Whoever knows a little bit about the Greek film industry, has most likely heard about Greece’s most Iconic actress of the past, Aliki Vougiouklaki! Aliki was the absolute star of her time, as she offered shine and sparkle when Greece needed it the most. She has been called the Marylin Monroe and the Brigitte Bardot of Greece, since with her golden blonde hair she offered plenty of joy to the people. One of her most distinguished films is Mantalena, for several reasons. Mantalena was also groundbreaking since it was the first ever Greek movie, filmed entirely out of the studio, in the picturesque island of Antiparos during the summer of 1960, by the legendary “Finos Film”.
In the movie, the island is depicted exactly like the role of the star herself, poor but beautiful, strong and kind. It was also a pivotal film for the feministic evolution of the country. Mantalena, the protagonist, is a woman who has lost her father, has many young brothers and sisters to take care of and is struggling to survive in a man’s world, by taking on her fathers’ profession, a punter, a completely male dominated field. As it is natural she’s being scrutinized by the people of the island and by her professional competition. A groundbreaking role for the time!
One of Aliki’s most iconic lines in the movie “Allos me tin varka mas?” (Which means “Will anyone else come along with our boat?) in which she’s on the boat trying to lure in customers and drive them away from her competitors. In a scene where she and her co-star, Dimitris Papamichael are fighting, while standing on their boats, at some point they fall into the water. This marked one of the actress’s most dangerous scenes, because upon falling she hit her head on the boat’s gunwale. Thankfully nothing bad happened though it was really scary for her, as well as, for everyone on set. The scene was not filmed again and was kept as is.
The most interesting fact though is that the plot of the movie was based on a woman’s real life, living on the island. One of the film’s most touching scenes is when Aliki sings the classic song “Thalassa Platia”, composed by the great Manos Xatzidakis, on her boat, surrounded by the magical island’s sea. Don’t miss the chance to visit… Book a beautiful luxury villa in Antiparos, stroll around, admire the view and re-live the fairytale!