Summer Lovers in Greece

Summer lovers and set jetters flock to Greece, inspired by sun drenched islands, crystal blue waters, and a long screen legacy that shows a country ladled with beauty and mythological wonders.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0Y2UWect9w

ATHENS & OLYMPIA

  My Life in Ruins, 2009 with Nia Vardolis guiding tourists in Greece. Following her success with My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Vardolis once again explores her heritage, this time with Daniel Petre directing. Playing a tour guide in her family’s homeland, Vardolis faces rom-com cliches in a  sweet story that proved too predictable and nice for cynical critics (even though I liked it’s open-hearted warmth).  Real-life guides, hearing about my love for travel and movies, often bring up this title as one of their favorite films, saying it accurately captures many of their experiences and perceptions. They especially appreciate the script’s categorization of international travelers in a scene with Canadian tourists at the Acropolis in Athens. The movie’s itinerary starts with a stop at the ruins on Ancient Olympia (Αρχαία Ολυμπία) on the Peloponnese Penninsula. Tour groups stop there to honor the world’s first Olympics, held on site from the 8^th Century B.C. to the 4^th Century A.D.  

Never on Sunday, 1960, with Melina Mercouri working in Piraeus. Ignoring its era’s conservative tendency, the comedy shows a sex-trade worker who likes her job. Writer- director Jules Dassin twists the Pygmalion theme, casting himself as an uptight American scholar who plans to improve Mercouri’s morals but ends up loosening his own. An ex-pat from Connecticut, Dassin’s script criticizes his home country’s tendency to inflict its values on other cultures. Besides filming in the port city seen by millions of cruise ship tourists, Dassin includes a night in Athens at ruins, stark and beautiful in black and white. Dassin earned Oscar nominations for his script and direction. Mercouri, his real-life wife, competed in the best actress race (an award she won at Cannes Film Festiva but lost to Elizabeth Taylor at the Oscars). The movie’s big win went to composer Manos Hadjidakis, whose use of a traditional bazouki instrument made the title song a mindworm that, once heard, refuses to leave. Few visitors to Greece manage to depart the country without hearing at least one rendition of “Never on Sunday.”

The Two Faces of January, 2014 with Viggo Mortensen, Kirsten Dunst, and Oscar Isaac behaving badly on a Greek island. Based on a thriller by Patricia Highsmith, the story follows her Talented Mr. Ripley way of putting villains in positions usually occupied by heroes. The title refers to the Roman—not Greek—god Janus and duplicity found in a trio of travelers during their adventures at various parts of Crete and Athens. In contrast to the white and blue glows of Santorini, Crete looks dusty and shadowy, suiting the story’s tone. Locations stand out, including significant action at the Bronze age archeological site of Knossos. Garnering a difficult-to-obtain filming permit on mainland Greece at the Acropolis, Director Hossein Amini lensed scenes inside the Parthenon, a perfect setting to establish the set-up of two tourists’ first encounter with a guide. The 2018 BBC version of John Le Carré’s The Little Drummer Girl SANTORINI

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 , 2008, with the title clothes getting lost on Santorini. A pair of pants that magically fit four young women who wear different sizes serves as a good luck mascot on journeys of place and mind. Director Sanaa Hanri follows the engaging first entry from 2005 as pants and girls attend college. The four stars (Amber Tamblyn, Alexis Bledel, America Ferrera, and Blake Lively) blend with charming charisma facing such issues as a pregnancy scare and suicide. Locations put Turkey in the mix—though those scenes filmed on Santorini. Santorini stands out in both the first and second film, its distinct emphasis on blues and whites from buildings, ocean, and sky crying out to travelers who want natural beauty blended with old-world allure and ambiance. Unlike the first, the sequel allows all four lead actresses to visit Santorini. Though characters spend their time near Oia docks rather than the cruise ship hangout below Fira, the young women find their share of donkeys. Tamblyn’s character falls off one, sharing my question about “Are we having fun yet?” In one DVD “extras” section, director Hamri includes a deleted scene featuring three main characters heading up the steep stairs, panting to catch their breaths, and eventually opting for donkeys. Again, Tamblyn shares my doubts, telling a guide, “One of your donkeys just did something way nasty.” 

