Those who saw her take her first steps – even as a student at the Drama School of the National Theater – had to say it about the freshness, the air, the subtle charm, the aura of a star that she brought with her. Jenny Karezi, very quickly, pressing her foot on the theatrical stage, next to Melina Mercouri, and entering the set as a protagonist, without having any other cinematic experience, in the huge success and now classic “Laterna, Poverty and Philotimos”, next to holy monsters Mimi Fotopoulos and Vassilis Avlonitis, but also in the unveiling of a new zen premium, by Alekos Alexandrakis, she probably had not yet occupied the streets of glory that were opening before her. After all, Jenny Karezi was an actress, a personality who may have had the talent, the presence of a man who gave shine and grace, but gradually matured. From a special engineer, she became a renowned protagonist of the old Greek cinema, she acted hypocritically, she fell into the depths of theater, but also of politics, something to which her second husband, Costas Kazakos, with whom she felt a “complete woman”, also contributed. as she had said.
Jenny Karezi, who we lost prematurely, after a painful and torturous end, giving the impetus for the establishment of the valuable Jenny Karezi Foundation, whose goal is the palliative care for cancer patients and other chronic diseases, with founding members Costas Kazakos Melina Mercouri, Aliki Vougiouklaki and others, was born 90 years ago, on January 12, 1932. On the occasion of their birth, it is worth remembering the most important moments of their lives, their artistic course, but also their really great interpretations. in the cinema, beyond their successes.
From Kalogries to Paxinou
Jenny Karezi’s parents were teachers. Her father is Konstantinos Karpouzis, a teacher and high school principal, originally from Messolonghi and her mother is the teacher Theoni Lafi. She will grow up in Thessaloniki, while she will be interned at the “Hellenic French School of Nuns Kalamari” and then in Athens, at the Hellenic French School “Agios Joseph”. As a student she will play in ancient tragedies and although her father was negative, she will enter the National Drama School in 1951, having as teachers Dimitris Rontiris, Angelos Terzakis, George Pappas, Pelos Katselis and others. She will graduate with honors in 1954 and will immediately be grabbed by the biggest theatrical stages of the time. Initially she will appear next to Melina Mercouri and Vassilis Diamantopoulos, in “Oraia Eleni” and immediately afterwards next to Katina Paxinou, in Lorca’s work “The House of Bernarda Alba”.
Carnation in the ear
At the age of 22 and living her intoxicating success, she will be the protagonist in the favorite movie “Laterna, Poverty and Philotimos”, having in front of her the giants Mimi Fotopoulos and Vassilis Avlonitis. With her foreground in front of the camera of the “carpenter” Aristides Karydis Fouks, meeting the two lanterns asking for fire for her cigarette, everyone who knew understood, although still unripe, that they have to do with something different, an actress who will write its own story. A star, who may not have become “national”, but had enormous acting skills, both in demanding comedy and drama, and over time unfolded them, especially in the theater.
Snow White who became a Miss
The sequel was encouraging both in the theater and in the cinema, in which he will have the chance to participate in the classic comic ethnography “The Aunt from Chicago”, but also the first remake in Greece, “Laterna, Poverty and Carnation”. 1960 will be the year that is established as an undisputed protagonist with the light comedies “Rendezvous in Corfu”, next to Alekos Alexandrakis, “The Snow White and the Seven Elders” entering sweetly between the half of the national comedy protagonists up to Stalo, from Mao Livaditi and Efthymiou- and “To Koroidaki tis Despinidos”. In this delightful film by Dalianidis, next to the wonderful Iliopoulos, Karezi will show many of her strengths, leaving in the background the characteristics of the glamorous engineer, highlighting the character of an advanced girl for the time.
Jenny, Jenny
The 60’s will continue triumphantly. An intoxicating time, which will bring a wedding in 1962, with the secular Zachos Hadjifotiou, which quickly proved to be a youthful madness. Typically her first marriage will end after four years. A four-year period during which the star will rapidly improve her acting skills in huge commercial successes. The films “Miss Director”, “Jenny, Jenny” and “A Crazy, Crazy Family” stand out, all directed by Dinos Dimopoulos, one of the most important Greek directors.
Lola
In the two years 1963-1964, Jenny will have the good fortune to show her skills in drama, but also to escape from the manner of romantic comedies, with two wonderful films, which illuminated a not so ordinary image of Greece, entering dark world of a society that lived on the margins of the fringe and the night. These are the films “The Red Lanterns” by Vassilis Georgiadis and “Lola” by Dinos Dimopoulos, in which the immortal music and folk songs of Stavros Xarchakos stand out. In the first, which even went on to claim the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, finally losing from Fellini’s masterpiece “8½”, Jenny is excellent as a prostitute in Trump of Piraeus, next to wonderful co-stars, such as George Fountas Diamantidou, Manos Katrakis, Dimitris Papamichael, Alexandra Ladikou and Mary Chronopoulou. In the second, again with a theme set in Trump, making an unforgettable couple with Nikos Kourkoulos, he looks more mature than ever and ready for any acting challenge.
Costas Kazakos
The cinematic challenges, however, will not come, since the country entered “in the plaster” of the colonels and the fragile Greek film production became pieces in the hands of the juntas, who tried to impose their own vision and well-known aesthetics. In 1966, during the shooting of the film “Concerto for Machine Guns”, she met Costas Kazakos, whom she fell in love with, while in 1968 they were married in a close circle and the following year they had their son Konstantinos – now a renowned actor.
Our Big Circus
In the following years she would make six more films, until she left the cinema and threw all her weight on the theater, where she could still create, breathe artistically. In 1973 he will stage “Our Big Circus”, an allegorical performance, written by Iakovos Kampanellis and directed by Costas Kazakos, which will go down in history, while in its time it was an incredible success, as the public appreciated the political position of the work, the messages against the junta, but also the divine interpretation of Xarchakos’ songs, by the unique Nikos Xylouris. The show cut over half a million tickets, but sent the Kazakou-Karezis couple to jail!
Theater and Humanity
Jenny Karezi continued to triumph in the theater after the fall of the junta, with performances such as “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf”, directed by Jill Dassen, breaking the box office, while in 1990 she starred in Loula Anagnostaki’s play “Diamonds” which was her swan song, as she was already plagued by cancer. It was in 1989 when playing in Chekhov’s “Cherry Orchard” that he was diagnosed with the disease and started a fierce unequal battle. She will lose her on July 26, 1992. At her funeral, many of her colleagues and thousands of people will say goodbye to her in an atmosphere of pain.
Jenny Karezi had a lot to give, since after 33 films, dozens of theatrical performances, TV series, she showed that she could constantly improve, something unprecedented for Greece and especially for acting. Feeling uncomfortable with the certainty of success, he threw himself without any protection into challenges and unpopular artistic pursuits, constantly adding little by little to the greatness of a worthy form of Art. But also of Humanity…
Follow Skai.gr on Google News
and be the first to know all the news
.
