I Kalpiki Lira is the greatest Greek film ever made. In other words, there is no other more complete Greek cinematic creation in the years that followed it and certainly there's not going to be another better in the years to come. The story takes us on a very weird journey. That of a counterfeit gold coin. It begins from the moment of its creation by a naive man (Vasilis Logothetidis) who, carried away by his passion and love for an unworthy woman (Ilia Livykou) decides to change his life and takes us through the streets and neighborhoods of Athens in the fifties with its everyday troubles and cares but also with its small moments of happiness, introducing us in the way to dozens of different people, from small girls to lovers who are struggling to survive (Dimitris Horn & Ellie Lambeti) and blind beggars (Mimis Fotopoulos in his most remembered role) ending in an unexpected way and filling us with the knowledge that nothing lasts forever. Only a poor counterfeit coin...
15 Reviews
Compelling
Phoevos-29 February 1999
One of the top 5 Greek films ever. A story in four parts, a counterfeit sovereign being the protagonist that links all of them. The concept is simple but the way it is carried out is unique. A rare case of skillful directing resting upon great performances by 'real' (i.e. trained in theatre) actors.
Top cast of all times in Greek cinema
tainiomanis5 May 2007
The new year's Eve scene with the poor orphan girl and the old childless miser man in the third story is maybe the most touching scene in Greek cinema.
Orestis Makris awakens the viewers' hearts with his excellent dramatic performance. A few scenes earlier, his screen-wife had told him 'look at the lime-painter and his wife: they have no money, but they have Fanitsa, their little angel', a line that always brings tears in my eyes.A must-see movie, an all-star film that combines the top theater actors of the time with the then-emerging cinema stars of the following 20-30 years.A film shot in lovely settings of the old-time Athens.
Orestis Makris awakens the viewers' hearts with his excellent dramatic performance. A few scenes earlier, his screen-wife had told him 'look at the lime-painter and his wife: they have no money, but they have Fanitsa, their little angel', a line that always brings tears in my eyes.A must-see movie, an all-star film that combines the top theater actors of the time with the then-emerging cinema stars of the following 20-30 years.A film shot in lovely settings of the old-time Athens.
Greatest Greek movie ever made
delta_next30 August 2011
If this film was made by a Hollywod director it would feature in the all time top 10. George Tzavelas masterpiece consists of four stories linked together by a counterfeit coin. In each story the characters seek to find happiness or love in things that turn out to be fake, hence the counterfeit pound. In the first story a lifetime silver merchant creates the coin only to realize it brought him nothing but fear, he throws it away and starts a new job as a happy man. In the second story a beggar falls in love with a prostitute and tricks her to sleep with him giving her the fake coin only to realize that she only cares about the money. In the third story a fatherless child finds protection and closure in the hands of a childless man that up till that moment cared only about the money. The final epic conclusion is about a newly married couple that struggle in poverty but remain in love. Until the woman decides to leave her husband for a richer one. He is left alone only with the coin that once represented their love, only to realize that the coin is in fact fake...
Proof Greek cinema can be groundbreaking.
boulamatiemike14 January 2014
I'm someone who likes big, CGI-filled action as much as the next fan boy, and rarely ever do I get truly invested in a dramatic film and its characters. I'm not prejudiced against the genre, Ijust demand the film to be above average to impress me. Greek cinema rarely does it for me. I am Greek myself, but Greek cinema has been, especially in recent years, nothing but shallow comedies with brain-dead humor and pretentious films. Granted, there are more than a few exceptions, but that's just the general picture.
Enough rambling on about context,let's start talking about this masterpiece. This movie has an amazing cast. Every actor does a great job because they have so much to work with. The script is a humane story with realistic characters and clever conversations. My favorite Greek film of all time. The story centers around a counterfeit coin and people trying to get rid or using it to obtain something they think will make them happy. I'll leave it at that because the brilliant story is something you should see the film to experience.
Now let me tell you the few issues I have with the film... Actually, no, I can't find ANY. I'm not even joking. This movie is as close to perfect as most films get. Are there a few aspects of the film that are dated? Sure, but not in the bad way because they will literally transport you to Athens in the 1950's and that's definitely not a bad thing. Besides, the movie itself is absolutely TIMELESS. And I think that's the word best describing it: Absolutely TIMELESS. This is a movie you should watch not only if you like Greek cinema, but if you enjoy cinema in general. I won't recommend it to people who enjoy cinematic abominations such as "I Love Karditsa".
Enough rambling on about context,let's start talking about this masterpiece. This movie has an amazing cast. Every actor does a great job because they have so much to work with. The script is a humane story with realistic characters and clever conversations. My favorite Greek film of all time. The story centers around a counterfeit coin and people trying to get rid or using it to obtain something they think will make them happy. I'll leave it at that because the brilliant story is something you should see the film to experience.
Now let me tell you the few issues I have with the film... Actually, no, I can't find ANY. I'm not even joking. This movie is as close to perfect as most films get. Are there a few aspects of the film that are dated? Sure, but not in the bad way because they will literally transport you to Athens in the 1950's and that's definitely not a bad thing. Besides, the movie itself is absolutely TIMELESS. And I think that's the word best describing it: Absolutely TIMELESS. This is a movie you should watch not only if you like Greek cinema, but if you enjoy cinema in general. I won't recommend it to people who enjoy cinematic abominations such as "I Love Karditsa".
The best Greek film of all times
geoar23 December 2018
I wouldn't call it a film. It actually is a masterpiece. Released in 1955, but still reflects how deceptive our modern society really is.
Kalpiki Lira (The Counterfeit Coin) is the first modular movie ever made in Greece. It consists of 4 stories with one thing in common. The counterfeit coin itself. From the creation to its journey among numerous owners. Is the coin fake, or is material wealth itself?
