By Natalia Apostolou | @cinema.monamour
Have you ever fallen in love with a place just by witnessing its beauty through the screen? Have you ever wondered where a movie is filmed while watching it? Oh, I bet you have. Well, your life is about to get a lot easier. We are going to talk about film-inspired holiday destinations, and what a better way to start our theme than with one of the most charming little islands in the world. The greek island of Hydra.
Boy on A Dolphin
Boy on A Dolphin is a romantic adventure set in the Greek island of Hydra, an island so uniquely beautiful it almost looks like a dream world. Sophia Loren made her American film debut in 1957 with this film, which is directed by Jean Negulesco, and she proves, in every shot, why she is the epitome of the Italian sex goddess.
Sophia Loren plays Phaedra, a sponge diver, who discovers a treasure and finds herself torn between two men, the one who wants to sell the treasure and the one who wants to gift it to Greece. And, as one can predict, the movie is a comedy, filled with humour, chase scenes and, of course, a romantic love story that blossoms right in front of our eyes. But what really blossoms in front of the camera is Signorina Loren, as she displays her voluptuous body and sexy curves, and stares at the screen with her green, almost hypnotizing eyes, making it impossible for the audience to look away. Loren’s iconic dripping sponge-diving outfit became the image of a best-selling poster in the 1950s, and continues, until today, to inspire some of the most famous fashion designers around the world. Sophia Loren fills the screen with life, warmth and radiance and comes out of the sea looking like Venus on the half-shell.
To see the movie is to experience the beauty of the Greek Isles, a beauty so rare that fills almost every frame with its dazzling sunlight, azure seas and sky, but most importantly, with its magnificent architectural scenery that took three thousand years to create. What is most astonishing is that the island of Hydra has preserved its unique atmosphere through the passage of time and you can almost feel like you have travelled back in a period where everything was more beautiful, more genuine, more innocent. People will smile at you with warmth as if they knew you and ladies will be riding their donkeys on their way home. If you look more carefully, you will see why the island reminds you of a painting, or of a dream you may have seen. And maybe late at night, while you are walking through the colourful picturesque small alleys of the island, if you are lucky enough, you may hear somewhere, someplace, the music of the film. Sophia Loren singing with a beautifully nostalgic tone the classic song ‘Ti ’ne afto pou to lene agapi’ (What is the thing called love). What a magical experience that would be. Well, you never know.