Costas Arzoglou Movies
- 1986
This effective suspense story relies on the psychological turmoil of a suicidal friend to provide anxiety, rather than some unknown assassin or mad killer. George (George Kimoulis) wears his heart on his sleeve and is constantly running into problems as a consequence. He is thoroughly unhappy with the way his life is going, and if it were not for his good friend Costas (Costas Arzoglou) he would have ended it long ago. Costas is always around to save George from his fequent suicide attempts, but that is not enough. He would very much like to cure George from his self-destructive tendencies and his self-indulgent moaning once and for all. And so he hits upon an ingenious plan with the help of Fanis (Fanis Chinas), another friend. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Giorgos Kimoulis, Costas Arzoglou, (more)
- 1984
Daydreams woven in and out of reality soon take over this psychological drama about three middle-class couples on a vacation together at a beach, couples who used to be fired up with liberating ideas in the 1960s but who have now opted for a settled, comfortable lifestyle. One of the men is a doctor who is having an affair with the wife of another of the men, a businessman. The third man is an alcoholic, hoping to garner business favors on this shared vacation. The wife of the unfaithful doctor is a writer -- shy, withdrawn, and aware of what her husband is doing in his spare time. The wife of the alcoholic is hung up on kinky sex. The precarious veneer of normalcy starts to erode when a gorgeous blond arrives at the camp, pitches her tent, and completely unconscious of anyone else, takes off for a nude swim in the water. The next day does not bring her any increased interest in wearing adequate clothing, and soon the men are overdosing on testosterone and their wives are pretending to be too sophisticated to notice the young woman. At this point, the imaginings of the men and women take over -- scenes show them inviting the blond to a dinner that deteriorates into an orgy, or they kill her and bury her body -- is any of that true? More symbolic than it would seem at the beginning, viewers are left to draw their own conclusions as the story approaches its end. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Betty Arvanitis, Costas Arzoglou, (more)
- 1981
At the end of the 19th century, some bandits living in the mountains kidnap the scion of a wealthy family and as they wait for the ransom to be paid, the young man slowly comes to realize that the so-called bandits are not common thieves. Their ideals and ways of living do not fit in with the foreign customs that were being adopted in Athens at the time, nor do they want to serve a police force or an army that they do not like at all. But the leader of this group of outlaws does not consider their stance to be viable indefinitely, and he gives up to join the Greek army and fight the Turks. The poignancy of his admitting a moral defeat is not lost on the young man, who now finds his own life affected by the views of his captors. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Costas Arzoglou
- 1980
In this satire on the hypocrisy of advertising hype, a mediocre singer is pushed into stardom in spite of his lack of talent. Along with unscrupulous record companies, dishonest advertising, and television promos, the politicos also get slammed when the nondescript singer is approached to run for office. Making note of it all is an incredulous TV journalist who decides to find out who did what to create this man's sudden rise to prominence. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Costas Arzoglou
- 1978
- R
The husband and wife team of director Jules Dassin and actress Melina Mercouri, who first enjoyed international success with the comedy Never on Sunday, collaborated for the last time on this powerful drama. Maya (Melina Mercouri) is a famous actress who is returning to the stage for a production of the classic Greek tragedy Medea, in which she will play the title character, a mother who murders her children. Kostas (Andreas Voutsinas), Maya's former lover, will be directing Maya in the production, and when he discovers that Brenda (Ellen Burstyn), an American woman, is housed in a nearby Greek prison for killing her offspring, he suggests that Maya should meet Brenda as a means of better understanding her character. Maya agrees, and their tense and emotional conversation is cross cut with the taxing rehearsals and performance of Medea. While A Dream Of Passion marked the last time Dassin directed Mercouri, they later appeared together in Keine Zufallige Geschichte, a documentary about their life and work. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Melina Mercouri, Ellen Burstyn, (more)
