MODERN GREEK 01 489 370 01: GREEK FILM 3credits.
Meets: Monday through Thursday 10:50am-1:45pm SC-121
Instructor:
Katherine Kourti-Gavalas email: kkourti8@rci.rutgers.edu
Readings:
A number of articles will be assigned daily. Those articles will either be distributed in the beginning of the first class or they will be posted on Sakai. The titles of the articles are listed in the Class Schedule section.
Sophocles,
Antigone (Greek Tragedy in New Translations) [Paperback]
, Reginald Gibbons, and
Charles Segal, Oxford University Press, USA (August 24, 2007)
Kazantzakis,
Zorba, 3 rd Edition,
Touchstone Books, December 1996
Supplemental Reading:
Richard Clogg, A Concise History of Greece, 2nd Edition, Cambridge University Press, 2002.
Rouvelas, Marilyn, A Guide to Greek Traditions and Customs, Second Edition, Nea Attiki
Press, 2002.
Dido Sotiriou, Farewell Anatolia , Kedros S.a. (February 1996)
Louis de Bernières, Birds without wings, Vintage; First Vintage International Edition edition
(June 28, 2005)
Course Description and Objectives:
This course introduces students to Modern Greece and major Modern Greek political, religious and cultural issues as exhibited in Greek film. The course surveys Greek film as a means of expression of Hellenic culture both in the homeland and the Diaspora.
Since its beginning in 1914, Greek cinema has been a vibrant site of expressive cultural production. The Greek film industry produced films that attracted growing audiences despite strict censorship, civil war unrest, and the acute poverty of the post-war years.
A diverse field of approaches, styles and themes of films by famous directors such as Yorgos
Tzavellas, Michael Cacoyiannis, Theo Angelopoulos, Elia Kazan, Jules Dassin, Kosta Gavras,
Pantelis Voulgaris, Olga Malea and Koundouros will be among those viewed.
Through their movies students will be able to observe rituals, family, household, village and city customs and practices, as these all are a valuable venue for learning the social, economic, cultural, political and religious ways that underlie and make Greek culture distinctive. This will expose students to a culture that processes information differently than they do; it will increase their interest in other cultures and make them aware of cultural diversity.

Requirements:
Attendance is mandatory.
Students are expected to attend all classes, to appear on time and to remain for the entire session. Seeing the films in class is essential. More than one absence will affect the final grade negatively.
Students are expected to read and actively participate in the discussion of all movies, readings and classroom materials. Discussion is an opportunity to explore and expand upon ideas and experiences as well as to complement and clarify lecture materials in preparation for projects.
Evaluation:
Attendance
Participation
Two short papers/reports
Midterm Research Paper
10%
15%
20%
25%
Final Research Paper 30%
Useful participation in class discussion can shade a grade upwards.
Assignments Grading Deadlines:
A list of assignments and further guidelines are given below. The final grade will be based on a combination of writing assignments and class preparation and participation in the discussions.
Class Schedule (tentative):
Week 1 Greek Society from Antiquity to Modern Times
June 1 Lecture: a) History of the Greek cinema b) Status of Women in Ancient Society
Assignment 1): Due June 3: (Two pages)
Describe the Characters: Creon, Antigone, Ismene, Haemon & Teiresias
Assignment 2): Due June 14: (Three pages)
Greek Tragedy Element in Cacoyannis’ Films: A Girl in Black, Stella,
A Matter of Dignity
Assignment 3): Midterm Paper Due June 16: (Six-eight pages
Greek women from Antiquity to Modern times
Assignment 4): Final Paper Due June 30: (Six-eight pages) o o
Movies

“Antigone” (George Tzavellas, 1961)
Readings

June 2
 Sophocles, Antigone (Greek Tragedy in New Translations) [Paperback],
Reginald Gibbons, and Charles Segal, Oxford University Press, USA
(2007)
Discussion: a) Political scene in 441 B.C b) Divine Law /State Law /Destiny ~ Double Burial c) Love in ancient times / Eros and Psyche d) Characters in the Antigone
Lecture: a) Michael Cacoyannis: Biography b) Representations of Women in the Films of Michael
Cacoyannis and Jules Dassin c) The Tragic Element in Cacoyannis’ Films /Aristotle’s
Definition of Tragedy o
Movies
 “A Girl in Black” (Michael Cacoyannis, 1956)
June 3 Discussion: a) Cacoyannis’ Filming Technique / Style b) Morals, Duty, Status of women of this era c) Islanders vs. Athenians Villains vs. Refined d) Mother-Son relationship e) Ellie Lambeti and Dimitris Horn: Biography
Lecture: a) Prostitution in Ancient and Modern Day Greece b) Theme of the movie compared to George Bernard
Shaw’s “Pygmalion” and other Literary/Film works o o
Movies

