Laurel and Hardy were a comedy duo act during the early Classical Hollywood  era  of  American  cinema.  The  team  was  composed  of  Englishman  Stan  Laurel  and  American  Oliver  Hardy.  They  became  well known during the late 1920s to the mid-1940s for their slapstick comedy, with Laurel playing the clumsy and childlike friend of the pompous bully Hardy. They appeared as a team in 107 films, starring in  32  short  silent  films,  40  short  sound  films,  and  23  full-length  feature films.

For this Tribute the following films will be screened: Big business, You’re Darn Tootin,The Bettle of the Century, The finishing Touch, Two Tars, The Second Hundred Years,Liberty Lucky Dog, Early to Bed and Duck Soup.

ΗΠΑ/USA, 1936, μ/α/b&w

Σκην./Dir.: Charles Chaplin | Σεν./Scr.: Charles Chaplin | Φωτ./Cin.: Ira H. Morgan, Roland Totheroh | Μοντ./Ed.: Charles Chaplin, Willard Nico | Μουσ./Mus.: Charlie Chaplin | Ηθ./Cast: Charlie Chaplin, Paulette Goddard, Henry Bergman | Παρ./ Prod.: Charles Chaplin Productions | Διάρκεια/ Dur.: 87’

The  film  is  a  comment  on  the  desperate  unemployment  and  financial    conditions    many    people    faced    during    the    Great    Depression — conditions created, in Chaplin’s view, by the modern industrialization. Charlie Chaplin turns against modern society, the machine age and progress. He is a factory worker frantically trying to keep up with a production line, tightening bolts in a big factory. When he meets a recently orphaned barefoot girl who is fleeing the police  after  stealing  a  loaf  of  bread,  he  instantly  falls  in  love  with  her and together they seek happiness away from modern industrial society.

Modern  Times  remains  one  of  Chaplin’s  greatest  and  most  enduring  works.  Perhaps more important, because it is the Tramp’s finale, a tribute to Chaplin’s most beloved character and the silent-film era he commanded for a generation

Ελλάδα/Greece, 1972, εγχρ./col. 

Σκην./Dir.: Ντίνος Κατσουρίδης/Dinos Katsouridis | Σεν./Scr.: Ντίνος Κατσουρίδης/Dinos Katsouridis, Λάζαρος Μοντανάρης/Lazaros Montanaris | Φωτ./ Cin.: Γιώργος Αρβανίτης/Giorgos Arvanitis | Μοντ./Ed.: Ντίνος Κατσουρίδης/ Dinos Katsouridis | Ηθ./Cast: Θανάσης Βέγγος/Thanasis Vengos, Εφη Ροδίτη/ Efi Roditi, Αντώνης Παπαδόπουλος/Antonis Papadopoulos | Παρ./Prod.: Ντίνος Κατσουρίδης/Dinos Katsouridis | Διάρκεια/ Dur.: 93'

Still owing his truck to his employer, Thanasis, a kind, hard-working lorry driver tries to make ends meet and help his sister get married. One day he receives a call from a young girl who was evicted from her house and needs him to carry her belongings. Together these two will face people’s cruelty and society’s injustice. 

Thessaloniki  Film  Festival  (1972):  Greek  Competition  Award  for  Best  Actor  (Thanasis Vengos) and Special Award for Best Set Decoration (Tasos Zografos).

Γαλλία/France, 1965, μ/α/b&w  Σκην./Dir.: Pierre Étaix | Σεν./Scr.: Jean-Claude Carrière, Pierre Étaix | Φωτ./Cin.: Jean Boffety | Μοντ./Ed.: Henri Lanoë | Μουσ./Mus.: Jean Paillaud | Ηθ./Cast: Pierre Étaix, Claudine Auger, Luce Klein, Philippe Dionnet | Παρ./Prod.: C.A.P.A.C. | Διάρκεια/ Dur.: 97’

A wealthy man recalls his lost love, a circus dancer; he is unaware of her whereabouts for many years. After the 1929 stock market crash, the man loses his vast fortune, and so is free to join the wandering circus and find his loved one.

The  film  was  awarded  the  1965  Grand  Prix  Jeunesse  at  the  Cannes  Film  Festival  and  the  First  Prize  of  the  International  Catholic  Organization  for  Cinema and Audiovisual (OCIC).

Ιταλία/Italy, 1958, μ/α/b&w 

Σκην./Dir.: Mario Monicelli | Σεν./Scr.: Agenore Incrocci, Furio Scarpelli, Agenore Incrocci, Furio Scarpelli, Suso Cecchi D’Amico, Mario Monicelli | Φωτ./Cin.: Gianni Di Venanzo | Μοντ./Ed.: Adriana Novelli | Μουσ./Mus.: Piero Umiliani | Ηθ./Cast: Vittorio Gassman, Renato Salvatori, Memmo Carotenuto, Rossana Rory, Carla Gravina, Claudia Cardinale, Marcello Mastroianni | Παρ./Prod.: Cinecittà (Stabilimenti Cinematografici), Lux Film, Vides Cinematografica | Διάρκεια/ Dur.: 111’

A gang of petty thieves attempt the burglary of a local pawnshop. However, this Italian job is doomed from the start.

Silver Seashell for Mario Monicelli at San Sebastián International Film Festival.

Γαλλία/France, 1953, μ/α/b&w  Σκην./Dir.: Jacques Tati | Σεν./Scr.: Jacques Tati, Pierre Aubert, Jacques Lagrange, Henri Marquet | Φωτ./Cin.: Jacques Mercanton, Jean Mousselle | Μοντ./Ed.: Suzanne Baron, Charles Bretoneiche, Jacques Grassi | Μουσ./Mus.: Alain Romans | Ηθ./Cast: Jacques Tati, Nathalie Pascaud, Micheline Rolla | Παρ./Prod.: Discina Film, Cady Films, Specta Films | Διάρκεια/ Dur.: 89'

Monsieur Hulot, a clumsy but sympathetic middle aged single man, arrives at a beachside hotel to spend his summer vacation. There he accidentally (but good-naturedly) causes havoc.

This  marks  the  first  film  appearance  of  Jacques  Tati’s  iconic  character,  Monsieur Hulot, and is considered to be one of the greatest comedies in the history of cinema

Ηνωμένο Βασίλειο/UK, 1983, εγχρ./col. Σκην./Dir.: Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam | Σεν./Scr.:  Monty Python, Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin | Φωτ./Cin.:  Peter Hannan | Μοντ./Ed.: Julian Doyle | Μουσ./Mus.: John Du Prez | Ηθ./Cast: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin | Παρ./ Prod.: Celandine Films, The Monty Python Partnership, Universal Pictures | Διάρκεια/ Dur.:  112’

Why are we here and what’s it all about? The Monty Python-team is trying to sort out the most important question on Earth: what is the meaning  of  life?  The  film  consists  of  a  series  of  distinct  sketches,  broken  into  chapters,  exploring  the  various  stages  in  a  man’s  life,  from birth to death.

The film won the Special Jury Grand prize at the Cannes film festival.