Cinematic Athens

Νo other art-form has had anything like the impact of film on how we perceive cities. The movie camera records the evolution of urban planning, changes in the built environment, and shifts in the architecture of the world’s metropolises. But over and above that, cinematic narratives capture the social conditions, predominant modes of existence, and spirit of an era. Having come into being in the metropolises of the 20th century, film was there to record the first steps towards their reconstruction and to contribute to the formation of their identities.

The commercial cinema of the nineteen sixties proved to be a significant conduit for the modernization of Greece. The newly-built apartment buildings, the comforts of city apartments, private cars and the neon signs of Athens’ public spaces were all key elements in the cinematic narratives of the period and would definitively shape its new lifestyle models. Just a few years later, the experimental cinema of the period that followed the return to democracy in 1974 would depict the problems of Greece’s cities and their sense of alienation, transforming itself into a powerful medium for criticism of the Greek urban model. The evolution of the Greek city remains a focus for cinematic exploration today. The new human geography of the city and the crisis facing the urban family are central themes in contemporary cinematic narratives which portray the decay of down-town Athens, the transformation of its suburbs and the dramas played out in urban apartments.

The discussion will touch on general methodological issues pertaining to research into the links between cinema, architecture and the city, and focus on reconstructions of Athenian space in the Greek cinema between the eras of post-war reconstruction and economic crisis.