Visibility Zero

Visibility Zero (Greek: Ορατότης Μηδέν) is a 1970 film starring Nikos Kourkoulos and Mary Chronopoulou.[1] The film's plot showcases the conflict between the working class and their employers.[1]

Visibility Zero
Ορατότης Μηδέν
Film poster
Directed byNikos Foskolos
Produced byFinos Film
Written byNikos Foskolos
StarringNikos Kourkoulos
Mary Chronopoulou
Music byMimis Plessas
Production
company
Finos Film
Release date
  • 5 January 1970 (1970-01-05)[1]
Running time
113 minutes[1]
CountryGreece
LanguageGreek

Plot

Angelos, played by Nikos Kourkoulos, is the sole survivor of the sinking of the steam ship Christina. When an inquiry is set up to investigate the circumstances of the disaster, Angelos testifies that the shipping company had neglected to properly maintain the ship and due to their negligence the coal-fired boiler exploded. When the enquiry reveals the improprieties of his company, the owner played by Spyros Kalogirou takes his own life.[2]

Manos Katrakis, in the role of the owner's brother, goes after Angelos seeking revenge for the death of his brother and also because of Angelos's testimony against his company. Angelos, however, develops a plan to infiltrate the company.[1] He is successful at romancing the owner's daughter Christina Richter, played by Mary Chronopoulou, and they get married. He is then able to run the company. However, while at the helm of the organisation he discovers that the problems that caused the sinking of the Christina are endemic and persistent within the company. Disillusioned he abandons Richter and returns to his old love Niki.[2]

In the climactic scene of the film, Angelos gets evicted from his home and his landlady throws all his belongings on the street. He puts a record on his record player, breaks an oil lantern, throws the fuel on the heap and lights up a cigarette burning his belongings in front of his neighbours, while the song of Stratos Dionysiou "Vrehei Fotia Stin Strata Mou" (It's raining fire in my way) plays in the background.[3]

Music

The song "Vrehei Fotia Stin Strata Mou" (It's raining fire in my way) was composed by Mimis Plessas with lyrics by Lefteris Papadopoulos. In a subsequent interview, Papadopoulos revealed that the writer Nikos Foskolos had asked him to write a song whose lyrics included the phrase "Kyma pikro stin plori mou" (A bitter wave on my bow). The song became one of the greatest hits of Greek laiko music of the era.[1] Mimis Plessas chose Stratos Dionysiou as the singer. The hit launched Dionysiou's career;[2] Dionysiou does not appear in the film, but his voice is heard from a record playing the song in the background.[2]

Impact

In one of the scenes of the film, while Angelos narrates the events that led to the disaster during the enquiry, he goes into an altered state and relives the scene that led to the boiler explosion. Realising that the pressure buildup, due to the malfunction of the pressure valves, would eventually lead to an explosion, he starts shouting to his shipmates not to throw any more coal to the boiler, exclaiming: Ohi allo karvouno! (No more coal! [Do not add any more coal to the ship's boiler!]). The expression Ohi allo karvouno! has since been used in Greek to describe extreme situations.[4]

Cast
  • Nikos Kourkoulos ..... Angelos Kreouzis
  • Mary Chronopoulou ..... Christina Richter
  • Manos Katrakis ..... Horst Richter
  • Spyros Kalogirou ..... Irodotos Richter
  • Nikos Galanos ..... Kostis Kreouzis
  • Anna Vagena ..... Niki
  • Angelos Antonopoulos ..... Captain Nikolaou

Release

The film premiered in Greece on 5 January 1970. With 640,720 issued, the film was second in popularity amongst 99 films in the 1970 season.[2][5]

References
  1. "Ορατότης Μηδέν (1970)". Finos Film.
  2. "Ορατότης μηδέν". retro db. Ο Στράτος Διονυσίου τραγουδούσε ήδη μια δεκαετία σε μικρά λαϊκά μαγαζιά, χωρίς ιδιαίτερη επιτυχία και ήταν ο Μίμης Πλέσσας που πρόσεξε τη φωνή του και του έδωσε τη μεγάλη ευκαιρία, να τραγουδήσει το "Βρέχει φωτιά στη στράτα μου", το οποίο τον έκανε αστέρι του τραγουδιού από τη μια μέρα στην άλλη Google translation: Stratos Dionysiou already sings a decade in small folk clubs without much success and was Mimis Plessas noticed his voice and gave him a great opportunity to sing the "raining fire on my walker" which made him a star of the song from one day to another
  3. Κωστας Μπαλαχουτης (2007). Λαικα μονοπατια: απο τη ραδιοφωνικη εκπομπη του δερτι 98.6 "Ιστορια μου, αμαρτια μου". Intro Books. p. 118. ISBN 978-960-6680-33-5. Το κερασάκι στην τούρτα θα μπει με το «Βρέχει φωτιά στη στράτα μου» των Μίμη Πλέσσα και Λευτέρη Παπαδόπουλου που ακούστηκε στην ταινία του Νίκου Φώσκολου Ορατότης μηδέν. Ιδανικό συμπλήρωμα μιας μεγαλειώδους σκηνής, όπου ο
  4. Panos Papadopoulos (30 October 2013). ""Οχι άλλο κάρβουνο" και άλλα πέντε πράγματα που μας άφησε ο Νίκος Φώσκολος". Ta Nea. 1. «Οχι άλλο κάρβουνο!». Η φράση σήμα κατατεθέν του Κούρκουλου στο «Ορατότης Μηδέν», σε σενάριο σκηνοθεσία Νίκου Φώσκολου, πρωτοακούστηκε στις 5 Ιανουαρίου 1970 στην πρεμιέρα της ταινίας. Σαράντα τρία χρόνια έπειτα εξακολουθεί να αναπαράγεται μεταξύ σοβαρού και αστείου σε οριακές καταστάσεις.
  5. Στέλιος Ελληνιάδης. "Σπασμένα πιάτα, κομμένα τραγούδια".
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