Kalos ilthe to dollario

Kalos ilthe to dollario made history as the first colour movie in Greece, using a colossal budget for its time.

An English teacher is in dire financial straits and resorts to a job in one of the most disreputable neighbourhoods in Athens and Piraeus - despite the light nature of the movie, it does provide some social commentary in that regard. As expected, he finds himself way out of his comfort zone and that makes for a good laugh. My favourite scene is the first time he visits the cabaret and one of the girls approaches him to make him buy her a drink and his socially awkward reaction is priceless. Some parts felt sligjtly forced, for example how he competes with some dodgy figures to attract more customers or how the romance develops all the way to a happy ending but it's all understandable in the general context of a family-oriented, feel-good comedy.

Giorgos Konstadinou does an exceptional job as he essentially carries the movie, while Nikos Fermas and Anna Kalouta deliver great performances as well.