Summer Lovers, 1982, with Daryl Hannah enjoying a threesome in Santorini. After remaking The Blue Lagoon featuring a pre-teen couple, writer-director Randall Kleiser continued exploring paradise, sex, and youth. Celebrating sensual freedom just after the Age of Aquarius but before AIDS, the movie stars adults and qualifies as a guilty pleasure that avoids the “eeewww” factor of Blue Lagoon pedophilia. Classic 80s hits like the Pointer Sisters’ “I’m So Excited,” or Chicago’s “Never Going to Say Goodbye” (which went up to #1 on music charts) layer the soundtrack for extra fun. The plot gets going when two visitors from the United States discover a nude beach and find an excuse to shed inhibitions along with clothes. Played by Hannah and Peter Gallagher, the duo hook up with Valérie Quennessen, and the trio find ups and downs--not just sexual, but such deep issues as who gets laundry duty and what to say when Mom drops in unannounced to witness aftermaths from a creative use of olive oil. As writer, Kleiser exercises foresight by giving Hannah the line “I used to dream I was a mermaid” two years before she went on to star in Splash. As director, his most notable contribution comes from choosing pretty Santorini locations, though granted, most tourists, cruisers, and set jetters manage that accomplishment by wandering around Fira and Oia  with  cell phones. The film includes a vistas from the Oia Castle Hotel overlooking Amoudi Harbor, with a Summer Lovers Gift Shop nearby.  Those who hope to see more need a vehicle to locate the island’s nude beaches—Vlychada,  Koloumpos, Kamari, and the aptly named Eros. Mykonos and Crete also contributed to the film’s beautiful scenery.

CORFU

The Durrells in Corfu, 2016-19 with Keeley Hawes and her brood fleeing London’s cold and expensive lifestyle for Greek island warmth. Celebrated as a naturalist, the real life Gerald (Gerry) Durrell hit a cord with British readers in 1956 when he published volume one of an autobiographical trilogy about the ways his three siblings and mother broke stifling traditions during a five-year stay in Greece just prior to World War II. His work inspired numerous screen versions including a 1987 series, but the most popular arrived on Masterpiece in 2016. Developed by Simon Nye and frequently directed by Steve Barron and Roger Goldy, the series benefits by the opportunity to unveil itself with a leisurely pace suited to a Greek island lifestyle. “Ramshackle but magical,” says writer Lawrence Durrell about Corfu of the 30s. Excellent production values helped the newer entry earn multiple British Academy Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) nominations during its four-season run. Those top-notch qualities include the cast. As Gerry, Milo Parker captures the author’s love of animals and disdain for rigid educational programs, showing insights beyond those of a typical 11-year-old. Hawes brings youthful wisdom to the role of Durrell matriarch and later moved into other small screen successes like Bodyguard and Miss Austen. After playing the oldest Durrell brother Larry, Josh O’Conner went on to win an Emmy as Prince Charles in The Crown.  Animals join the cast, including Mossup who proves she can switch gender by playing Gerry’s dog Roger. With a name explaining his role, Steven Seagull shows up as Alecko, while Twit and Twerp both portray the same owl. Corfu resident Coco stands in as Sally, a donkey who serves as the family’s main source of transportation and a lure to younger viewers. Quality production values expand through location filming that emphasizes regional beauty. Set jetters find locations and series ambiance in Corfu Town.  The mansion of a countess played by Leslie Caron, Mon Repos Palace, features historical significance as birthplace of King Charles’ dad Phillip and now operates as a high-end, adults only hotel. The series took advantage Danilia  Historic Village (a.k.a. Boua’s Village), a replica open air museum that makes a controllable set for filming. Corfu hosted an earlier look at the Durrells in a 2005 television film retaining Gerald’s 1956 book title My Family and Other Animals. Adapted by Durrell creator Simon Nye, this attempt does not explain the book’s continuing popularity, especially under heavy handed direction by Sheree Folkson. Music blares to telegraph antics suited to clowns, but rather than come off as funny, characters look glum throughout and complain about almost everything. They snipe at young Gerry’s penchant for capturing and caging wild animals—a questionable practice by today’s standards but vital to his later pre-eminence as a naturalist. Despite opportunities available at various Corfu locations, no nature cinematography highlights either animals or settings, though the cast stands out with names who gained prominence over the next few years.  Adorable looking Gerry, played by Eugene Simon, grew into Lancel Lannister for six  Game of Thrones seasons. As elder brother Lawrence—ultimately a famous writer in his own right--Matthew Goode later proved a strong love interest in Downton Abbey, while Imelda Staunton went on to rule England as Queen Elizabeth for 20 episodes of The Crown. Despite her diminutive five-foot stature, Staunton stands tall as mother to the Durrell brood, blending broad gestures with subtle expressions that display a woman of flexible strength. Durrells in various forms—book, screen, and real-life—inspire pilgrims or set-jetters to experience places like Larry’s residence known as “the White House” at Kalami Bay. Statues of both Larry (who wrote Justine) and Gerry decorate the Durrell Memorial Gardens in Corfu Town.

