The history of cinema in Greece is an obscure and largely unexamined subject. Greek cinema started slowly and then collapsed; for several years it struggled to reinvent itself, produced its first mature works, and then almost vanished. Because of this problematic history, a comprehensive telling of the story of Greek cinema has never been written in English. That is until now.
Vrasidas Karalis’ just-released new book A History of Greek Cinema focuses on the early decades and the attempts to establish a “national” cinema, that crucial element in framing a national identity since the invention of cinematography.
A History of Greek Cinema analyses the dilemmas that many Greek directors faced in order to establish a distinct Greek cinema language, and presents its growth against the backdrop of Greece’s turbulent political history. The book which traces Greek cinema from its birth in the early 1900s to the present day, combines historical research with a celebration of Greek cinematic success, and a vital analysis of its failures.
Author and professor Vrasidas Karalis, told Neos Kosmos that the book is both a contextualisation of the most important movies, but also an explanation of the social circumstances in which they were conceived. “Cinema creates modern mythologies, about the nation and its past. My approach was to create a narrative around this,” says Karalis. The Sydney-based author begins his story with the person who he describes as “the patriarch” of Greek cinema.
“Someone who has been totally forgotten because he wasn’t Greek, is Hungarian-born Joseph Hepp. He came to Greece in 1910 as the official cinematographer for the Greek royal family, and he was still working in the 1950s and 60s. He was hugely important. ”
“His protégés were film makers like the Gaziadis brothers in the 1920s, who created the first cinematic production company in the country, and the first successful Greek films. These offered Greek audiences an alternative to imported movies from Hollywood and Germany.” Taking the movies as a “refraction” of the social and political history of Greece, Karalis says the story of Greek cinema has an important and timely message.
“It shows the resilience of the creative spirit in Greece, “even through events such as the Asia Minor catastrophe, the creative spirit has never been silenced.” Vrasidas Karalis is Associate Professor in Modern Greek Studies at the University of Sydney. He has published extensively on Greek culture, history and art and the editor of the Journal of Modern Greek Studies. In the area of film studies he has published on Theo Angelopoulos, Sergei Eisenstein and Alfred Hitchcock. Just released worldwide, reviews of the book signal its place as a landmark work. Michael Tsianikas, Professor of Modern Greek at Flinders University has described it as “a majestic and sublime narrative, written with passion and pathos from an iconoclast scholar.
“This book is also a cine-catharsis in understanding the modern Greek society as currently projected on international screens, like a cinematographic drama. Read it and you are going to understand why today only the Greek Cinema will save the Greek Nation…”
A History of Greek Cinema, by Vrasidas Karalis, is published by Continuum. (344 pages, paperback). Available from all good bookshops $34.95. The book will be officially launched by David Stratton, presenter of the ABC’s ‘At the movies’ during the 30th Greek Festival of Sydney, on Wednesday April 18. 7.30pm. Barnet Long Room, Customs House. 31 Alfred Street. Circular Quay. Sydney. Contact: 02 9750 0440 email: greekfestival2@goc.com.au