O Drakos-The Fiend of Athens

This November, the National Museum of Singapore presents O Drakos / The Fiend of Athens, a programme of the World Cinema Series.

O Drakos, an obscure Greek film from 1956, recently re-surfaced in Jonathan Franzen’s Freedom, a novel that went on to become an instant bestseller, receiving glowing reviews from literary critics worldwide.
Unanimously recognised as one of the most important films in the history of Greek cinema, O Drakos won the award for Best Movie (1955-1959) in the first Thessaloniki Film Festival.

In the film, a peaceful, timid man is mistaken for a renowned serial killer and is chased by everybody he knows, including the police. He find refuge in the company of a band of crooks, and is unknowingly elevated to the status of underworld leader. The film shares many visual and thematic elements consistent with the film noir genre, which are strikingly juxtaposed with that of Italian neo-realism, making it a true harbinger of cinematic art in Greece.