Schlagwort: Nikos Kazantzakis

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Director Iannis Smaragdis on his Film “Kazantzakis” and on Being “Chosen” by the Subject

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Renowned Greek film director Iannis Smaragdis’ new film “Kazantzakis” is scheduled for release November 2017. In an event titled “The Greek Light through Nikos Kazantzakis” at the Hellenic Centre of London, on May, 22, at 7.15 pm, Iannis Smaragdis will present the making of his new film. This event is held in the framework of 2017 as the year dedicated to the Cretan writer Nikos Kazantzakis and is supported by the Embassy of Greece in London.

The film, based on Kazantzakis autobiographical novel “Report to Greco”, deals with the fascinating personality of Kazantzakis, one of the most prolific figures in Greek literature whose work boasts many translations worldwide, the Greek landscape that molded him, his philosophical and metaphysic quests. Through his existential search around the world for the implementation of the ideas of Christ, Buddha and Lenin in real life, and through his hero Odysseus, Kazantzakis realizes his philosophy of the Cretan Glance: „Life is a bumpy road and one must walk it with dignity and bravery.“. The life of Nikos Kazantzakis is a story of love, faith and strength of one author who survived the adversities and cruelties of his time, making his life’s work live through the ages.

Born in 1946, in Heraklion, Crete, Iannis Smaragdis, a veteran director of successful TV series, has specialized in historic biographies such as “Cavafy” (1996), “El Greco” (2007), and “God Loves Caviar” (2012).

In an interview published in the latest issue of the Newsletter of the Press and Communication Office of the Embassy of Greece in London*, Smaragdis underlined that he felt he owed this film to the great writer – with whom he shared the same birthplace – in order to express his gratitude for Kazantzakis’ work:

How did you decide to make this movie/tribute to Nikos Kazantzakis?

It seems like I was meant to make a movie about Kazantzakis. The house I was born in is only 300 metres away from where the writer was born and another 300 metres from El Greco’s house. These three spots form a rectangular triangle. I feel it is my debt to this great writer -the most widely read Greek writer worldwide after Homer- with whom I share the same birthplace.

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Could you tell us a few words about the plot and any difficulties you may have faced, during the filming?

The filming started in September in our beloved Crete and it has since taken place in Heraklion, Chania, Ayios Nikolaos, and then Athens, Aegina, Salamina, Lavrio, Legraina, Southern France and Berlin. I have to admit that we have experienced an unprecedented war, mainly from the vicious cinematic lobby of Athens, as they intensely tried to boycott the film. Do not forget that Kazantzakis himself also experienced the same war from the literary lobby of Athens and as a result both the author and Greece lost the Nobel Prize in literature!

However, the biggest difficulty we facedwas its funding. During my whole life, I have been a „beggar of love“ looking for money to complete my films, but this time it has been a real pain to find the money it took to make this film. Fortunately, there were good Greeks and good Cretans without whose help this movie would not have been completed. The blessed, generous and great-hearted Cretan AEGEAN’s Theodoros Vassilakis, the great Hertz’s Emmanoula Vassilakis, Leonidas Frangiadakis, Managing Director at the National Bank of Greece, intelligent banker and great Cretan, the Vardinoyannis family with their “Audiovisual”, who supported us strongly, and many others.

When will the film be released?

The long-lasting shooting is over and now the film is in the stage of editing and the music is being composed by the great composer, Minos Matsas. The film will be released in Greece by “Audiovisual” this November, on the 23th. The same company released also our previous work, “El Greco”, which sold the unprecedented record of 1,200,000 tickets.

seasideWhat is different between this movie and your previous ones?

I don’t know… What I do know, however, is that people who ‘create’ do not choose their subjects, but it is the other way round …They choose us… And to put it in another way, Kazantzakis has said: „A demon is inside of me but it is not me. I am just the donkey he rides on and he goes – where does he go? The demon knows, I don’t. He prods me and I walk. Maybe I am a Being of a Master I don’t know but I serve him, whether this is right or wrong!” Personally, I assume that the first reason that prompted me to touch this “giant” is my unlimited love for Nikos Kazantzakis, who has been a comforting “companion” to me since the age of 14. So, the less I could do in order to „show“ him my gratitude “up there” was to create this film.

And a few words about the event here in London – what should we expect?

Firstly, I would like to thank Mrs Leventis and Mrs Agatha Kalisperas who gave us the space to present footage of the film at the Hellenic Center, which is part of the events honouring Nikos Kazantzakis, since this year has been proclaimed by the Hellenic Ministry of Culture as “The Year of Nikos Kazantzakis”.

