The magic of authenticity

The main topic of discussion in Greece these days is not who will become president or whether the war in Ukraine will end quickly once Donald Trump assumes office in the US. It is a phenomenon: how tens of thousands of Greeks are flocking to the cinema for a film on the life of music legend Stelios Kazantzidis. It's hard to find anyone who doesn't feel like the film "spoke" to them in some way. Everyone describes scenes of packed cinemas with people singing along with the protagonist.

What is it that attracts us to this era that Kazantzidis also symbolizes? I would say "authenticity." There's a reason why 40 or 50 years later we still enjoy the old Greek movies and sing songs from the era at parties. And this is not just the nostalgia of older folks. Even youngsters quote lines from classic films and know the lyrics of the popular tunes of the era. For older generations,...