“Never on Sunday” (Jules Dassin, 1960) Part 1
Readings
 Tsitsopoulou: “Greekness, Gender Stereotypes and the Hollywood
Musical in Dassin’s Never on Sunday.”
FIRST ASSIGNMENT (TWO PAGE REPORT) IS DUE TODAY
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Week 2
June 7 Discussion: a) Characters: Ilya, Homer, and Yorgakis b) Morals, Duty c) Manos Hadjidakis d) Mother-Son relationship (Yorgakis) e) Greek Men - The Importance of Dancing o
Movies
 “Never on Sunday” (Jules Dassin, 1960) Part 2

June 8
Lecture: a) Superstition & Belief in Destiny b) Rembetiko Music and Lifestyle o o
Movies
 “Stella” (Michael Cacoyannis, 1955)
Readings
 Arnheim “Film and Reality” 8-34. Dick “Film as Hybrid Art” 2-21,
Peckham and Michelakis: “Paradise Lost, Paradise Regained: Cacoyiannis’
Stella”
June 9 Discussion: a) Tragic Element in the Film “Stella” b) Honor, Pride, Respect, Honesty
Lecture: c) Characters: Stella = the Modern, Miltos = the Traditional d) Cacoyannis’ unique depiction of women as powerful and independent and she acquires the Freedom of choice
Greek women in High Society o o
Movies
 “A Matter of Dignity” (Michael Cacoyannis, 1957)
Readings

Kimiyionis: “The Genre of the Mountain Film: The Ideological Parameters of Its Subgenres.”
June 10 Discussion: a) High Society Life Style (Adults & Youth) b) Status of women in High Society c) Chloe’s character d) Mother-Daughter relationship e) Duty, Honor, Honesty f) General Discussion of the Film
Lecture: a) Society in the 60’s b) Legislation 4000, 1958-1983 = Law against Teddy Boys o o
Movies

“Legislation 4000” (Nikos Dalianidis, 1963)
 “Nyphes/Brides” (Pantelis Voulgaris, 2004) (Assigned to be viewed at home)
Readings
 Zorba by Kazantzakis
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Week 3
June 14 Discussion: Film: Legislation 4000 a) Youth in the ‘60’s b) Status of Middle Class women in the 60’s c) Role of women as Wives /Mothers / Daughters d) Young people and dating / Different Standards e) Social Issues addressed in the Film:
Teddy Boys, Prostitution, Premarital Relations/Teenage
Pregnancy, Abortion, f) General Discussion of the Film
Discussion: Film: Brides a) History of Mail Order Brides in the Beginning of the 20 th century b) Smyrna 1922 Historical Background c) Role of women in the 1920’s d) Greek Women vs. High Society Western Women
Behavioral Patterns e) Honor, Duty, Chastity f) Characters: Niki, Norman, Charo, Nicholas and Olga
What do they represent? g) General Discussion of the Film/ Symbolism
SECOND ASSIGNMENT (THREE PAGE PAPER) IS DUE TODAY
June 15 Lecture: Nikos Kazantzakis: Author and Philosopher o

Movies
“Zorba the Greek” (Michael Cacoyannis, 1964)
June 16 Discussion: a) Zorba’s Character b) Honor, Duty, Honesty, Pride c) Greek Hospitality from Antiquity to Present Time d) Villagers = Villains & City People = Refined e) Villagers - Men and Women f) Kazantzakis and God - References to God in the Film g) Spontaneity - Greek Trait h) Zorba and Importance of Dancing i) How is the widow’s slaying justified? j) The widow as a representation of Women’s Liberation k) Funeral / Mourning Practices l) General Discussion of the Film Zorba the Greek
MIDTERM PAPER IS DUE TODAY

June 17 Historical Background for Film Politiki Kouzina
The Double Meaning of the Title:
1. Cuisine from the City (Constantinople)
2. Political Kitchen o
Movies
 “Politiki Kouzina” (Tassos Boulmetis, 1964)
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Week 4
June 21 Discussion: a) Significance of the three Chapters in the Film:
Appetizers, Main Course and Desserts b) Greek and Turkish Relations c) Importance of Family and Culture d) Symbolism in the movie:
Spice, Ringing (telephone/door bell), Red Umbrella,
Pain in the neck etc e) Greek Refugees from Constantinople/Turkey. Problems they face in Greece.(Racism) f) Why does the Grandfather never visit his relatives in
Greece? Why doesn’t he tell them in advance when he cancels his plans? Why doesn’t Fanis ever visit his
Grandfather in Constantinople? g) Women that marry in the family are initiated in the family’s way of cooking. Why? h) Military Regime in Greece 1967-1974 i) Symbolism of main Characters: Fanis, Saime, her daughter and Mustafa.
Lecture: a) Impact of immigration on mid-century Greece, the effects and pressures of modernization, gender roles, conventions of courtship and marriage, and traditional family values. o
Movies
 “Wedding Night” (Nikos Dalianidis, 1967)
Lecture:

