| My life in Ruins (2009) Weak effort by Nia Vardalos. She leads a tour group while she learns that Hollywood cliche that the way to true happiness is to give up all ambition. |
| Mamma Mia! (2008) One reviewer said this movie was a "useful contribution to the debate over the definition of torture." Can't imagine the pitch meeting for this one. |
| 300 (2007) Not really set in Greece, more like - set in a computer. Tells a considerably fictionalized account of the battle of Thermopyale. |
| My Big Fat Greek Wedding
(2002). The immigrant experience done in
a way that anyone from a big, enmeshed family can identify with. Hilarious. Recommended. |
| The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005) The pants spend some time in Greece. |
| The Bourne Identity (2002) Not about Greece or shot in Greece, except for the final scene which is on Mykonos. |
| Captain Corelli's Mandolin (2001) Story takes place on Kefalonia. Boring, bad acting. |
| Mediterraneo
(1991) Some Italian soldiers get stranded on a Greek island
during WWII. They decide to make this their home, and start interacting
with the locals. A charming, warm, human, anti-war film. Recommended.
|
 Shirley
Valentine (1989). Received horrible reviews but is kind of sweet. Archetypical (or cliched, take your pick) story of person who runs away from their life in order to find their real life - in this case frustrated housewife who no one will listen to escapes to Greek island in search of self-actualization. Shot on Mykonos at Manoulas Beach Hotel and Sunset Taverna. Pauline Collins, looking like a real 40 year old. |
| Pascali's Island (1988). Ben Kingsley and Helen Mirren. Goings on around WWI. Haven't seen it. Filmed in Rhodes.. |
| High Season (1987). Romance and spying on Rhodes. Jacqueline Bisset and the inevitable Irene Papas. Incoherent, slow, unconvincing characters that seem unconnected to each other. Kenneth Branagh paid his dues in this one. Awful. |
| Eleni (1985). Story of post-WWII Greece and its vicious civil war. Nicholas Gage returns to Northern Greece to track down how his mother was killed. |
| Tempest (1982) Whatever connection this has to the Shakespeare play escapes me; well there is a big storm. Another 'go to Greece to find yourself' film, made less plausible in that here finding yourself involves avoiding making love to a young Susan Sarandon. Raul Julia, Molly Ringwald, Gena Rowlands and Sam Robards attempt to make up for John Cassavetes' horrible acting. An inconsistent mess. Filmed in the southern Mani peninsula of the Peloponnesus. |
| Summer Lovers (1982) Young people (including Daryl Hannah) go to Corfu, Mykonos and Santorini. Stuff happens. |
| For your eyes only (1981) A Roger Moore James Bond film that was shot in part in Corfu and also misuses a monastery at Metora. They go there mainly to smash things. The real monks were not that thrilled with the filming and tried to protest. While apparently this is regarded as a pretty good Bond film, I though it was weak. |
| The Greek Tycoon (1978) Anthony Quinn, the only person who can star in a Hollywood film about Greeks, plays Aristotle Onassis as he courts Jacqueline Kennedy-Onassis. Shot in part in Athens, Corfu and Mykonos. |
| For the love of Benji (1977) Smart dog, dumb people run around Athens. |
| The Burglars (1971) AKA: "Le casse." Omar Sharif, Jaen-Paul Belmondo and Dyan Cannon do something in Athens. |
| Z
(1969) A political thriller from Costa Gravas about a true event. A progressive deputy is killed - is the government complicit? Well done. Especially recommended.
The story of the real events behind the film... |
| Zorba
the Greek (1964) The quintessential
battle between the self-disciplining and self-expressing dimensions of the human
personality. Anthony Quinn, a Mexican, here firmly establishes himself
as a Greek. Alan Bates plays the repressed, responsible one. Irene Pappas also stars.
Recommended. |
| Topkapi (1964) ('Top-CAP-ee') Most of this takes place in Istanbul, but it starts in Kavala, Greece and Melina Mercouri stars, overacting her way into our consciousness. |
| The Guns of Navarone (1961) WW II Adventure: Commando group tries to blow up big guns that guard a shipping channel. With Gregory Peck, David Niven, James Darren, Richard Harris and the inevitable Anthony Quinn and Irene Papas.Said to be shot in Plyos, but sure looks like Rhodes. Decent example of the type. Won two Golden Globes and one Oscar (for special effects). |
| Never
on Sunday (1960) American tourist, full of the ancient Greeks,
comes to Athens and decides to 'rescue' a prostitute (Melina Mercouri)
by filling her with the true spirit of the ancients. Of course, he's
clueless and she resists being 'improved.' |
| Boy on a Dolphin (1957) Sophia Loren, in one of her early movies. They find a stature of a boy on a dolphin, conflict arises between her and her lazy boyfriend about what to do with it. With Alan Ladd. Shot on Hydra. |
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