Magiki polis

This is one of the few instances in film history that such a beautiful work was made out of almost nothing. Most people cannot know that the making of this film was a miracle. Even if you hear it from the lips of Koundouros himself, still it seems unbelievable. The majority of films appear so bad so utter failures when you think making something beautiful like this one is so simple even if you start from nothing.

"Magic City" (1954) was director's Nikos Koundouros' first film, and it shows: it is rather crudely made, and many scenes run on too long. Like in his later, more celebrated "The Ogre" (1956), Koundouros is more interested in depicting a social milieu than in telling a story (and the story is pretty cliched anyway: the working-class hero who wants to "make it big", the slutty rich girl, the shy good girl, the crooks, etc.). But as a snapshot of a particular time and place, the film is effective. It is also notable for very rare completely dramatic roles for Thanasis Vengos and Mimis Fotopoulos. **1/2 out of 4.