Other participants in the event will be Niki Stavrou, Director of Kazantzakis Publications, a great woman who is distinguished for her unselfishness and friendliness and a great pillar of the dissemination of Nikos Kazantzakis‘ high-profile work, architect Mr. Yiannis Tziros, Ms Marina Kalogirou, who plays Eleni Kazantzaki in the film, as well as a representative of the General Secretariat of Greeks Abroad of the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

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At this point, I would like to mention that the event is under the auspices of the Embassy of Greece in London and supported by the Hellenic Tourism Office in the UK and Aegean Airlines.

It will also be an invitation to the distinguished Greek-Cypriot community of London that loves and supports culture, which is necessary in order to keep “Hellenism” alive. I am extremely confident that this film will find great support.

Can you „reveal“ something about your future plans?

The next movie that I will be working on is „Ioannis Kapodistrias“, a film based on the unknown life of a great Greek and the first Governor of the modern era of Greece. The scenario has already being written by Dimitris Pelirakis, a man of unique intelligence, the most thorough ‘connoisseur’ of Kapodistrias’ personality, work and visions. Kapodistrias was killed by ‘Greek hands’, which destroyed also the future of our country. If Kapodistrias had had the chance to organize Greece the way he had envisioned, our country would have been the leading example in education and culture.

* Many thanks to Alexis Georgiades, Press and Communication Counsellor – Embassy of Greece in London

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nP6tA2dWmCc]

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Smaragdis’ movie “Kazantzakis” at the theaters in November

The award-winning director Yannis Smaragdis returns with his new movie which honors the most important Greek writer and thinker Nikos Kazantzakis. The premiere will take place on Thursday 23 November 2017 in cinemas across the country.

Focusing on the Greek light, the senses and colors of another era, and Kazantzakis’ perpetual Greek speech, the new portrait of Yannis Smaragdis outlines the greatest Greek writer after Homer, backed by a glittering cast of protagonists.

The long awaited new film has already received positive impressions and there is much anticipation for her screening in cinemas. Ecumenical writer Nikos Kazantzakis said that his life is defined by his travels and dreams. These tracks were followed in the film and after a thrilling 6-month shooting trip to Crete, Athens, Aegina, South France, Berlin and Vienna.

The central character Nikos Kazantzakis is played by Odysseas Papaspiliopoulos and the Marina Kalogirou is his partner Eleni. The eight-year-old Alexandros Kambasis is Nikos Kazantzakis at an early age, while Stefanos Linnaios plays the writer at a mature age.

A number of distinguished actors surround the protagonists. Argyris Xafis plays the father of Kazantzakis and Maria Skoulas his mother. Angelos Sikelianos is embodied by Nikos Kardonis, his wife Eva is Amalia Arseni, Ika is played by Yulica Skafida, Zile Dessen is played by Alexander Kollatos, Melina Mercouri by Zeta Douka, Hailemaker is played by Adrian Frieling, Anthoula Katsimatides in the role of “Good Witch” and in the role of Dr. Stekel, a surprise appearance by Nikos Marinakos. Other worthy actors who take part in the film are Olga Damani and Ersi Malikenzou, Panos Skoraliakos, Takis Papamatthaiou, Loudovikos of Anogia, while Giorgis Zorbas is played by Thodoris Atheridis, and of course Stathis Psaltis’ amazing performance as Abbot of the Monastery of Sinai.

Apart from the director / screenwriter Yiannis Smaragdis, also participated in the making of the movie the producers Eleni Smaragdi and Alexander Smaragdis, the French co-producer Vincent Michaud, the director of photography Arias Stavrou, the music composer Minos Matsas, the costume designer Giorgos Patsas, the model Stella Filippopoulou, the sound engineer Aris Athanasopoulos.

The film was made thanks to the support of many and outstanding individuals and organizations. Co-producers of the film from Greece are Nova, the Greek Film Center, ERT and Nelly Katsou. It is worth mentioning that the film is a Greek-French co-production in collaboration with the French company 2017 Films.

The film’s script is based on the author’s book Greco Reference, which was published by Kazantzakis Publications.

The distribution of the film for Greece and Cyprus has been undertaken by the Greek Audio Visual S.A. Distribution Company, which also distributes the great commercial and artistic success of EL GRECO. The film is a tribute to NIKO KAZANTZAKI’s Great Awakening Writer, but also to the recently deceased Stathis Psaltis who made an unmistakable interpretation, leaving his latest artistic print to the film, just like our great actor Sotiris Moustakas in EL GRECO.

