Shortly before Christmas of '61 and specifically on December 2, the skin film, "The Descent». From its first screening, it already causes a sensation and the subject matter that it negotiates, shocks the Greek society of that time.
The corruption of the youth, the tentacles, the abortions, a murder, the confinement in a reformatory were part of a reality for that time, which, however, was not easily accepted. THE Giannis Dalianidis he wanted not only to touch on these issues, but to penetrate with his own directing eye, having at his side the Philopimina Fino, who believed in "Katiforos".
However, she had not believed in Nikos Kourkoulos before, while Aliki Vougiouklaki had believed that if she accepted the leading role, she would damage her career and her image. They both fell out.
Kourkoulos finally took the role of Kostas, while after the thunderous "no" of Aliki, they took the unknown crowned Kallisteia, Zoe Laskari, with the film taking off her career. And to establish it in the cinematic becoming.
The movie plot
Rea (Zoe Laskari) is in a relationship with Kostas (Nikos Kourkoulos), while Petros (Vangelis Voulgaridis) is in love with her. Rhea will try to fix it with Petros because Kostas has other relationships, but the latter, wanting to take revenge on her, leaves her naked in the wilderness. In the meantime, she "sells" love to her younger sister, and when Rhea finds out, she takes the gun and kills him. In a trial where her lawyer father (Pantelis Zervos) shocks with his speech, not only the guilty secrets of the young and corrupt company come to light, but also of their families.
The initial shock turned into a box office success
The film deals with issues that concerned a section of society. Sensitive issues with strong social messages, which touched the core of the family, which in many cases was problematic.
In his famous speech in court, o Pantelis Zervos as the father of Zoe Laskari who has also taken on her defense, he not only gives a shocking interpretation, but also blasts the families, blaming them exclusively for the children's idiocies.
"I blame Leonidas Nikolaou…. I blame Elizabeth Nikolaou… "he said, among other things, while he did not fail to take the blame for his daughter's descent.
The bold film for the data of the time shocks the Greek society, with the result that in the beginning the halls are not full. Finos, however, believes in "Katiforos" and insists on supporting him. And he is right. Not only is it a box office success, but it came out first that year, cutting 161.331 tickets to the first-run cinemas in Athens and Piraeus. While he is successful abroad, and specifically in Mexico, where in the period 1962-1963 he finished first in receipts.
The film also stood out for its youthful and indestructible cast. Zoe Laskari, Nikos Kourkoulos and Vangelis Voulgaridis were still unknown to the public at the time, who after "Katiforos" saw their shares, but also their popularity skyrocket.
Finos did not want Kourkoulos
Before the "Descent" o Nikos Kourkoulos had played in smaller roles or in that compass. Finos had once seen him in some of these movies, but he did not like it. So, when Giannis Dalianidis proposed him to the producer, he rejected him without a second thought.
But because some things are to be done, it seemed destined to be written for the young Nikos Kourkoulos to one day become a front-line star. And this opportunity came through the "Downhill" finally given by the man who had initially rejected him.
Because one day Finos saw Kourkoulos in a magazine and said to Dalianidis "I want him for the role". She had not recognized him and the demonic director did not tell him the truth. Kourkoulos took the lead role and convinced with his performance, while after the film he saw his shares skyrocket professionally and his collaboration with Fino continues.
However, he also saw his popularity skyrocket, especially in the female audience, as many girls felt their hearts skitter in the sight of the charming young man.
Aliki's "no" established Zoitsa
We do not know if it is random, but twice that the Aliki Vougiouklaki refused a role because he thought he was bold about her image and would hurt her career, the Zoe laskari. One in the "Constellation of Virgo" and one in the "Downhill".
Of course, Aliki's first thunderous "no" was in "Katiforos". The bold content of the film frightened "our national star", who immediately denied it. However, the same did not happen with Laskari. After all, she had nothing to lose and the risk of making her film debut with an "inappropriate" film was worth it.
Laskari, two years ago (in 1959) was crowned "Star Hellas" in Kallisteia and through acquaintances she had met Fino. She wanted to deal with acting and so the powerful producer offered her a small role in "Katiforos". But in the rehearsals she was unbelievable and so they anointed her with concise procedures, the protagonist.
In the film, the then 17-year-old Zoe had an extremely bold and "scandalous" scene for the time and morals. She was the one that Kostas "Kourkoulos" leaves her naked in the wilderness and she runs behind him on the street. This scene has remained as one of the most famous in Greek cinema and as it turned out, it only did no harm to the debutant actress.
In general, the role of Rea proved to be a fortune for Laskari, since it also launched her popularity, but also opened the way for her to the cinema. Her collaboration with Finos continued, signing a permanent contract, while she was paid by the month.
Backstage from the movie
In "Katiforos" he also played Costas Voutsas, who had an accident on set. In the famous scene where Kourkoulos takes Laskari's clothes and enters the car where his two friends (one of them Voutsas) are waiting for him, the actor awkwardly pressed the accelerator causing Voutsas to hit his head and go to the hospital. In fact, as the popular actor has said, Kourkoulos cried for the harm he caused him.
Finos himself makes a passage in the film, where he impersonates the court clerk, who called the witnesses to Rhea's trial.
"Katiforos" was supposed to officially participate in the Thessaloniki Film Festival in 1961, but Finos withdrew it because it was drawn to be shown on days and hours that he did not like.