The Ogre of Athens

O Drákos (Greek: Ο Δράκος; English: The Ogre of Athens or The fiend of Athens), or simply The Dragon, is a 1956 Greek existential and satirical drama crime film, directed by Nikos Koundouros. It tells the story of Thomas, a mousey and dull bank clerk whose physical appearance leads him to be confused with a fierce and notorious criminal. The film highlights as a theme the alienated modern individual[1] and the alienation from the fear imposed by a central government in a social level as well, and encompasses artistically neorealist, expressionist and ancient Greek tragedy features. The film also satirizes the film noir genre.[2] The plot was based on a script by Iakovos Kambanellis, one of Greece's most prominent playwrights, and the music score was written by Manos Hadjidakis with the collaboration of Vasilis Tsitsanis.[3] Although the film was a commercial disaster on its release, it is considered to be one of the most significant works of Modern Greek cinema.

O Drákos
The Ogre of Athens
Directed byNikos Koundouros
Produced byAthens Film Company
Written byIakovos Kambanellis
StarringDinos Iliopoulos
Margarita Papageorgiou
Giannis Argyris
Music byManos Hadjidakis
CinematographyCostas Theodorides
Edited byGiorgos Tsaoulis
Release date
  • 5 March 1956 (1956-03-05)
Running time
103 minutes
CountryGreece
LanguageGreek

It won the award for best movie 1955–1959 in the first Thessaloniki Film Festival. It also took part in the 17th Venice International Film Festival.[4]

At the 2006 International Thessaloniki Film Festival, the film was announced as among the 10 all-time best Greek films by the PHUCC (Pan-Hellenic Union of Cinema Critics).[5][6]

Plot

A weak and timid man, discovering his resemblance to a famous wanted criminal, "the dragon", gives up his normal, dull life in order to become famous. He becomes the leader of a criminal group (so that they think of him as "the dragon") in a great and ambitious operation.

He also falls in love with a young and beautiful singer working in the bar that is the group's base of operations; but unfortunately she cannot understand his tragic emotional situation.

After a while he is identified not to be "the dragon" by the members of this group and one of them, in anger, murders him.

Cast

Trivia

The movie is mentioned (and plays an important role) in Jonathan Franzen's novel Freedom, with the title The Fiend of Athens.[7]

References

  1. https://theartofcrime.gr/%CE%BF-%CE%B4%CF%81%CE%AC%CE%BA%CE%BF%CF%82-%CF%84%CE%BF%CF%85-%CE%BA%CE%BF%CF%8D%CE%BD%CE%B4%CE%BF%CF%85%CF%81%CE%BF%CF%85-%CE%BC%CE%AF%CE%B1-%CF%83%CF%8D%CE%B3%CF%87%CF%81%CE%BF%CE%BD/ in Greek Ο «Δράκος» του Κούνδουρου: μία σύγχρονη ταινία, Νικόλας Γανιάρης
  2. http://www.tainiothiki.gr/el/tainies/277-o-drakos in Greek ο Δράκος, πληροφορίες στην ταινιοθήκη της Ελλάδος
  3. http://tainiothiki.gr/v2/filmography/view/1/541/
  4. http://tainiothiki.gr/v2/filmography/view/1/541/
  5. cinemainfo.gr, by Giannis Frangoulis (translated by Konstantinos Vassilaros), "47th THESSALONICA FILM FESTIVAL - FOG CASING OVER THE WORLD OF CINEMA", accessed 01-14-2009
  6. filmfestival.gr, " The ten best best film of the Greek Film Critics Association", accessed 01-14-2009
  7. Franzen, Jonathan, Freedom (A Novel), New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2010, pp. 96–8.
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