June 22 Discussion: a) Men and how they are depicted in the Film b) Women’s Liberation (to a limit) c) Mother and son Relationship d) Mother-Daughter relationship e) Family values, Honor, Honesty, Chastity f) Premarital Relations/Dating
The Film defines the borders of Premarital Relations clearly. g) Divorce as a source of power / Battle of the sexes h) General Discussion of the Film
Lecture: Themes of contemporary society and social criticism in
Greek Film o o
Movies
 “Miss Director” (Ntinos Demopoulos, 1964)
Readings

Kartalaou: “Gender, Professional, and Class Identities in Miss Director and
Modern Cinderella ”
June 23 Discussion: a) Men and how they are depicted in the Film b) Women’s Liberation c) Father-Daughter relationship d) Family values, Honor, Honesty, Chastity e) Premarital Relations/Dating f) Divorce g) Leftist Ideology openly expressed in the Film h) Education – Women gain respect
The Film shows that men were intimidated by women of higher education and higher posts i) Profession Stereotypes j) Battle of the sexes k) General Discussion of the Film
Lecture: a) Themes of contemporary society and social criticism in
Greek Film (Second part) o o
Movies
 “Modern Cinderella” (Alekos Sakelarios, 1965)
Readings

Kartalaou: “Gender, Professional, and Class Identities in Miss Director and
Modern Cinderella ”

June 24 Discussion: a) Difficulty in finding a job without connections as a cultural norm in Greece b) Upper class men. Behavior and how they view women c) Superstition d) Direct criticism of former secretary’s life style e) Premarital Relations/Dating f) Duty, Honor g) Stereotypes of women in regards to their Profession and Education h) Battle of the sexes i) General Discussion of the Film
Lecture: a) Themes of contemporary society and social criticism in
Greek Film (Third Part) / Racism o
Movies
 “Straight Story” (Efi Mouriki and Vladimiros Kiriakidis, 2007)
FINAL PAPER DUE JUNE 30
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Films to be watched:
Note: All films in Greek have English subtitles. The entire course will be taught in English.
No knowledge of Greek is required for his class.
Antigone: (1961) Yiorgos Tzavellas wrote and directed this award-winning attempt at reimagining the classic tragedy by Sophocles as an actual motion picture rather than simply filming the play, as was common in Greek adaptations of theatrical productions since the late
'20s. Manos Katrakis received widespread acclaim for his performance as Creon, who becomes
King of Thebes after both of Oedipus' sons kill each other in a duel to determine ascension to the throne following his death. Creon orders the body of one son, Polynices, be left above ground, but the dead man's sister, Antigone (Irene Papas in an award-winning star turn), disobeys the new king and gives her brother a semi-proper burial by sprinkling him with dust.
As punishment, Antigone is buried alive in a tomb despite her engagement to Creon's son
Haemon (Nikos Kazis).
Co-stars Maro Kondou, Ilya Livikou, Yiannis Argiris, and Theodoros Moridis.

