ‘The Lobster’. Other notable films both written and directed by Lanthimos are ‘Alps’ (2011) and ‘The Killing of a Sacred Deer’ (2017).
In 2018, ‘The Favourite’, a film directed (but not written) by Lanthimos and starring Olivia Colman, was nominated for ten Academy Awards, including for Best Picture and Best Director. Colman won the Academy Award for Best Actress.
Traveling to Greece through film via Hollywood:
Films by international film-makers
Staying loyal to the London Greek Film Festival, which showcases not only films by Greek film-makers but also films related to Greece, I would now like to mention a few of my Hollywood favorite films set and filmed in Greece. The Greek islands are not only ideal holiday destinations, but also a perfect backdrop for many films. This list is by no means exhaustive; it only reflects my personal taste and knowledge, which is why it only includes films released during my lifetime.
The Big Blue
Directed by Luc Besson and released in 1988, ‘The Big Blue’ (‘Le Grand Bleu’) tells the story of the friendship and rivalry between two divers, Jacques and Enzo, a story that begins on the island of Amorgos in the 1960s. The easternmost of the Cyclades islands may not be as popular as its famous neighbor Santorini, but, cliché as it may sound, it is one of the most beautiful and charming Greek islands. The small chapel of Agia Anna and the monastery of Panagia Hozoviotissa can both be seen in Besson’s film. Although the French director also takes us to Sicily as well as all the way to Peru, Amorgos has become synonymous with ‘The Big Blue’. In fact, everywhere you go on the Cycladic island, you will be reminded of this landmark film.
Captain Corelli’s Mandolin
Based on Louis de Bernières’s novel of the same name, ‘Captain Corelli’s Mandolin’ was directed by John Madden and stars Nicolas Cage and Penélope Cruz. The film takes back to a dark time during the Second World War when the Ionian islands were occupied by the Italian Army. The story takes place on the island of Kefalonia where Corelli, an Italian army captain, falls in love with a young Greek woman, Pelagia.
Mamma Mia!
Unlike ‘Captain Corelli’s Mandolin’, ‘Mamma Mia!’ is a feel-good movie that has nothing to do with war atrocities. Directed by Phyllida Lloyd, the film is based on the musical of the same name, which itself is based on the songs of the Swedish pop group ABBA. It features the one and only Meryl Streep, as well as Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth and Stellan Skarsgård. The story is set on the fictional island Kalokairi, but the filming took place on the island of Skopelos. This charming island lies east of the Pelion peninsula, right between Skiathos to the west and Alonissos to the east.
A sequel, titled ‘Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again’, was released 10 years later and features the same cast (except for Meryl), as well as the fabulous Cher. Even though the story takes place in Greece, the filming took place in Croatia.
Before Midnight
‘Before Midnight’ is the third film in a trilogy starring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy in the roles of Jesse and Céline, whom we first met in ‘Before Sunrise’ and again in ‘Before Sunset’. Directed by Richard Linklater, it was filmed in the Peloponnese, where Jesse and Céline, now a couple approaching middle age, spend their holidays. Contrary to a popular misconception, the Peloponnese is a peninsula (rather than an island); it is also home to the historical Epidaurus, Sparta, and Olympia (site of the Ancient Olympic Games).
Traveling to Greece through music:
My favorite Greek musicians
In 1960, Greek composer Manos Hatzidakis won the Academy Award for Best Original Song with the now classic ‘Ta Pediá tou Pireá’. The Oscar-winning song was first performed in Greek by Melina Merkouri in the film ‘Never on Sunday’ by Jules Dassin. It has since been recorded in quite a few languages: English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Dutch, Yiddish, Polish, Czech, Serbian, Croatian, Slovenian, Cantonese, Mandarin, and Portuguese. Melina was nominated for the Oscar for Best Actress, and so far she is the only actor nominated for a Greek-language role.
Last year, I embarked on ‘a musical journey to Greece’; the soundtrack included songs from the world-wide famous Nana Mouskouri, Maria Calls and Manos Hatzidakis, as well as from some of my favorite contemporary Greek musicians, such as Haris Alexiou, Dimitra Galani and Alkistis Protopsalti.
If, however, I had to pick one artist to represent contemporary Greek music, that would easily be Haris Alexiou, one of the most popular female singers in Greece, with a career now spanning well over four decades. If, however, I had to choose my favorite album of hers, let alone my favorite song, I would definitely be struggling with the task. Originally included in her 1997 album ‘Ena Fili Tou Kosmou’, the song ‘Gia Ena Tango’ also features in the soundtrack of the 2013 film ‘Before Midnight’. Her latest release is an album called ‘Ta Tragoudia Tis Xenitias’; even though it was recorded 33 years ago, it had never been released until last week. Not my favorite album of hers, but it may grow on me the more I listen to it.
Traveling to Greece through music:
My favorite radio station
A few weeks ago, I discovered Serifos Radio, an online radio playing music inspired by Serifos island and the Aegean Sea. Only a few of the songs are Greek; it is the kind of music you’d listen to at a beach bar right by the waves with a colorful drink (or two): summertime chill-out lounge meets relaxing tropical house (you get the gist). No wonder that listening to Serifos Radio takes me back to the island of Serifos, which I visited two summers ago.
Located in the western Cyclades, south of Kythnos and north of Sifnos, which I also visited that summer, Serifos has a small population of just over 1,000. Relatively unknown to most foreign travelers, this small island had reminded me of a Greece of a different era: the Greece that starred in the 1960s movies I used to watch as a child (in the 1990s). Again and again, during my time there, the phrase ‘time stands still’ came to my mind. It is rather ironic that I (mentally) came back to Serifos, the island where time stands still (as I’d nicknamed it), during a time when local ad international traveling has been suspended and stillness has become (temporarily) the norm in my life.
Further reading
Whilst writing this post, I came across the blog ‘Greeker than the Greeks‘ by Susan, a lady originally from Leeds, who’s lived in Greece for the last 40+ years. In her post ‘26 Famous Movies Filmed in Greece and the Greek Islands‘, she mentions some of the films I have discussed here today, as well as a few more.
If you want to listen to my favorite Greek musicians, check out my YouTube playlist.
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Alex
(the London-based Traveling Psychiatrist)