Lecture4. Post-War Satire and Drama

Modern Greek Cinema Overview

  • Course Code: CIN 2227

  • Focus: Post-War Cinema and Satire

  • Semester: Fall 2024

  • Instructor: Dr. Spyros Gangas

Key Films in Post-War Satire and Drama

Forgotten Faces (Prosopa Lismonimena)

  • Director: Yorgos Tzavellas (1916-1976)

  • Year: 1946

  • Setting: Sleazy underworld of Athens

  • Plot: Chronicles a crook's return and his attempt to win back a woman he exploits.

  • Themes: Post-war deprivation, emotional duress, social problems.

  • Style: Blend of neo-realism, poetic realism, and noir.

  • Reception: Box-office failure, considered a poor film by Tzavellas, though later reevaluated positively.

The She-Wolf (I Lykaina)

  • Director: Maria Plyta (1915-2006)

  • Year: 1951

  • Focus: Love obstructed by family feuds.

  • Themes: National trauma from civil strife, importance of communal interest.

  • Significance: First film with a woman in a major role contributing to plot resolution.

The Drunkard (O Methystakas)

  • Director: Yorgos Tzavellas

  • Year: 1948

  • Focus: A father's post-war trauma after losing his son in WWII.

  • Themes: Alcoholism, neglect, impact of war on family relationships.

  • Reception: Significant box-office success in 1949-50 with over 304,438 tickets sold.

The Germans Strike Again (Oi Germanoi Xanarhontai)

  • Director: Alekos Sakellarios (1913-1991)

  • Year: 1948

  • Synopsis: A Greek dreams of a Nazi counter-offensive during the Civil War.

  • Important Character: A madman espousing reason and unity among divided Greeks.

  • Themes: Hatred, mutual slaughtering, and the philosophical underpinnings of war.

Santa Chiquita

  • Director: Alekos Sakellarios

  • Year: 1953

  • Focus: Dreams of a low-ranking clerk delayed by financial struggles.

  • Context: Struggle between tradition and modernization in Greek society.

Mademoiselle: Age 39 (Despoinis: Eton 39)

  • Director: Alekos Sakellarios

  • Year: 1954

  • Themes: Romantic misadventures, disillusionment with societal ideals.

Story of a Counterfeit Pound (Istoria mias Kalpikis Liras)

  • Director: Yorgos Tzavellas

  • Year: 1955

  • Format: Portmanteau film with four stories revolving around a counterfeit pound.

  • Themes: Money's corrosive forces, social stratification, and false values.

Broader Post-War Context

  • Public spectacle in rural areas versus cinema in urban centers.

  • Cultural tensions: American vs. Soviet films from 1944-1947.

  • Ideological clashes: Right-wing versus left-wing interpretations of identity.

Recommended Reading

  • Karalis, V. (2012). A History of Greek Cinema. London and New York: Bloomsbury.

  • Soldatos, Y. (2004). History of Greek Cinema, Vol. IV (Documents 1900-1970). Athens: Aigokeros.