In his book “Greek Film Advertising Is Love…”, published by Kalligrafos, Stefanos Tzannetatos follows, as the author himself says in “Instead of a Prologue”, “the course of advertising Greek films in newspapers from at least the 1930s onwards, disregarding the parallel reference – where deemed necessary – to foreign productions and related advertising approaches of the 40s and 50s, noting also that “a large number of the best commercials of Greek films with traditional, Greek allusions and connections “.

The result was a richly illustrated volume with a huge amount of film advertising published in the newspapers of the time. The lion’s share, of course, is occupied by films of the 1950s and 1960s, the so-called “golden age” of ancient Greek cinema. However, mainly what emerges not only through graphic design (“simple geometric ways”, as the author writes), but also through the comments of advertisers, is the morality of the time, exaggeration, over-dramatization, to such an extent that it looks comical today.

Stefanos Jannetatou’s book about film articles in newspapers of the time.

Very interesting project St. Jeannett does not limit himself to an exhaustive examination and citation of old advertisements, but extends to extensive commentaries with factual evidence and other references to the aesthetics of the period, which he often does with comic flair and engaging, appropriate ease. Today we present a small selection from this rich material of the book, choosing some “cult” films and others, more, shall we say, classics. Highlight the delightful comments included in the frames of these ads…

HM.