The Counterfeit Coin (1955)

Such a frustrating disappointment

It is a performances centric movie

It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

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".

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.

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...

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.