Dinos Dimopoulos, who stamped the old Greek cinema, was one of the most important directors of his generation, shooting some of the best films of Greek cinema, in his most productive forty-year artistic career.

This productivity of his will also earn him the characterization of an inspired creator, since he had to earn a living to satisfy the needs of Fino and the other producers of the time. Dinos Dimopoulos, a tireless worker of the cinema, however, usually found ways to show his talent, to highlight his ideas, to keep at a decent level even the nonsense that was ordered from him, pointless comedies with Alice, Konstandara, Iliopoulos and other protagonists. But he was the one who made Vougiouklaki’s most notable film, today’s classic “Madalena”, memorable comedies with Jenny Karezi, such as the somewhat political “Jenny Jenny”, the hilarious “A Crazy Crazy Family”, the apt “Miss Manager “, but also the most important, touching and thoughtful “Car”, with the unsurpassed Orestis Makris.

We lost Dino Dimopoulos 20 years ago, on February 28, 2003, while he had completed two decades away from the film sets and his last sweet ethnography “The Dolphins of Amvrakikos”, with which he returned to his roots, to his beloved homeland. He left quietly, discreetly, as he lived throughout his life, after the turbulent years of the occupation and the civil war, where he fought his ideological battle through the lines of the EAM and saw the crushing, the executions, the persecutions of his comrades. ..

From a young age in the race

Dinos Dimopoulos was born on August 22, 1921, in Palairo, Etoloakarnania, opposite Lefkada, while, when he was still a child, his poor family settled in Drapetsona. Although his family was royalist, he will take his own path and especially through his friendship with a Jewish child, a peddler. When his little politicized friend gave him the book by Kostas Varnalis “The light that burns” he will start to see life differently. The germ of theater stuck to him from his teenage years, performing in school plays. Now young, together with his friend Vassilis Diamantopoulos, he goes in and out of cinemas and theaters, decides to take exams at “Ethnikos”, but without success, to finally study at the Drama School of Giannoulis Sarantidis. During that period he will join the EAM. One night in Metaxourgeio while he was writing slogans on the walls, he will be arrested and tortured.

His own sky

His first major role in the theater was in the play “The Germans Begin Again” in 1946, while he also participated in its film adaptation in 1948, starring the incomparable Vassilis Logothetides. During those difficult years of the civil war, he will act in classical plays, while afterwards he will be assistant director to Alexis Minotis for years. In 1953, he will direct the film for the first time, after Fino’s insistence “The Skies Are Ours.” Next year he will shoot the cute light comedy “Happy Beginning”the first musical produced in Greece, with Dino Iliopoulos and Nikos Rizo.

Contributing to the film industry

Dinos Dimopoulos will enter the Greek cinema from the mid-50s, which is turning from something experimental into a developing entertainment industry. He would span almost all film genres, with particularly satisfying results, while many of his 52 films would also become huge box office successes. However, there were not a few films, which may have failed at the box office, but did not match the value of Dimopoulos, his style and his cinematic vision. Apart from his excellent work, he will make quite a few nice but uninteresting films and some that he himself would like to forget.

From the multitude of nice, beloved movies today, it is worth remembering the comedy “Miss director”with Karezis and Alexandrakis, the comedy “An Italian from Kypseli”with Maros Kontou and Alexadrakis, the satirical “The Villa of Orgies”with Lampros Constantaras, the bittersweet “Stournara 288” with Oresti Makris, the cute comedienne “Lisa and Alli”with Vougiouklakis, the mystery drama “The Man on the Train”, with Giorgos Papas and Anna Synodinou, the polemic “Concerto for Machine Guns”the social adventure “Asphalt Fever”, with Fouda, the ethnography “Theodore and the Judge”with Fotopoulos, the comedy “Some tired boys”, with Konstandaras and many others. At the same time, more precisely during the years of the dictatorship, however, some indulgently indifferent to stupid films were made, some of which broke the box office, especially those with Vougiouklaki as the protagonist. Popular titles such as “The Fairy and the lad”, “The Teacher with the Blonde Hair”, “The Daughter of the Sun”, “The Lady and the Tramp”but even worse, like “I Loved an Armchair”, “The Lavender Child”, “Faflatas”will overshadow his work.

Five diamonds

However, Dinos Dimopoulos will shoot and five real diamonds, from the top Greek films that adorn his career, will highlight him as an emblematic director, who was ahead of his time, dared and managed to escape from the usual, painless comedies, the sweet melodramas, the graphic ethnographies.

“The Buggy”

Dramatic ethnography filmed in 1957, with Orestis Makris giving an unsurpassed performance, in the role of the coachman who is kicked out of his station – “tourism says so” – and has problems with his naughty son. In a script by Iakovos Campanellis, Dimopoulos will highlight the ferocity of the times to come, the death of the old, which changed the morals in the capital, brought recompense, mental kindness gave way to the power of money. The scene with Makris watching the killing of his old horse, shocking.

“Maddalena”

Dramatic comedy of 1960, which won an award at the Thessaloniki Festival and gave Aliki Vougiouklakis the opportunity to escape from the trivialities she had become accustomed to. Dimopoulos will make the most of the remarkable script of Georgios Roussos, creating a wonderful gallery of characters who live on a small island. It will focus on the small and big, the negatives and positives of the Greek countryside and will give Pantelis Zervos the role of his life, playing the cunning and merciful priest.

“Amok”

Excellent, dramatic adventure, filmed in 1963 in his own script, about the escape of nine girls from the reformatory to find themselves on a dry island and fall into the hands of a group of criminals, led by an ex-Nazi, who are looking for a treasure. For the first time a Greek film will touch upon the subject of post-war Greece, the impunity of the Nazis, the relentless cruelty of the prison system. The film stars, among others, Floretta Zanna, the second wife of Dimopoulos.

“Lola”

Dramatic adventure, filmed in 1964, with Karezi and Kourkoulos as the main couple. A love story that enters the world of the night and the Trumpet. Men’s honor and women’s bravery will be pitted against the underworld. Nikos Fermas, Dionysis Papagiannopoulos and Pantelis Zervos are also excellent, while Spyros Kalogirou will stay for “there is a lot of money, Aris”. Excellent photography by Nikos Kavoukidis and unforgettable songs and music by Stavros Xarhakos.

“A Crazy Crazy Family”

As the title says, a crazy comedy that refers to the witty comedies of the golden age of Hollywood, about a disharmonious family and the antics of its members, which Dimopoulos shot in 1965, having an incredible cast at his disposal. A particularly headstrong Jenny Karezis, a measured Alexandrakis, an impeccable Papagiannopoulos and a Mary Aroni giving her change and together stealing the cream of the glory as Pasta Flora.

In 1993 he will deliver his swan song, “The Dolphins of Amvrakikos”, then he will retire and live discreetly, until 2003, when at the age of 82 his heart will betray him. With the kindness that distinguished him, he will leave us his characteristic beret, a revealing autobiography, about his tender and big-hearted character, several children’s books and his cinematic legacy, which we will keep alive forever.