A Girl in Black: (1956) Hot on the heels of his breakthrough film Stella, Greek moviemaker
Michael Cacoyiannis came up with To Koritsi Me Ta Mavra. Released worldwide as A Girl in
Black, the film stars Ellie Lambetti as the title character. Despite her mother's loose reputation,
Lambetti is considered “stuck up” by the male population of the tiny Greek island where she lives. She ultimately finds true love in the form of vacationer Dimitri Horn. The lovers' relationship is placed in sharp contrast with the cruelty and implicit degeneracy all around them. To Koritsi me ta Mavra was screened at the 1956 Cannes Film Festival.
Never On Sunday: (1964) This film, directed by Jules Dassin, made Melina Mercouri almost a household name in America. It is about a prostitute who lives a life of free-spirited bliss and the American who tries to 'civilize' her and make her miserable like him. This one is also aided by a great soundtrack, this by Manos Hadzidakis. The American character is played by Jules
Dassin. This is also in black and white and it depicts a Greece before it was swept away by western culture.
Stella: (1955) This is another movie directed by Michael Cacoyiannis starring Melina
Mercouri and while this time she is not a prostitute as in Never on Sunday, she is a woman who refuses to settle down with one man. Unlike Never on Sunday it is more of a tragedy than a comedy. It was filmed in the fifties and has some amazing views of Athens.
This was Mercouri’s debut film.
A Matter of Dignity also known as The Final Lie: (1957) Best known for their award-winning
Zorba the Greek, director Michael Cacoyannis and writer Walter Lassally tackle both the grievous flaws in a selfish approach to life and the strength of character to overcome them in this cutting drama. The setting is the home of an elite Athens family that is quickly running out of money. The self-seeking mother more or less forces her daughter (Ellie Lambetti) to reject her two interesting suitors for a much-less attractive but wealthy Greek American -- he can give the family what it needs. In the meantime, their maid (Eleni Zafiriou) needs her overdue wages to cover her legitimate debts, many incurred when her little boy was traumatized and lost his ability to speak. The impoverished maid with valid concerns and the self-centered mother have a verbally violent confrontation on the issue which in the end, affects the daughter and her decisions about her own life.
Brides / Nyphes: (2004)
This movie is directed by Pantelis Voulgaris based on the book Nyphes written by Ioanna Karystiani
It is 1922, the year of the ASIA MINOR catastrophe, Greek men are at war and young Greek women (as well as from other impoverished countries) unable to find a husband are forced to accept arranged marriages and to emigrate in America where Greek men have emigrated before in search of jobs. They travel onboard King Alexander, a ship that does the regular transatlantic passing. They are sad, leaving their country and family behind, but also apprehensive, trying to figure out their future life. The main characters are NIKI and NORMAN, who have the chance to get to know each other and whose lives are going to be affected by this trip.

A Touch of Spice / Politiki kouzina: (2003)
This movie is directed by Tassos Boulmetis. Fanis is a man torn between his Greek ethnicity and his emotional roots in Turkey, the country of his birth. Using the device of cuisine as a metaphor for national identity and personal feelings, we see Fanis grow from a boy whose grandfather imparts culinary and philosophical expertise from the Aladdin's cave of his spice shop, to a young man with a true passion for food. Deported to Greece with his family as a young boy, Fanis returns home after 35 years for an emotional reunion with his grandfather... and his first love. A bitter sweet journey of the senses, set against the historical backdrop of the deportation of thousands of Greeks from Istanbul, this is one of the biggest Greek films of all time.
Zorba The Greek: (1964) Directed by Michael Cacoyiannis and it’s based on the book by
Nikos Kazantzakis features Anthony Quinn and Alan Bates whose character has inherited a lignite mine somewhere in Crete and meets the free-spirited Alexis Zorba in a cafeneon
(traditional Greek coffee shop) in Pireaus. Zorba convinces Bates to hire him to run his mine.
Filmed in black and white the movie documents a Greece that has almost completely disappeared. The film is complimented by an inspiring soundtrack by Mikis Theodorakis (the best work he has ever done) and the greatest performance of Anthony Quinn's career.
Rembetiko: (1983) REMBETIKO sparked a rediscovery of rembetika music, the Greek blues.
This passionate, soulful music, born of the plight and pain of the poor, captured the hearts and imaginations of the Greek people. Costas Ferris’s classic film is the tale of a Greek singer s remarkable career from the backstreet taverns of Pireas to the nightclubs of Chicago.
First time Godfather/Proti Fora Nonos: (2007) Director Olga Malea's film "Proti fora nonos"
(First Time Godfather) is based on the story "Oi Agioi Pantes" (All Saints), an autobiographical short story from Nikos Papandreou's book "Deka mythoi kai mia istoria" (Ten Myths and a
Story). The book was first published in 1995 by Kastaniotis and is now in its 51 st edition. It has been translated into English and German.
The California-born eldest son of a political family goes to Crete to act as godfather to the child of a local party cadre and aspiring parliamentary deputy. He becomes a godfather for the first time to show everyone, above all his father, that he is a worthy son. His foreign appearance and shaky Greek, the local customs and the trials he undergoes to prove himself all make for tragicomic scenes with a political dimension and existential angst.
Straight story: (2007) This film is directed by Efi Mouriki and Vladimiros Kiriakidis.
Yannis loves Sofia — but his parents, his neighbors, his friends and the society he lives in are all against it. But what is the problem? Strange as it may seem, the problem is that they are straight! Yannis and Sofia belong to a different world, a world where gay relationships are the norm, and where only people of the same sex fall in love. Anyone who claims otherwise is swiftly banished. To keep their love alive, Yannis and Sofia will have to make the impossible possible.
This hilarious comedy was a smash hit in Greece, and became the No. 1 movie at the 2007
Greek Box Office.
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