The Ogre of Athens

Christmas Eve. A solitary and unassuming clerk, Thomas, suddenly discovers that he looks a lot like the frightful “ogre of Athens,” a ruthless criminal wanted by the police. At first he panics, but then he agrees to take on the role of the “orge” and, as such, he is accepted by the members of the underworld gang. The gang, with the Fat Guy as their leader, hang out at a lowly cabaret and are preparing a big heist: they plan to steal a column from the Temple of Olympian Zeus and sell it to some foreign buyers. However, when it is revealed that Thomas is not the real ogre, the members of the gang who believed in him feel betrayed and rebel.
Screening Schedule

No physical screenings scheduled.
Script: Iakovos Kambanelis
Cinematography: Costas Theodoridis
Editing: Nikos Koundouros
Sound: Mikes Damalas
Music: Manos Hadjidakis
Actors: Dinos Iliopoulos, Margarita Papageorgiou, Yannis Argiris, Thanassis Vengos, Theodoros Andrikopoulos, Marika Lekaki, Frixos Nasou, Costas Stavrinoudakis, Manolis Vlachakis, Anestis Vlachos, Andreas Dou
Art Direction: Tassos Zografos, Panayotis Papadopoulos
Costumes: Denny Vachlioti
Make Up: Nikos Varveris
Format: 35mm B&W
Production Country: Greece
Production Year: 1956
Duration: 99
 With the support of the GFC

Awards
One of the three best films of the retrospective for the years 1955-1960 – 1st Week of Greek Cinema 1960, Thessaloniki Film Festival

Nikos Koundouros

Born in Crete, in 1926, he studied painting and sculpture at the Athens School of Fine Arts. He made his first feature film, Magic City, in 1953. In 1956, The Ogre of Athens established him as a true representative of the new age of cinema. Since then, his films have received international acclaim and earned him a place in the vanguard of Greek cinema.

Filmography

(selected)
1954 Magic City
1956 The Ogre of Athens
1960 The River
1963 Young Aphrodites
1967 Vortex or The Face of Medusa
1975 Songs of Fire
1978 1922
1984 Bordello
1992 Byron, Ballad for a Demon
1998 The Photographers
2012 A Ship to Palestine