Watch the trailer -> kazantzakismovie.com

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Nikos Kazantzakis

Today (18th Feb 1883) it’s Nikos Kazantzakis’s birthday!!! Love his book ‚Zorba the Greek‘, beginning with these words: ‚I first met him in Piraeus….‘

 

Summer readings: Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis

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Sunday 14 August 2011 09.00 BST theguardian.com

 

Far from being unputdownable, this novel demands you cast it aside and emulate its great Greek hero in living life to the full
Shelf life ... Anthony Quinn and Alan Bates in the 1964 film adaptation of Zorba the Greek.

Shelf life … Anthony Quinn and Alan Bates in the 1964 film adaptation of Zorba the Greek. Photograph: SNAP/Rex Features

I’d heard of Zorba the Greek, in the way that the classics of modern literature totter into the subconscious even without being read or studied. It was only while holidaying in Greece in summer 2010 that I bought a tatty, overpriced Faber edition from a small bookshop in Athens as I waited for the boat to Heraklion, the main port of Crete where Nikos Kazantzakis, the book’s author, was born and is buried.

The novel tells the story of the narrator’s friendship with a lively 60ish-year-old lover, fighter, adventurer, musician, chef, miner, storyteller, dancer … the occupations are endless. This is Zorba, described by the narrator as „the man I had sought so long in vain“. They spend a year on Crete together, Zorba managing the lignite mine that the narrator is financing as a project to bring him into closer contact with working-class men, whose honest, simple lifestyles the narrator admires but cannot emulate. It is a tale of Zorba’s seductions, most memorably of Madame Hortense, the heavily made-up, big-buttocked, ageing courtesan who offers the two men hospitality and a little more, and of the narrator’s melancholy „life-and-death struggle“ to write an account of his Buddha while waiting for Zorba to return from the mine and make his supper.

Zorba the Greek is rich in the sights, sounds and smells – wild sage, mint and thyme, the orange-blossom scent worn by Madame Hortense, the citrus and almond trees – of life on Crete: the rabbits eaten, the sea that both men plunge into, the wine drunk. The lament of the santuri (the musical instrument Zorba carries with him everywhere and cares for like a child) provides the background accompaniment to their adventures. The novel was aptly described by Time Magazine in its 1953 review as „nearly plotless but never pointless“.

Even though it opens in a cafe with fishermen sheltering from a storm, a novel set on a Greek island should be the perfect summer read. Yet although sea, sand and sex abound in the pages, a cloud passes in front of the hot Cretan sun in the final third of the novel. Zorba the Greek opens with the narrator grieving over the departure of his friend, Stavridaki, who has gone away to fight; it ends with the narrator grieving again for Stavridaki, and for the loss of much more. This is a novel of many deaths, from the butterfly forced out of its cocoon too soon to die on the narrator’s palm, to the unexpected brutality of the mob execution of the narrator’s lover.

Far from being „unputdownable“, this is a novel that demands you put it down so that you can go out and enjoy life. It condemns the passivity of the narrator, sitting and smoking while running grains of sand through his fingers, contrasting it with the life-affirming ardour of Zorba, a living embodiment of the belief that books can tell you only so much about humanity. Even as you read it, you can sense Zorba shouting at you: ‚Don’t spend all of your summer reading! Go out there and live life boss!‘

I never got the opportunity to read Zorba on Crete – happy is the woman who, before dying, has the good fortune to sail the Aegean Sea, and unhappy was the woman whose companion pinched her copy as soon as we arrived – but I finally got round to it on holiday in Rome this summer. Perhaps, one day, I’ll return to Crete to read it again, while smelling the citrus trees, listening to the waves and watching the swallows and wagtails. If I did I would be making the same mistake as the narrator. Instead I should be accumulating lovers, anecdotes and culinary skills like the great Greek himself, whose self-written obituary proclaims: „I’ve done heaps and heaps of things in my life, but I still did not do enough.“

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Für mich ist der kretische Koloss Nikos Kazantzakis einer der besten Schriftsteller, die ich kenne; vor allem sein genialer ‚Alexis Sorbas‘ und seine Autobiographie ‚Rechenschaft vor El Greco‘ haben mich zutiefst beeindruckt. Karl Kerényi hat ihn den ‚griechischen Nietzsche‘ genannt, der zeitlebens gegen die Unvereinbarkeit von Fleisch und Geist gekämpft hat, indem er versucht hat, sowohl Fleisch als auch Geist bestmöglich auszubilden. Er ist davon überzeugt gewesen, dass nur ein starker Geist einen kräftigen Körper und umgekehrt hervorbringen und man somit beide Seiten harmonisch vereinen kann. Genau das verkörpert sein Alexis Sorbas: nicht unglücklich zerrissen und gespalten, sondern freudig bejahend und glücklich in sich vereint.