Nikos Tsiforos

Nikos Tsiforos Νίκος Τσιφόρος
Born	1912 Alexandria, Egypt
Died	6 August 1970 Athens, Greece
Occupation	Screenwriter, film director
Years active	1948–1970

Nikos Tsiforos (Greek: Νίκος Τσιφόρος; 1912 – 6 August 1970) was a Greek screenwriter and film director. He wrote 64 films between 1948 and 1970. He also directed 17 films between 1948 and 1961.

Biography

He was born in Alexandria, Egypt in 1912. Two years later, his family was permanently resettled in Athens. Since his eleven years of age, Nikos Tsiforos began to write with fury. He wrote his first play in 1938 which was played out in a summer theatre in Freattyda. His first try did not succeed but Nikos was not disappointed. From there he went on to get a degree in Law, as well as worked for two years at the Election Council. He later resigned to go into ships and travel. His father was sailing in ships and Nikos wanted to live so he can write.

He continued to change jobs continuously until 1939, wrote films as well as different types of writings. His first big success was in 1944 by the companies of Dimitris Horn and Mairi Aroni which elevated himself into the Akropol Theatre. This was with his theatrical work I pinakothiki ton ilithion which means the Museum Hall of Idiots, implying we take the most idiotic role models, put them in a frame and hang them up to see as examples. From 1948 to 1949 he wrote and directed his first film Teleftea apostoli which means Last Mission. Four years later, he was a reporter and wrote for the Greek newspapers (Φιλελεύθερος / Liberal, Βήμα / Step, Ελεύθερος Κόσμος / Free World) and the magazines Trust, Romance, Postman, Pantheon, while writing over 40 theatrical plays and more than 80 film scripts.

He wrote solemnly by himself, otherwise worked mainly with Polyvios Vassiliadis his writing partner in many successful films (with which they became the most important writing duo in theater, at the time.

Tsiforos died on 6 August 1970.

Writings

• Anthropi ke anthropakia (Άνθρωποι και ανθρωπάκια)People and small People
• Athens Today, Cruises Inside History (Η Αθήνα σήμερα - Κρουαζιέρες μέσα στην ιστορία (I Athina simera - Krouazieres mesa stin istoria)
• Beautiful Thessaloniki (Όμορφη Θεσσαλονίκη = Omorfi Thessaloniki)
• Children from the Piazza (Τα παιδιά της πιάτσας (Ta pedia tis piatsas)
• Diyimata (Διηγήματα)
• Eortastika (Εορταστικά)
• The First Tsiforos (Ο πρώτος Τσιφόρος = O Protos Tsiforos)
• Milon Firikis (Μίλων Φιρίκης)
• Greek cruises (Ελληνική κρουαζιέρα)
• Greek mythology (Ελληνική μυθολογία)
• O Gulliver stin hora ton Gigandon - O Gulliver stin hora ton nanon (Ο Γκιούλιβερ στη χώρα των Γιγάντων - Ο Γκιούλιβερ στη χώρα των νάνων, first part, Gulliver in the Land of the Giants)
• The History of Athens (Η Ιστορία της Αθήνας (I Istoria tis Athinas)
• History of England (Ιστορία της Αγγλίας (Istoria tis Anglias)
• History of France (Ιστορία της Γαλλίας (Istoria tis Galias)
• History of the United States (Ιστορία των Ηνωμένων Πολιτειών (Istoria ton Ipomenon Polition))
• Hronografimata (Χρονογραφήματα)
• Jim the Bad Poet (Τζιμ κακής ποιότητο (Jim kakis piotitos)
• I konkistradori (Οι κονκισταδόροι)
• My Lucky Star (Το τυχερό μου αστέρι (To tihero mou asteri)
• Ta paliopeda t atithassa (Τα παλιόπαιδα τ' ατίθασα)
• Ourselves and the Franks (Εμείς και οι Φράγκοι)
• Paramithis pisso apo ta kagela (Παραμύθια πίσω από τα κάγκελα)
• People and People (Ο κόσμος κι ο κοσμάκης (O kosmos ki o kosmakis)
• I pinakothiki ton ilithion (Η πινακοθήκη των ηλιθίων)
• Ta remalia iroes (Τα ρεμάλια ήρωες)
• Steve to haroumeno katharma ('Στηβ το χαρούμενο κάθαρμα )
• Secret Companies (Οι μυστικές εταιρίες = I mistikes eteries)
• Vivliki hamoyela (Βιβλικά χαμόγελα)
• I yineka koursaros (Η γυναίκα κουρσάρος)

Selected filmography

Year	Film	Transliteration and translation
1950	The Last Mission	Τελευταία αποστολή Teleftaia apostoloi
1951	To paidi mou prepei na zisei	Το παιδί μου πρέπει να ζήσει
1953	The Tower of Knights	Ο πύργος των ιπποτών O pirgos ton ipoton
1954	The Little Mouse	Το ποντικάκι To pondikaki
1954	O anemos tou missous	Ο άνεμος του μίσους
1954	I oraia ton Athinon	Η ωραία των Αθηνών
1955	Γλέντι, λεφτά και αγάπη	Glendi, lefta ke agapi
1956	Gypsy Blood	Τσιγγάνικο αίμα Tsiganiko ema
1957	The Three Detectives	Τρεις ντεντέκτιβς Tris detectives
1957	The Lady	Ο γυναικάς O yinekas
1958	The Money	Ο λεφτάς O leftas
1959	O thisavros tou makariti	Ο θησαυρός του μακαρίτη
1960	Treis koukles ki ego	Τρεις κούκλες κι εγώ
1960	O Klearchos i Marina kai o kontos	Ο Κλέαρχος η Μαρίνα και ο κοντός
1967	Oh! That Wife of Mine	-

Bibliography

• Sylvia Mittler, "The Crusades and Frankish Medieval Greece as (Re)Appropriation: Carnivalesque Historiography and Modern Greek Humorist Nikos Tsiforos." In: Postmodern Medievalisms, ed. Richard Utz and Jesse G. Swan (Cambridge: Brewer, 2004), pp. 209–36.
• Sylvia Mittler, "Subversive Storytelling: Popular Historiography, Alternative Cultural Memory, and Modern Greek Humorist Nikos Tsiforos." In: Oral and Written Narratives and Cultural Identity, ed. Francisco Cota Fagundes and Irene Maria F. Blayer (New York: Peter Lang, 2007), pp. 171–88.

External links

• Nikos Tsiforos at the Internet Movie Database