O Drakos

This movie is a rare gem of the early black and white Greek cinema by the accomplished director Nikos Koundouros.

The story line is simple and portrays a peaceful office worker who falls victim of mistaken identity with all the ensuing trials and tribulations of this unfortunate error, both dramatic and comical. Ntinos Illiopoulos simply excels in the role.

Some have been very critical of this excellent movie possibly because they have watched it six or so decades after it was first screened, and subconsciously have tried to compare it with similar movies of later years. That is unfair. Judge it against movies of the same era, both Greek and other, and you'll soon realise its subtle qualities and the fact that it is still standing the test of time in a way that deserves respect and approval.

This is the first Greek film of that "Artistic" nature, that years later would almost destroy the Greek cinema. But in the 50's it was a great novelty for the local production. On a first level, it's talking about the story of a little man who is tiered of being this little man and decides that he 'd rather have the short but glorious life of a famous criminal. His borrowed reputation, soon gets him the tragic but exceptional end that he almost is wishing for. Still, this is not really a crime movie! It's a political film, made in a time when this was not permited by the authorities. The wounds from the wars that passed, the 2nd world war and the Greek civil war (a taboo topic at the time), are obvious to the viewer with eyes open. The poverty that dooms the life of the nation and the influence of the USA in Greece, not by their model of life but with their unethical, political involvements, is underlined with the only way that it was possible for the Greek cinema of the time! A beautiful, lyrical tragedy, with a message to read between the lines.

Apparently, this film is considered one of the best in the history of Greek cinema; if you do watch it, you may find yourself scratching your head as to why. A good, Kafka-esque idea for a short story is blatantly padded out to feature length (at least half the running time seems to consist of nightclub acts), and is crudely directed; the excellent, moving performance of Dinos Iliopoulos feels like the one element where the praised received is justified. *1/2 out of 4.

What an amazing film. I must admit that I haven't seen many of the Great Greek films, but out of ones I have seen this is by far the best. The music is truly outstanding and adds more tension to the carefully shot scenes of the film. Eliopoulos is superb as the "Drakos". He gives the best performance I have seen from a Greek actor (havent seen many of the Horn movies though). Besides the very good story, which would stand fine on its own, there are some very political and allegoric messages allover the film which give an extra depth to the film. Also, some of the scenes are mesmerizing (ie the scene in the beginning of the film and at the end). I would definitely recommend this film to Greeks and foreign people as well.

Watching "The Dragon" one can very well understand the reason why greek audiences took a dislike to it back in the fifties. The film was anything but the sobby dramas or the shallow comedies of the time. It was shocking, dark, daring, deeply political and heartbreaking. It held a mirror to the troubled greek society and naturally people were alarmed and confused by what they saw. But nowadays there is little doubt that Koundouros's melancholic satire defined greek cinema, by iniating fresh and more daring ways of film-making in Greece. Six and a half decades after its creation, the artistic and cultural value of the film remains intact.