Istoria mias kalpikis liras

I'm someone who likes big, CGI-filled action as much as the next fan boy, and rarely ever do I get truly invested in a dramatic film and its characters. I'm not prejudiced against the genre, Ijust demand the film to be above average to impress me. Greek cinema rarely does it for me. I am Greek myself, but Greek cinema has been, especially in recent years, nothing but shallow comedies with brain-dead humor and pretentious films. Granted, there are more than a few exceptions, but that's just the general picture.

Enough rambling on about context,let's start talking about this masterpiece. This movie has an amazing cast. Every actor does a great job because they have so much to work with. The script is a humane story with realistic characters and clever conversations. My favorite Greek film of all time. The story centers around a counterfeit coin and people trying to get rid or using it to obtain something they think will make them happy. I'll leave it at that because the brilliant story is something you should see the film to experience.

Now let me tell you the few issues I have with the film... Actually, no, I can't find ANY. I'm not even joking. This movie is as close to perfect as most films get. Are there a few aspects of the film that are dated? Sure, but not in the bad way because they will literally transport you to Athens in the 1950's and that's definitely not a bad thing. Besides, the movie itself is absolutely TIMELESS. And I think that's the word best describing it: Absolutely TIMELESS. This is a movie you should watch not only if you like Greek cinema, but if you enjoy cinema in general. I won't recommend it to people who enjoy cinematic abominations such as "I Love Karditsa".

The concept behind the story is what life is about. A brilliant cast, a great director and a marvelous scenario. The scene, at the end of the movie, when D.Horn says to E.Lambeti that dispite their love, the coin was counterfeit, is one if the top five emotional scenes I ever seen. In the movie, there is a narrator, who connects these 4 stories and closes the film with the phrase...."in this story, the coin is not fake, actually, money is fake...."

I wouldn't call it a film. It actually is a masterpiece. Released in 1955, but still reflects how deceptive our modern society really is. Kalpiki Lira (The Counterfeit Coin) is the first modular movie ever made in Greece. It consists of 4 stories with one thing in common. The counterfeit coin itself. From the creation to its journey among numerous owners. Is the coin fake, or is material wealth itself?

The new year's Eve scene with the poor orphan girl and the old childless miser man in the third story is maybe the most touching scene in Greek cinema.

Orestis Makris awakens the viewers' hearts with his excellent dramatic performance. A few scenes earlier, his screen-wife had told him 'look at the lime-painter and his wife: they have no money, but they have Fanitsa, their little angel', a line that always brings tears in my eyes.A must-see movie, an all-star film that combines the top theater actors of the time with the then-emerging cinema stars of the following 20-30 years.A film shot in lovely settings of the old-time Athens.

With an excellent cast too.Including Logothetidis,Horn,Makris this film shows us the power of money and how it affects people fromthe counterfeiter who dreams of a better life till the relation of a poor painter and the true love between him and a rich girl.A MUST SEE