Fedora, 1978 with William Holden seeking a legendary star on Corfu. Co-writing with I.A.L. Diamond, the team of director Billy Wilder and Holden revisit Hollywood issues they explored to perfection in their Sunset Boulevard masterpiece. Inspired by Tom Tryon’s Crowned Heads, the newer story puts its reclusive, age-resistant star Fedora on a Greek island rather than a Sunset Boulevard mansion, with Holden as an independent producer who needs the legend’s name and magic to bankroll his proposed remake of Anna Karenina. Lacking access to the drug found in The Substance, Fedora nonetheless fuels her career and image with medical and emotional extremes, handled more like Grand Guignol than drama. Ultimately, Fedora misses its key requirement, a lead who combines the magnetic and magical qualities of a true silver screen star, though the movie proves compelling with many clever moments plus fabulous production values. Among those positive production choices comes the decision to film on Corfu and Madouri island. Set-jetters catch some of the movie’s ambiance by exploring streets, alleys, and shops in Corfu Town.

For Your Eyes Only, 1981 with Roger Moore using a license to kill in Corfu. James Bond once again shows that spying requires multiple skills—Olympic level skiing and championship quality rock climbing, along with driving, diving, and displaying an amazing wine palette in exotic locations. Oh yes, and said spy must look fabulous, making all women want to jump his body even before he removes the tux that suits him so well. After serving as editor for several Bond films, John Glen takes over as director, deftly handling action sequences (skiing, climbing, diving). However, he fumbles with his cast. Carol Bouquet comes off as an uncomfortable Bond Girl, failing to relax when clearly trying to remember dialogue (tough stuff, like “For your eyes only” while removing her clothes). Lyn-Holly Johnson and a high-pitched whiny voice never get past annoying. And in his fifth outing as Bond, Moore looks handsome and debonair with the caveat “for his age.” Moore displays Bondish flair while gambling in high-stakes casinos or ordering a gourmet meal but lacks the speed and edge of a Sean Connery or Daniel Craig when suiting up in ski gear or a deep diving rig. Certainly not perfect or the best Bond entry, For Your Eyes Only nonetheless offers escapism with other pleasures like drooling over beautiful scenery around Cortina, Italy, and Corfu, Greece. Bond tours the island and gets local flavor watching a wedding celebration at Danilia Historic Village, complete with extras dressed in traditional costumes. Seaside sights include Kalami Bay. The film’s highlight cliff climbing adventure and finale in a monastery happens on mainland Greece at Agia Triada in Meteora, a 3-hour drive from Athens.

MYKONOS

Bourne Identity, 2002 with Matt Damon finding his true love on a Greek island. The first in a franchise, this taut international thriller spends only minutes on Mykonos. The brief look includes the town’s windmills, gem blue water, and rectangular white buildings trimmed with brightly colored balconies and windows. In minimal time, it shows the village as a charming place to escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life or that of Bourne’s secret agent spying. Director Doug Limon’s flowing camerawork causes an instinctive response to book a ticket to Greece. The same holds true after the opening sweeping aerial shot of Santorini or Lara Croft: Cradle of Life, but Bourne makes a more enjoyable viewing experience. Brief as that ending proved, it nonetheless inspired a wave of curious set-jetting tourists.

SKOPELOS

Mama Mia!, 2008 with Meryl Streep singing on a Greek island. International flair permeates this jukebox musical, which combines radio hits by Sweden’s ABBA with a 1968 Italian movie plot, a Greek island setting, and stars from Great Britain, the United States, and Sweden. Broad appeal made the film a hit despite a weak Rotten Tomatoes critical rating—the movie earned $600+ million worldwide and sold more DVDs than any other in the UK and Sweden. But another explanation comes from the movie’s campy energy, with a large cast of established stars who wholeheartedly take a chance on wearing platform shoes. Energetically guided by director Phyllida Lloyd, people and places look fun, glittery, and sparkly. Besides breaking monetary records, the movie turned its locations on Skopelos into popular set jetter  destinations. (The less-successful 2018 sequel shot in Croatia).

CRETE

Zorba the Greek, 1964, with Anthony Quinn dancing on a Greek island. A great actor with many impressive performances, Quinn remains best loved for his interpretation of a peasant who today could make a living as a happiness coach. Shrugging his shoulders at tragedies caused by life’s unfairness or his own careless, inconsiderate actions, Zorba finds a basic solution to all problems: dance. Director Michael Cacoyannis joins author Nikos Kazantzakis in showing that life fixes get more complicated than moving to music, but the film’s final shot makes people feel good and momentarily forget what came before. Zorba features a melody guaranteed to play at some point during a visit to Greece (and its music and dance show up repeatedly for any visitor, set jetter or not). The movie earned multiple Oscar nominations and the supporting actress statue for Lila Kedrova. Crete’s Chania serves as primary location while the famous final scene filmed nearby at Stavros on the Acrotiri Penninsula.