The Ogre of Athens: Limited Edition – Radiance Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Greece, 1956
Director: Nikos Koundouros
Writer: Iakovos Kambanellis
Cast: Dinos Iliopoulos, Margarita Papageorgiou, Giannis Argyris, Thanasis Veggos, Maria Lekaki

Release Date: November 17th, 2025 (UK), November 18th, 2025 (USA)
Approximate Running Time: 103 Minutes 31 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1 Aspect Ratio / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: 12 (UK), NR (USA)
Sound: LPCM Mono Greek
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: £14.99 (UK), $39.95 (USA)

"Despite his best efforts, shy and modest bank clerk Thomas (Dinos Iliopoulos) struggles to fit in with the pace of modern life. On New Year’s Eve, a comedy of errors ensues and Thomas is mistaken for ‘The Ogre,’ a notorious criminal mastermind who rules the streets of Athens. Suddenly, men respect him, and a woman is interested in him—it’s all he’s ever wanted. However, everything comes with a price and Thomas is soon out of his depth when his unwitting white lie unravels." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "For years the rights to The Ogre of Athens were separated from the rest of Nikos Koundouros's films. After the director's passing in 2017, an effort was made for the film to join the rest of his library, and his heirs organized for all his works to be digitalized at the Stefifilm laboratory in Athens.

In the beginning the work on The Ogre of Athens was started from a 35mm print of the film, but as the digitalization process was under way the Greek Film academy, while organizing a tribute event celebrating Greek cinema, discovered the original negative at the storage facility of the Greek Cinemateque. The film as presented here was restored in 4K resolution from the original negative."

The Ogre of Athens comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 35.8 GB

Feature: 28.1 GB

Although some source imperfections remain, the bulk of this transfer looks excellent. Flesh tones look correct; image clarity, contrast, black levels, and compression are solid; and the image always looks organic.

Audio: 4.5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in Greek with removable English subtitles. The audio sounds clean and clear, free of any distortion or imperfections. Dialogue always comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, and ambient sounds are well represented.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an introduction by Jonathan Franzen (7 minutes 18 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with film critic Christina Newland (11 minutes 5 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with Greek film expert Dimitris Papanikolaou on the 'Golden Age' of Greek cinema (25 minutes 46 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), reversible cover art, removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings and a 28-page booklet (limited to 2000 copies) with cast & crew information, an essay titled Death is the Minimum Penalty: Nikos Koundouros’s The Ogre of Athens written by Andréas Giannopoulos, an extract from Jonathan Franzen’s Freedom, and information about the transfer.

Summary:

Nikos Koundouros directed The Ogre of Athens. He’s known for The Magic City, The Outlaws, The River, Young Aphrodites, and The Face of Medusa.

Mistaken for a notorious criminal named The Ogre, a dull bank clerk embraces his new identity instead of walking away and returning to his mundane life.

Although The Ogre of Athens was a disaster critically and commercially, its reputation has grown considerably since, and it is now widely regarded as one of Greek cinema’s most significant films. What a shock it must have been for Greek audiences to see The Ogre of Athens upon release; at that time, melodramas and comedies were the two dominant genres in Greece. There along comes a film like The Ogre of Athens, whose social and political commentary is an unflinching look into 1950s Greece.

At the heart of The Ogre of Athens is a story about an unremarkable man who goes through life mostly unnoticed and disrespected. When both the criminals and the police mistake him for a notorious criminal, he hesitates to assume this new identity. For the first time in his life, he receives respect from others. Reluctant to return to his unremarkable existence, he chooses to maintain the deception.

So much of why The Ogre of Athens works so well is Dinos Iliopoulos’ portrayal of Thomas, the bank clerk who’s mistaken for a notorious criminal. He delivers a remarkable performance that perfectly captures his character's insecurities and newfound courage. Another performance of note is Margarita Papageorgiou in the role of Roula, a young woman the protagonist meets in an underworld bar. That said, all of the performances rise to the occasion.

The look of The Ogre of Athens is a combination of neorealism and film noir. Although there are many striking moments visually, none is more notable than the finale, where the protagonist, gravely wounded, stumbles in the streets before succumbing to his death. Another area where The Ogre of Athens excels is Manos Hatzidakis’ exemplary score, which perfectly underscores the mood.

The narrative does an exceptional job drawing you in and fleshing out characters. The pacing is deliberate, yet the momentum remains intact as the narrative effectively builds upon each moment, ultimately leading to the protagonist's fate. Another strength of the narrative is how effectively it creates and builds tension. Ultimately, The Ogre of Athens is an extraordinary exploration of the human condition played out like a Greek tragedy.

Radiance Films gives The Ogre of Athens a definitive release; highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer