Agapi kai aima

This film is set in Thessaly, Greece, at the 2nd half of the 19th century. It tells its story with Western Films aesthetics.

Αγάπη και Αίμα/Love and Blood (Greece 1968 / Director: Nikos Foskolos)

This is a Eurowestern

Contents:

• Available DVDs
• VHS
• Soundtrack
• Pictures

• Runtime: 105 min
• Release Date: 4th March 1968 (Greece)

Also known as

Agapi kai Aima (Greece) | Love and Blood (U.S.A.) | Verflucht sei der Tag der Rache (Germany) | Fluch der Rache (German VHS) | Quand les colts sonnent le glas (France) | Colts en vendetta (Belgium)

Cast and credits

• Cast: Jenny Karezi (Foni Geraka), Kostas Kazakos (Ektoras Argouzis), Lakis Komninos (Nikitas), Spyros Kalogirou (Theofilos Argouzis), Eleni Zafeiriou (Aliki Argouzi), Grigoris Evangelatos, Floretta Zana (Fotini), Giannis Argyris (Nestoras Gerakas), Yorgos Bellos, Dimitris Bislanis (Zaras), Christos Daktylidis, Kostas Daras, Theodoros Dovas, Eva Evangelidou, Sotiris Foundas, Dora Fytiza, Nikiforos Halkias, Giannis Kasdaglis (Alexis Gerakas), Nikos Kikilias, Nikos Lykomitros, Giorgos Nezos, Giorgos Oikonomou, Christoforos Zikas

• Story: Nikos Foskolos
• Screenplay: Nikos Foskolos
• Music: Kostas Kapnisis
• Cinematography: Karl Heinz Hummel [color]
• Film Editing: Vasilis Syropoulos
• Sound Department: Mikes Damalas, Thanasis Georgiadis
• Set Designer: Markos Zervas
• Make-up Department: Nikos Xepapadakos
• Camera and Electrical Department: Karl Heinz Hummel
• Production Manager: Markos Zervas
• Production Company: Finos Film

Synopsis

The abysmal hatred which exists between two landowners is transferred to their natural environment as well. Whatever crosses the river separating the two families, be it man or beast, dies. The film is yet another rendering of the Romeo and Juliet tale, with intense emotions, dominated by the extreme behavior of the heroes. The film tries to imitate the style, atmosphere and action of spaghetti westerns.

Reviews

"Greek Romeo and Julia variation. An archaic western-drama retold with solid craftsmanship in spaghetti western style." Lexikon des internationalen Films

Trivia

• The movie played in the theaters of Athens, Piraeus and their suburbs in 1968, sold 381.554 tickets and took the 12th place among 99 films that year.
• This is the second movie directed by screenwriter Nikos Foskolos, the first being Bullets Don't Turn Back. He made it with the encouragement of Philopemen Finos (founder of Finos Films), who told him that his scenarios were so well written that it would be wrong to let someone else take the glory and the money by directing his work.
• The film's success must partly be credited to Jenny Karezi, who was a very famous and beloved Greek actress at that time (and still is).
• The film is not set in the West, but in Thessaly, a geographical region that became part of the modern Greek state in 1881, after four and a half centuries of Ottoman rule. But although the region became Greek, the land was still property of the same landowners as under the Turks. They had to fight against bandits and revolutionaries, making the situation very similar to America's Wild West.
• In the 70s, a German theatrical release under the title "Verflucht sei der Tag der Rache" was announced but never realized. This title is sometimes confused with Django - Tag der Abrechnung. In an most likely attempt to suggest an international production, the names of the actors were altered. The names on the German poster are Anthony Stevens, Marco Costa, Scott Steward, Jennifer Gill, Nico Fosko (director) and Finos - International International (production). The film was released on German VHS in the 80s in a very small run under the title "Fluch der Rache".

Links

• Internet Movie Database
• Greek Film Archive
• Finos Film Official (Greek)
• Wikipedia (German)