Melina Mercouri

CAUTION ! This tribute is already under english translation !
This tribute is dedicated to MELINA MERCOURI, actress, singer and Greek political woman.
Melina Mercouri in a few words
Melina Mercouri (her true first name was Maria Amalia) was born on October 18, 1920 in Athens. She belongs to a great family of the metropolitan middle-class (her grandfather, Spyrídon Merkoúris, were a mayor of Athens of 1899 to 1914 and 1929 to 1934, and her father appointed at the Parliament). She get married at 15 years and divorce three years later. During the war, she is registered at the Dramatic Institute of the National Theatre of Athens and begins a career of actress which lead her between Athens and Paris : she works with Marcel Achard in 1949 in Le moulin de la Galette (with Pierre Fresnay and Yvonne Printemps) and in 1952, in the theatre Antoine, in Les compagnons de la Marjolaine (with Arletty and Bernard Blier).
The actress
In 1955, Michael Cacoyannis, Zorba movie’s director, gives Melina her first role in Stella [video extract n° 1]. The same year, she meets the American movies director Jules Dassin (Joe Dassin’s father). Melina will play in eight of his movies : Celui qui doit mourir (1957), The Law (1958), Never on Sunday (1960) - Melina Mercouri will be honoured by the Prix d’interprétation féminine at the Festival de Cannes) [video extract n° 2], Phaedra (1961) [video extract n° 3], Topkapi in 1964 [video extract n° 4], 10.30 P.M. Summer (1966 : with Romy Schneider, according to a novel of Marguerite Duras), Promised at Dawn (1969), The Rehearsal (1973) and A Dream of Passion (1977) [video extract n° 5].
She will also play under the direction of Joseph Losey (The Gypsy and the Gentleman, 1957) [video extract n° 6], Vittorio De Sica (The last Judgement, 1961), Claude Autant-Lara (Vive Henri IV, Vive l’amour, 1961), Carl Foreman (The Victors, 1962), Juan Antonio Bardem (Les pianos mécaniques, 1964), Ronald Neame and Cliff Owen (A Man could get killed), Norman Jewison (Gaily, Gaily, 1968), Guy Green (Jacqueline Susann's once is not enough, 1974), and Michael Lindsay-Hogg (Nasty Habits, 1976).
The singer
Melina Mercouri is also a singer [video extract n° 7]. In 1949, she sings one of her first songs - Hartino to Fengaraki - in a Greek production of A Streetcar Named Desire [video extract n° 8]. In 1955, 1960 and 1961, she sings Agapi pou 'gines [video extract n° 1], Ta pedia tou Pirea (international success) [video extract n° 2] and Feggari mou, Agapi mou, from the movies Stella, Never on Sunday and Phaedra. At the end of the Sixties, Melina Mercouri will record in France several discs (one in Greek language : Melina Mercouri, three others in French language : Je suis grecque, L’oeillet rouge et Si Melina m’était contée, all remastered) which will be great popular successes [video extract n° 9].
The political woman
In 1967, the dictatorship deprives her of her civic rights and pushes her out of Greece. Deprived of her citizenship, she says to the dictators this famous words : « I was born a Greek and I will die a Greek. Mr. Pattakos was born a fascist and he will die a fascist ». Elle s’exile à Paris, chante pour la liberté lors de grandes tournées internationales et récolte des fonds pour la résistance grecque [vidéo n° 10]. En 1971, elle écrit son autobiographie - Je suis née grecque – où elle témoigne de sa lutte.
Ce n’est qu’avec la chute de la dictature, en 1974, que Melina Mercouri peut enfin rentrer à Athènes. Délaissant progressivement sa carrière d’actrice, elle entame un parcours politique qui la conduira de la députation du Pirée en 1978 (sous les couleurs du Pasok, le parti social-démocrate grec) au Ministère de la Culture de 1981 à 1989, puis de 1993 jusqu’à sa mort. Ministre très active, elle mènera plusieurs combats qui lui tiennent à coeur (elle instaura l’idée des Capitales culturelles d’Europe dont Athènes devint en 1986 le premier représentant) et militera pour le retour en Grèce, sans succès, des frises du Parthénon conservées au British Museum [vidéo n° 11 et documents sonores ci-contre]. Elle s’éteint le 6 mars 1994 à New York et repose au Proto Nekrotafio, le cimetière principal d'Athènes.

Melina Mercouri in some videos :

1. In 1955, Melina Mercouri plays Stella in the Michael Cacoyannis movie Stella and sings Agapi pou 'gines :

2. In 1960, Melina Mercouri plays Ilya and sings Ta pedia tou Pirea in the Jules Dassin movie Never on Sunday (Pote Tin Kyriaki) :

3.In 1961, Melina Mercouri plays Phaedra in the Jules Dassin movie Phaedra :

4. In 1964, Melina Mercouri plays Elizabeth Lipp in the Jules Dassin movie Topkapi :

6. Melina Mercouri plays Belle sings in the Joseph Losey movie Gipsy and the Gentlemen in 1957 :

7. Melina Mercouri sings O Dromos, with Mariza Koch (song) et Manos Loizos (song and piano) :

8. Melina Mercouri sings The Paper Moon, a song of Manos Hadjidakis, from the play A Streetcar named Desire :

9. In 1974, Melina Mercouri sings Attendre, attendre from Mikis Theodorakis and Claude Lemesle :