International movies in/for Greece

International Movies in Greece / for Greece (part 1)

A lot of international movies have been captured from Greece or for Greece. This is not only Greece's history and mythology, but also its sapphire seas, islands, whitewashed villages and cities that attracted Hollywood location scouts to this beautiful place.

1936: It's A Greek Life (Cartoon).

Greek mythology is the setting for this romp. A bumbling centaur smithy is charged with fixing Mercury's winged sandals. When Mercury demands that the smithy repair his damaged winged shoes, our buddy has to try on the shoes, to the chagrin of his two duck companions. The lowly half-man/half-horse can't resist taking the shoes out for a test spin. Aspiring to be godlike, the centaur tries to emulate the winged flight of the vain, musclebound Mercury. When Mercury returns, he finds that his sandals are ruined! The angry god grabs the centaur and begins to beat him up in a wrestling match.

(source: bcdb.com)

1957: Boy on a Dolphin.

Boy on a Dolphin was shot in Greece in 1957. Cast: Alan Ladd, Sofia Loren and Clifton Webb. Directed by Jean Negulesco.

Italian star actress Sophia Loren made her American film debut with this romantic adventure set on the Greek island of Hydra. Phaedra (Loren) is a female sponge diver who discovers the wreckage of a sunken ship with a number of fascinating artifacts, including a statue of a boy astride a dolphin.

Instead of Hydra, the film was shot at Cinecittà in Rome and in other places in Greece, such us Athens, Rhodes, Delos and Meteora.

1960: Never on Sunday.

A dense American man, with delusions of being an intellectual, travels to Greece. There he meets a pragmatic prostitute whom he attempts to transform into a cultured lady.

Starring: Melina Mercouri, Jules Dassin, Titos Vandis, George Foundas, Despo Diamantidou, Dimitris Papamichael, Mitsos Liguisos, Dimos Starenios, Alexis Salomos. Director: Jules Dassin.

The movie was nominated for five Academy Awards, Best Actress in a Leading Role (Melina Mercouri), Best Costume Design, Black-and-White, Best Director and Best Writing, Story and Screenplay, and featuring the Oscar winning song "Never on Sunday".

1964: Topkapi.

Topkapi, were shot in Rhodes Greece and in Instanbul Turkey.

Director Jules Dassin fashioned this intricate 1964 thriller with a comic bent, and he succeeded the international popularity. This movie became an influence for other European films. Peter Ustinov won an Academy Award for his performance as an unlucky driver.

Starring: Melina Mercouri, Maximilian Schell, Peter Ustinov, Robert Morley, Akim Tamiroff and Gilles Ségal. Director: Jules Dassin.

1961: The Guns of Navarone.

The movie was also filmed in Rhodes.

One of the great war movies of all time. A commando team is sent to a Greek Island to destroy the giant guns of World War II Germany which are controlling a strategic channel in the Aegean Sea. In this movie was used a lot of pioneeringly Special Effects. Academy Award Nominations: 7 (including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay. Academy Awards: Best Special Effects.

Starring: Gregory Peck, David Niven, Anthony Quinn, Stanley Baker, Anthony Quayle, Gia Scala. Director: J. Lee Thompson

1964: Zorba the Greek.

The movie shot in Crete island.

If ever there was a role that Anthony Quinn was born to play, it was the brave title character in Zorba the Greek. The scene is the big island of Crete, where English writer Alan Bates arrives and meets the flamboyant Zorba, who determines to educate Bates in the ways of the world (or Zorba's world). The movie ends with a wonderful scene, a Greek syrtaki dance that gave another tone in the film.

Based on the novel by Nikos Kazantzakis, Zorba the Greek earned Oscars for actress Lila Kedrova, cinematographer Walter Lassally and art director Vassilis Fotopoulos.

1981: James Bond, For Your Eyes Only.

Roger Moore played James Bond in For Your Eyes Only (1981), filmed in Meteora and Corfu of Greece. The hang gliding scene was shot at the monasteries of Meteora and the casino scene was shot at Corfu's Achillion Palace. Corfu was also the site of an underwater scene showing an ancient Greek temple with a giant turtle swimming around it.

1982: Summer Lovers.

The bulk of the filming for Summer Lovers was done on Santorini, one of the southern most islands in the Greek Aegean. Some filming was also done on Crete, Delos, and Mykonos.

"Summer Lovers" has four principal characters: Michael, Cathy, Lina and the Greek Isles. The idea for the film occured to writer-director Randal Kleiser while touring the islands on vacation. He found fascinating the uninhibited, free-form lifestyle created by literally thousands of young adults from all over the world.

While mapping out the production strategy, Kleiser and the film's producer, Mike Moder, chose four island locations: Santorini, Delos, Mykonos and Crete, and a palette of colors they wanted the locations to convey: the blue of the Agean, the tan of sunned bodies, and the dazzling white of the island villages.

Written and directed by Randal Kleiser, starring Peter Gallagher, Daryl Hannah and Valerie Quennessen. The original music score is composed by Basil Poledouris.

(source: summer-lovers.net)

1989: Shirley Valentine.

The movie Shirley Valentine was filmed in 1989 on Mykonos Grand Hotel And Resort, that overlooks Ayios Yiannis beach (Mykonos: one of the Cyclades islands in the Aegean Sea).

Starring Pauline Collins, Tom Conti, Alison Steadman, Joanna Lumley, Bernard Hill, George Costigan, Tracie Bennett, Julie McKenzie. Director: Lewis Gilbert.

The movie was nominated for 2 Oscars.

Fans of this classic still stay at the hotel, which is shown in several scenes.

2001: Captain Corelli's Mandolin.

During World War II, an Italian Captain named Antonio Corelli is put in command of a garrison that is occupying the Greek island of Cephallonia. When the Italians arrive on the island, they think of it as a Greek vacation. At first the villagers are resent with these uninvited guests, but soon they perceive that Italians' charm and passion for life were not far away from theirs. After a beautifull Greek woman Pelagia departs to fight with the Greek army, she falls in love with Corelli. As Corelli is dealing with the violent realities of warfare, he must imagine leaving Cephallonia and the woman he has come to love, possibly forever.

Starring: Christian Bale, Nicolas Cage, Penelope Cruz, David Morrissey, John Hurt. Director: John Madden

2008: Mamma Mia.

The movie was shot in Skopelos and Skiathos, two previously little-known islands in the Northern Sporades in Greece.

Over 30 million people all around the world have fallen in love with the characters, the story and the music that make MAMMA MIA! the ultimate feel-good show!

Writer Catherine Johnson's sunny, funny tale unfolds on a Greek island paradise.On the eve of her wedding, a daughter's quest to discover the identity of her father

brings 3 men from her mother's past back to the island they last visited 20 years ago.

The story-telling magic of ABBA’s timeless songs propels this enchanting tale of love, laughter and friendship, and every night everyone’s having the time of their lives!

Starring Meryl Streep, Colin Firth, Pierce Brosnan, Amanda Seyfried, Christine Baranski and Julie Walters. Director: Phyllida Lloyd.

(source: mamma-mia.com)

2009: My Life in Ruins.

The film is scheduled to be released May 8, 2009 in the United States. This is a romantic comedy film set amongst the ruins of ancient Greece.

Starring Nia Vardalos, Richard Dreyfuss, Alexis Georgoulis, Rachel Dratch, Harland Williams and Alistair McGowan. Director: Donald Petrie