Most Famous Movies Filmed in Greece
Introductions
Preparing for your trip to Greece can include seeing a movie or two filmed in Greece or the Greek islands. The white sand beaches, blue skies, and ancient villages will inspire you. Some of the films took bits and pieces of Greek islands and villages and combined them into one town for the purposes of the film. Others stayed true to their locations and portrayed the beauty of Greece as it is and as you will discover it on your travels. While Greece will be even more beautiful “in person,” these films shot in Greece will give you a glimpse of what is waiting for you.
Mamma Mia
“Mamma Mia!” may be the best movie to inspire Greek travel since “Summer Lovers” came out in the early 1980s, featuring several locations in the Pelion region and on Skopelos and Skiathos. The film was built around hit ABBA songs (Listen with Spotify or Apple Music)and tells the story of a daughter’s quest to figure out who her father is. “Mamma Mia” immediately became a smash hit when it was released in the summer of 2008, but the gorgeous locations stole the show, inspiring travel to Greece ever since. If you’re a fan of the “Mamma Mia!” movies and want to check out some of the beautiful locations seen in the films, you can head to Damouchari, Skopelos, and Skiathos, the three principal locations in Greece where the film was shot.
Zorba the Greek
This tremendous, life-affirming classic epitomizes the Greek spirit and was filmed in various locations on the island of Crete, including Stavros, a village and beach in the Akrotiri district of Chania, Crete. The beach and town were where Michael Cacoyannis partially filmed the movie Zorba the Greek with Anthony Quinn in 1964. The main beach, awarded a blue flag designation, is known for its white sand and turquoise water. The beach lies at the base of the mountain where the scene with Anthony Quinn dancing the Greek sirtaki was filmed.
High Season
High season is a light-hearted romantic comedy with an intriguing darker side, but it takes second place to the beautiful Greek island of Rhodes. The film has nine main characters, a mixture of English, Greek, and Greek-American. The film stars Jacqueline Bisset and a young Kenneth Branagh, who plays a small role. Rhodes is known for its beach resorts, ancient ruins, and remnants of its occupation by the Knights of St. John during the Crusades.
Summer Lovers
This light-on-substance movie is a guilty pleasure filled with shots of Darryl Hannah and Peter Gallagher, an irresistibly upbeat soundtrack (“I’m So Excited!” is the theme song), and glorious shots of Greece. Unfortunately, they combine several locations in Greece (including Santorini, Mykonos, and Crete) into one “super-island.”
For Your Eyes Only
This lively James Bond 007 flick offers heart-stopping shots of hang gliding at the hanging monasteries of Meteora. The beauty of these cliff-top monasteries and beautiful mountain formations can easily inspire a trip to Meteora. From the early Christian times, the Meteora vertical cliffs were regarded as the perfect place for the location of monasteries. The isolation and natural beauty supported the monk’s desire for spiritual growth.
Bourne Identity
Only a part of this is shot in Greece, but after seeing the movie, many folks want to find out where it is so they can escape. If you’re one of them, we can tell you it’s on the Greek island of Mykonos. Mykonos is an island in the Cyclades group in the Aegean Sea known for its vibrant party atmosphere and number of bars and discos. Mykonos is also known for the 16th-century windmills that sit on a hill above Mykonos.
Captain Corelli’s Mandolin
Starring Nicholas Cage and Penelope Cruz, this loosely fact-based action-romance story depicts Kefalonia (Cephalonia) during World War II. It prompted a tourist deluge for the island. Cephalonia is the sixth-largest of the Greek islands. It is known for sandy coves, hidden beaches, and dry, rugged landscapes. Argostoli’s capital is built on a hillside overlooking a narrow harbor. To the east of Argostoli is a preserve, a feeding ground for loggerhead turtles. The filmmakers built the Dikhalia village filming set near the remains of the authentic village with the same name. You will find the filming location in the east part of the island Kefalonia, Greece, between the Paliouras Beach and the Antisamos Beach. It is only 5 min drive away from the town of Sami. The real village of Dikhalia was completely destroyed by the major Ionian earthquake in 1953. You won’t find any buildings there since the village was built for the movie only and was later dismantled completely. However, there still is one small house standing. Dr. Iannis (John Hurt) came out of this house after he cured his patient at the beginning of the movie.
Shirley Valentine
Frustrated housewife Shirley finds romantic adventure and her soul on the island of Mykonos. The “Shirley Valentine Beach” is Ai Giannis. Ai Giannis is known for the parties during the summer, which are organized by the beach bars there. It’s also known as a beach that doesn’t get too crowded.
Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life
Angelina Jolie returns as Lara Croft in this action-packed movie, which features many Greek locations, including the island of Santorini. Your travel adventures may vary from this fictional depiction! Greek archaeological authorities are sticklers at preventing the theft of Greece’s cultural heritage. But now there is one “tomb raider” who is being welcomed with open arms by Greece and the citizens of Oia (Ia), the previously quieter sister of Thira (Fira) on the island of Santorini.
Opa!
It’s not easy to define opa. The word is flexible and has taken on many new meanings. When traveling in Greece or exploring popular culture abroad, you’ll frequently encounter “opa!”. Starring Matthew Modine, this independent film had a limited release when it came out in 2009. It’s shot in a location on the Greek island of Patmos. Patmos, an Aegean island north of Greece’s Dodecanese island group, is an important Christian pilgrimage site. There is a cave where John of Patmos is said to have written the Book of Revelations. An 11th-century monastery dedicated to the saint overlooks the capital, Hora.
The Big Blue
The Big Blue (released in some countries under the French title Le Grand Bleu) is a 1988 film in the French Cinéma du look visual style, made by French director Luc Besson. The film is a heavily fictionalized and dramatized story of the friendship and sporting rivalry between two leading contemporary champion free divers in the 20th century: Jacques Mayol (played by Jean-Marc Barr) and Enzo Maiorca (renamed “Enzo Molinari” and played by Jean Reno), and Mayol’s fictionalized relationship with his girlfriend, Johana Baker. Much of the film was shot on the Greek island of Amorgos, where Agia Anna and the monastery of Panagia Hozoviotissa can be seen. The film was dedicated to his daughter Juliette Besson, who required surgery after becoming ill during filming.
Two Faces of January
Based on the Patricia Highsmith novel, this movie was shot in Athens and Crete and stars Viggo Mortensen. It enjoyed just a limited release but is available on DVD. In the film, a con artist (Viggo Mortensen) kills a detective. He and his wife (Kirsten Dunst) must trust a potentially dangerous stranger (Oscar Isaac) to help them escape Greece.
D’Agostino
“D’Agostino” was shot overlooking the caldera of Santorini, with the volcanic islands of Nea Kameni and Paleo Kameni visible below and the partially crescent island of Thirassia in the distance. From the angle, the balcony we see in the film is located in Imerovigli, between Fira and Oia. Some scenes were shot at the beachside on the cliffs below. The script is minimal, so there are many pretty shots of Santorini, showing scenic vistas, chickens, donkeys, shops, markets, and the iconic ‘on the balcony with a glass of wine’ shots. These montages sometimes last for minutes as we watch the hero walk through the winding lanes of Fira, hike in ancient Thira, and wander elsewhere on the island.
