"I Like Hearts Like Mine" - Markos Vamvakaris

Colour, 35mm
Greece, 2000, 68 min
Section: Inspired by Music

Synopsis

This is a documentary portrait of Markos Vamvakaris (1905-1972), the distinguished founder of rebetiko music which, during its greatest boom (1932-1940), influenced the whole of Greek culture and society. The Greeks equate the influence and significance of the musical style of rebetiko with American blues. For them it is not simply a musical genre but a way of life. The director traces the life of Markos Vamvakaris who managed from his very poor background to become a highly respected musician during difficult times. Using archive shots, original rebetiko recordings and the testimonies of his relatives and close friends, the director conjures up the atmosphere of rebetiko and the era which lived and was influenced by it. We thus have a better understanding of both the severity and fragility which appear in Vamvakaris’ songs.

About the director

George C. Zervas (b. 1960, Prosymna) studied chemistry and film in Athens. He then left for Paris on a post-graduate course where he continued his film studies at the Sorbonne with Eric Rohmer and Jean Rouche. He now works as a film and television director and producer. Filmography: Going Down into the Undergound (video, 1987), The Norion of Traveling in Wim Wenders (documentary, 1988), In Search of Public Space (documentary, 1993), Theatre for Children - A Journey from A to Z (documentary, 1995), Once Is Not Enough (1995), When Chagall Was Worth Less Than A Pound of Potatoes, Travelogue of the G. Kostakis Collection (documentary, 1996), Freedom, Resistance, Solidarity (documentary, 1998), I Regret Nothing (documentary, 1998), “I Like Hearts Like Mine“ – Markos Vamvakaris (2000); this documentary is the director’s first made on film stock.