Nikos Tsiforos
Nikos Tsiforos Νίκος Τσιφόρος | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 27 August 1912 |
| Died | 6 August 1970 Athens, Greece |
| Occupation(s) | Screenwriter, film director |
| Years active | 1948–1970 |
Nikos Tsiforos (Greek: Νίκος Τσιφόρος; 27 August 1912 – 6 August 1970) was a Greek humorist, screenwriter, and film director. He had more than 60 film scripts to his credit between 1948 and 1970. He further directed 17 films between 1948 and 1961.
Biography
He was born in Alexandria, Egypt, in 1912; two years later, his family was permanently resettled in Athens. From age eleven to his death, Nikos Tsiforos had been writing with gusto. In 1938, he wrote his first play, performed in an outdoors theatre in Freattyda; although his first effort did not quite succeed, young Nikos was not disappointed. He went on to earn a degree in Law, and work, for two years, at the Election Supervision Council. He soon resigned to travel the seas.
He continued switching jobs regularly until 1939, all the while writing film scripts as well as doing other types of writing. His first big break came in 1944 when the company of Dimitris Horn and Mairi Aroni staged a play of his at the Akropol theatre. The play was "Η Πινακοθήκη των Ηλιθίων" (The portrait gallery of dolts). In 1948-1949, he scripted and directed his first film Τελευταία αποστολή (Last Mission).
He went on to work as a reporter for the Athens press: newspapers (Φιλελεύθερος; Βήμα; Ελεύθερος Κόσμος), and magazines (Τραστ, Ρομάντσο, Ταχυδρόμος, Πάνθεον), all the while writing over 40 theatrical plays and over 80 film scripts.
He collaborated extensively with Polyvios Vassiliadis on numerous hit film scripts, earning exceptional renown for their scintillating wit and hilarious humor.
His deft use of the Greek contemporary vernacular is considered peerless by several leading literary critics.
Works
- Άνθρωποι και ανθρωπάκια (People and nobodies)
- Η Αθήνα σήμερα - Κρουαζιέρες μέσα στην ιστορία (Athens Today, Cruises in History)
- Όμορφη Θεσσαλονίκη (Beautiful Thessaloniki)
- Τα παιδιά της πιάτσας (The boys of the Hood) Excerpts youtube story
- Διηγήματα (Short stories)
- Εορταστικά (Holiday essays)
- Ο πρώτος Τσιφόρος (Early Tsiforos)
- Μίλων Φιρίκης
- Ελληνική κρουαζιέρα (A Greek Cruise)
- Ελληνική μυθολογία (Greek mythology) Excerpt Excerpt excerpt Excerpt
- Ο Γκιούλιβερ στη χώρα των Γιγάντων - Ο Γκιούλιβερ στη χώρα των νάνων (Gulliver in the Land of the Giants; in the land of the Dwarfs)
- '(Η Ιστορία της Αθήνας (The History of Athens)
- (History of England) Ιστορία της Αγγλίας
- ( History of France) Ιστορία της Γαλλίας
- (History of the United States) Ιστορία των Ηνωμένων Πολιτειών
- Χρονογραφήματα (Newspaper columns)
- Τζιμ κακής ποιότητος (Low quality Jim)
- Οι κονκισταδόροι (The conquistadors)
- Το τυχερό μου αστέρι (My Lucky Star)
- Τα παλιόπαιδα τ' ατίθασα (The frisky hoodlums)
- Εμείς και οι Φράγκοι ( We and the Franks) online
- Παραμύθια πίσω από τα κάγκελα (Tales from behind bars)
- Ο κόσμος κι ο κοσμάκης (The World and the Little People)
- Η πινακοθήκη των ηλιθίων (The Portrait Gallery of Dolts)
- Τα ρεμάλια ήρωες (Heroic Heels)
- Στηβ το χαρούμενο κάθαρμα (Steve, the cheerful scumbag)
- Οι μυστικές εταιρίες ( Secret Companies)
- Βιβλικά χαμόγελα (Biblical smiles)
- Η γυναίκα κουρσάρος (The Woman Pirate)
Selected filmography
| Year | Film | Transliteration and translation |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | The Last Mission | Τελευταία αποστολή Teleftaia apostoli |
| 1951 | My kid must live | To paidi mou prepei na zisei Το παιδί μου πρέπει να ζήσει |
| 1953 | The Tower of Knights | Ο πύργος των ιπποτών O pirgos ton ipoton |
| 1954 | The Little Mouse | Το ποντικάκι To pondikaki |
| 1954 | The wind of Hate | Ο άνεμος του μίσους O anemos tou missous |
| 1954 | The Belle of Athens | Η ωραία των Αθηνών I oraia ton Athinon |
| 1955 | Partying, Money, and Love | Γλέντι, λεφτά και αγάπη Glendi, lefta ke agapi |
| 1956 | Gypsy Blood | Τσιγγάνικο αίμα Tsiganiko ema |
| 1957 | The Three Detectives | Τρεις ντετέκτιβς Treis detectives |
| 1957 | The Ladies' man | Ο γυναικάς O yinekas |
| 1958 | The Fat Cat | Ο λεφτάς O leftas |
| 1959 | The Treasure of the Deceased | Ο θησαυρός του μακαρίτη O thisavros tou makariti |
| 1960 | Three dolls and I | Τρεις κούκλες κι εγώ Treis koukles ki ego |
| 1960 | Clearchos, Marina, and the short guy | Ο Κλέαρχος η Μαρίνα και ο κοντός O Klearchos i Marina kai o kondos |
| 1967 | Oh! That Wife of Mine | Αχ αυτή η γυναίκα μου Ach, afti i ghineka mou |
Bibliography
- Sylvia Mittler, "The Crusades and Frankish Medieval Greece as (Re)Appropriation: Carnivalesque Historiography and Modern Greek Humorist Nikos Tsiforos." In: Postmodern Medievalisms, ed. Richard Utz and Jesse G. Swan (Cambridge: Brewer, 2004), pp. 209–36.
- Sylvia Mittler, "Subversive Storytelling: Popular Historiography, Alternative Cultural Memory, and Modern Greek Humorist Nikos Tsiforos." In: Oral and Written Narratives and Cultural Identity, ed. Francisco Cota Fagundes and Irene Maria F. Blayer (New York: Peter Lang, 2007), pp. 171–88.
