The release of “The Odyssey” this summer has brought the spotlight back onto the incredible landscapes of Greece. Christopher Nolan made use of various parts of the country – from Acrocorinth down to the farthest southern reaches of the Peloponnese – but he was hardly the first director to do so.
Starting all the way back in the 1950s, Hollywood productions have found the beautiful backdrops they need for their stories in Greece. Some, like “Mamma Mia!,” have even made islands that were previously unknown to outsiders famous tourist destinations.
Let’s look at all the Greek locations Hollywood has used over the years and which movies featured them.
‘The Odysssey’
It makes sense to start with the most recent sensation, Nolan’s “The Odyssey,” starring Matt Damon, in addition to a whole slew of Hollywood A-listers and based on Homer’s epic ancient story.
Though the movie follows Odysseus as he journeys from Troy back to his homeland of Ithaca, Nolan didn’t make use of either locale. Instead, the southern Peloponnese stood in for a lot of the areas Odysseus visits, which would actually make sense for someone traveling from Troy to Ithaca before the construction of the Corinth Canal. The scenes with the Cyclops took place on Voidoikoilia Beach while the sequence with Polyphemus was filmed in nearby Nestor’s Cave.
Methoni Castle and the impressive ruins of Acrocorinth, the latter just an hour away from Athens by car, stood in for some of the palaces and kingdoms Odysseus visits on his way home.
If you’re wondering which city stood in for Troy itself, most of the scenes on the city streets were actually filmed in a famous Moroccan film destination, Ait Benhaddou.
‘Boy on a Dolphin’
If you haven’t heard of this 1957 movie starring Sophia Loren, you might want to watch it for the great story and the scenes set in some of Greece’s most beautiful destinations, including Hydra, Delos and Rhodes.
“Boy on a Dolphin” was actually the first Hollywood production ever shot in Greece and a big source of excitement for locals in Hydra who had never seen a shoot of that magnitude before or the stunning Loren up close.
Loren plays Phaedra, who finds an ancient statue of a boy on a dolphin while diving for sponges and tries to sell it to escape poverty. In a nod to local Greek culture, Loren insisted the Greek song “Ti Einai Afto Pou to Lene Agapi” (“What is this thing they call love?”) composed by Takis Morakis, which she happened to hear in a local music hall, be included in the movie.
‘Captain Corelli’s Mandolin‘
Starring Nicholas Cage and Penelope Cruz, “Captain Corelli’s Mandolin” was mostly filmed on the same island, Kefalonia, the novel on which it’s based is set. The story centers around the love story between an Italian army commander (Cage) and a local Greek woman (Cruz).
Though the film got mixed reviews, many audience members were incredibly impressed by the landscapes on display. In addition, though the stars of the film were foreign, the movie actually cast many Greek actors in major supporting roles, including Irene Pappas, Gerasimos Skiadaresis, Mihalis Giannatos and Emilios Heilakis, to name just a few.
‘Zorba the Greek’
Released in 1964 but set in the World War I era in Greece, “Zorba the Greek” was a massive success. In addition to the stunning Cretan locales used in the movie, Greek melodies, dances and music were also immortalized, thanks to the movie’s popularity and an iconic performance by Anthony Quinn.
The tune “Zorba the Greek” was composed by legendary Greek musician, Mikis Thodorakis, and is instantly recognizable even to this day. The movie also made Greece’s traditional “sirtaki” dance famous the world over. This was yet another movie with a large Greek supporting cast, including – once again – the effervescent Irene Pappas as well as Sotiris Moustakas, Anna Kyriakou and others.
‘Mamma Mia!’
One of the most whimsical movies of the last 20 years, “Mamma Mia!” was based on a successful Broadway musical and starred Meryl Streep and a young Amanda Seyfried. It was a major reason the island of Skopelos was put on the map for foreign tourists, as a significant part of the movie is filmed there.
The combination of fun ABBA tunes, a heartwarming story and what looked like the entire cast having a blast on Skopelos and nearby Skiathos, convinced people to flock to one of the jewels of the Greek islands. The cast of “Mamma Mia!” enjoyed its time in Greece so much they actually traveled back to Greece – specifically to the island of Skiathos – for the open-air premiere of the movie.
‘For Your Eye’s Only’
Not everyone knows the 1981 James Bond film, “For Your Eyes Only,” was partly filmed in Greece. Though they did use Corfu as a backdrop for certain scenes, the movie also got away from the Greek islands and deep into the Greek mainland, where the UNESCO site of Meteora was used for an adrenaline-pumping climbing scene.
‘The Guns of Navarone’
Three years before his star turn in “Zorba the Greek,” Anthony Quinn was cast in another Greek-set feature, “The Guns of Navarone.” Released in 1961, the movie revolves around an allied team of Brits and Greek attempting to infiltrate the made-up island of Navarone to destroy German arms.
Set in World War II, the story was inspired by the Battle of Leros. However, the film was actually shot on the island of Rhodes, by then a very popular vacation destination for international jet-setters and European aristocracy. In some scenes, you can spot the Greek naval ship Aetos (eagle).
‘Before Midnight’
The last entry in Richard Linklater’s trilogy, which follows the love story of Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy), “Before Midnight” catches up with the couple several years into their life in Greece.
“Before Midnight” uses a variety of filming locations, from ancient ruins to modern luxury hotels such as Costa Navarino. Most of the scenes are set in the peninsula of Mani or the area around Pylos and Methoni on the westernmost “finger” of the Peloponnese.
This is hardly an exhaustive list of Greek filming locations. From action films such as “The Bourne Identity” to more independent cinema such as “The Big Blue” by Luc Besson, Greece has attracted film productions from all over the world.
Thanks to its relatively new film tax credit program, recent years have brought in a ton of filming opportunities to Greece, including Maggie Gyllenhaal’s “The Lost Daughter,” Rian Johnson’s “Knives Out: A Glass Onion Mystery,”and even long-running TV shows such as “Tehran,” which uses Athens as a stand-in for the Iranian capital.
As more Hollywood and international productions make their way to Greece, we can expect more Greek islands, landscapes and cities to be showcased around the world.
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See more about Greece here in Dispatches’ archives.
Read more from Joanna here.
Joanna Kalafatis
Joanna Kalafatis is a Greek-American travel writer and actress who has lived in Greece, the U.S., and the UK, and currently resides in Athens, Greece. She wrote "Best of Greece" for Moon Travel Guides and has a travel blog at LosetheMap.com; her work has also appeared in Time Out New York, Business Insider, and Matador Network. Joanna has traveled to over 50 countries and plans to visit every destination in the world.