The best Greek film ever
spentovoulos20 December 2020
The concept behind the story is what life is about. A brilliant cast, a great director and a marvelous scenario. The scene, at the end of the movie, when D.Horn says to E.Lambeti that dispite their love, the coin was counterfeit, is one if the top five emotional scenes I ever seen.
In the movie, there is a narrator, who connects these 4 stories and closes the film with the phrase...."in this story, the coin is not fake, actually, money is fake...."
Greek cinema at its best
apararas24 March 2020
With an excellent cast too.Including Logothetidis,Horn,Makris this film shows us the power of money and how it affects people fromthe counterfeiter who dreams of a better life till the relation of a poor painter and the true love between him and a rich girl.A MUST SEE
Fantastic
dinofloyd199818 April 2018
Nothing counterfeit about this movie
kokkinoskitrinosmple7 January 2024
I kalpiki lira is a historical moment for Greek cinema, as it is the first instance of a modular movie, four stories in one, connected by a counterfeit coin. And this coin isn't the only fake thing the main characters invest in, as each of them commits a sin (Anargyros-lust, Beggar-sloth, Vasilis-greed, Pavlos-pride) and gets to face the consequences.
Apart from the intriguing storylines, the biggest strength of the movie is that it captures the essence of life in'50s Athens, especially the bittersweet realism, as drama, humour, romance all blend together and that's in no small part thanks to the excellent performances of the all-star cast.
Apart from the intriguing storylines, the biggest strength of the movie is that it captures the essence of life in'50s Athens, especially the bittersweet realism, as drama, humour, romance all blend together and that's in no small part thanks to the excellent performances of the all-star cast.
A 50s Greek masterpiece
magdakontou-6614925 August 2023
Warning: Spoilers
The movie consists of four parts. Four different stories all connected to a counterfeit coin.
The movie depicts the lives of poor and middle-class Athenians in the 50s typical of the era and its problems.
The naive, lonely and seduced man who was the creator of the coin.. the beggar and the prostitute trying to survive in the centre of the city, the rich but really stingy landlord who is moved by an orphan girl as he doesn't have children of his own and the damned love of a really poor artist and a spoiled young rich lady. Will she be able to put up with the sudden poverty and the loss of every convenience that she used to have before?
The movie makes it clear that it's still relevant to today's society as a basic thing hasn't changed.. "money makes the world go round" Music by Xatzidakis and top Greek actors.
The movie shouldn't be missed.
The movie depicts the lives of poor and middle-class Athenians in the 50s typical of the era and its problems.
The naive, lonely and seduced man who was the creator of the coin.. the beggar and the prostitute trying to survive in the centre of the city, the rich but really stingy landlord who is moved by an orphan girl as he doesn't have children of his own and the damned love of a really poor artist and a spoiled young rich lady. Will she be able to put up with the sudden poverty and the loss of every convenience that she used to have before?
The movie makes it clear that it's still relevant to today's society as a basic thing hasn't changed.. "money makes the world go round" Music by Xatzidakis and top Greek actors.
The movie shouldn't be missed.
Nice Enough But Greatly Overrated
MogwaiMovieReviews2 May 2022
I really don't know what the other reviewers here are talking about when they say this is the greatest Greek film ever made: it's nice enough but there is nothing at all remarkable or first rate about any of it.
The direction and cinematography are pedestrian and instantly forgettable, with only the 2 or 3 bursts of colour in a black & white film sticking in the mind. The performances are not really much better than the average TV soap opera of the time, which is where the cheap sets look like they've come from, too.
It's essentially one of those anthology films that were very common back in the day (Dead of Night, Le Plaisir, The Gold of Naples and Flesh And Fantasy are all good examples of the genre), but this one feels very cheap and amateurish in comparison; it meanders a lot and only the final tale, of the painter and his wife, seems to have any genuine emotion to it, but even that fizzles out by the end in an unconvincing manner. There didn't seem to be any real reason for any of the stories to be told, and there was no clear moral or meaning to be found in any of them, either collectively or on their own.
So I have to say I think there are much better Greek films to be celebrated, and I recommend Yorgos Lanthimos' Dogtooth or Michael Cacoyannis' Elektra for starters.
The direction and cinematography are pedestrian and instantly forgettable, with only the 2 or 3 bursts of colour in a black & white film sticking in the mind. The performances are not really much better than the average TV soap opera of the time, which is where the cheap sets look like they've come from, too.
It's essentially one of those anthology films that were very common back in the day (Dead of Night, Le Plaisir, The Gold of Naples and Flesh And Fantasy are all good examples of the genre), but this one feels very cheap and amateurish in comparison; it meanders a lot and only the final tale, of the painter and his wife, seems to have any genuine emotion to it, but even that fizzles out by the end in an unconvincing manner. There didn't seem to be any real reason for any of the stories to be told, and there was no clear moral or meaning to be found in any of them, either collectively or on their own.
So I have to say I think there are much better Greek films to be celebrated, and I recommend Yorgos Lanthimos' Dogtooth or Michael Cacoyannis' Elektra for starters.
Real people, counterfeit coin
hermespor7 January 2022
This is a film that encompasses everything that means to be human. The joy, the sadness, laughter, greed, love, regret, passion, richness, dreams, nightmares and misery, the best and the worst, the beautiful, the ugly, the inspiring and the repulsive. Sounds ambitious? Well, there you have it, in just under two hours, portrayed by an array of absolutely memorable characters and and that wicked yellow counterfeit coin.
The best movie in the history of the greek cinema
mharos17 January 2021
Four different stories with a counterfeit golden coin as their common link. Some of the best actors of that era, perform under the directions of Tzavelas contributing to what is, in my opinion, by far the best movie in the history of the greek cinem.
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