Word: greeks
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Dates: during 1960-1969
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From a distance, the current Greek government looks like a comic farce. The ruling colonels are a parody of the modern military regime: right-wing officers bow out to reactionaries; one purge succeeds another until there remains only a core of deeply paranoic rulers with a dramatic flair for secret police and censorship. Combining the absurd and the petty, the Greek colonels prohibit political talk in private homes, and deprive Melina Mercouri of her citizenship. Puritanical instincts have prompted them to ban mini-skirts, long hair, classical Greek plays, and to declare compulsory church attendance...
However farcial these restrictions may sound, they hardly begin to indicate the destructive oppression imposed upon the Greek people. It has been over a half year since the dictatorship came to power under the pretext of a communist threat, and there are no signs of the junta relinquishing any of its control. Thousands of political prisoners remain in jail, and, worse, the entire population is paralyzed with fear. There are no tanks or troops on the streets of Athens; they are not needed...
European nations, though unanimously outraged with the colonels, have responded with surprisingly moderate pressure. The Common Market's legislative branch warned the Greek government that the European Community will cease its association with Greece unless democratic structures and political trade-union freedoms are restored. The Market has rejected a Greek request for a $50 million development loan, but that is the least of the junta's worries. Its own irresponsibility in financial matters, coupled with the inevitable decline in the tourist business and foreign markets, is returning the nation to the economic depression and semi-feudal society which it sought...
Bates, fresh from his near-success in Zorba the Greek and Georgie Girl, is almost as disappointing as the rest of the movie. Where the director seems confused about what he is satirizing, Bates seems confused about what he is saying. He hams up the funny parts too much, and, although Tony Quinn is not here to overshadow him, he still seems to wander through the rest...
...look at the history of drama in the Greek culture. It starts off with the people dancing, chanting, all together, all audience. Then one day, some kind of possessed satyr cat jumped out of the crowd and became the first actor. There is one actor now. We're right at that middle ground where it's not quite drama and it's not quite primitive either. Maybe two actors will come next, then three and then it'll be a drama instead of just a song...