The Loser Takes It All

The Loser Takes It All (Greek: Ο χαμένος τα παίρνει όλα, romanized: O chamenos ta pairnei ola) is a 2002 Greek dramatic experimental independent underground art film, the seventh feature film directed by Nikos Nikolaidis. The film, produced by the Greek Film Center and Greek Television ET-1, is the last part of the "Years of Cholera" trilogy beginning with The Wretches Are Still Singing (1979) and Sweet Bunch (1983) which deals with the last decades of the twentieth century. Production of the film was finished by September 2002. The film was first screened at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival on 15 November 2002 and its theatrical release began on 31 January 2003. The film received the Best Director Award and Kostas Gikas received the Best Cinematographer Award for it at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival's Greek State Film Awards in November 2002.

The Loser Takes It All
Theatrical release poster
Ο χαμένος τα παίρνει όλα
Directed by	Nikos Nikolaidis
Written by	Nikos Nikolaidis
Produced by	Nikos Nikolaidis
Starring	Giannis Aggelakas Simeon Nikolaidis Jenny Kitseli Ifigenia Asteriadi Louise Attah Ioanna Pappa Savva Loumi Melissa Stoili Maro Mavri Christos Houliaras George Houliaras Kostas Katsikis Dimitris Katsimanis Themis Katz Stefanos Lazarinos Grigoris Pimenidis Notis Pitsilos Takis Tsagaris Michele Valley
Cinematography	Kostas Gikas
Edited by	Giorgos Triandafyllou
Music by	Giannis Aggelakas Simeon Nikolaidis
Production companies	Greek Film Center Greek Television ET-1
Distributed by	Greek Film Center Greek Television ET-1 Prooptiki
Release date	15 November 2002 (2002-11-15) (Thessaloniki International Film Festival)
Running time	120 Minutes
Country	Greece
Language	Greek
Budget	₯ 280,000,000

Plot

The story revolves around five characters: a fortysomething, the "Man," who has memories from the "years of cholera;" an alcoholic woman, Odetti, who goes by the pseudonym of "Madame Raspberry;" a Senegalese stripper named Mandali; the "Little Guy," a guitar player and music lover; and Elsa, the protagonist's ex-girlfriend who is now a barwoman. The characters meet in order to fulfill their longstanding dream: leaving the city for an exotic island on a journey of no return. Thus they get involved with the dark world of the night.

Crew

• Director and Writer: Nikos Nikolaidis
• Producer: Nikos Nikolaidis
• Music and Soundtrack: Giannis Aggelakas and Simeon Nikolaidis
• Cinematographer: Kostas Gikas
• Editor: Giorgos Triandafyllou
• Set Decorator and Costume Designer: Marie-Louise Bartholomew
• Makeup Artist: Katerina Oikonomidoy
• Sound: Antonis Samaras
• Sound Re-Recording Mixer: Kostas Varybopiotis

Cast

• Giannis Aggelakas as Man
• Simeon Nikolaidis as Little Guy
• Jenny Kitseli as Odetti
• Ifigenia Asteriadi as Elsa
• Louise Attah as Mandali
• Ioanna Pappa as Melissa
• Savva Loumi as Blonde
• Melissa Stoili as Agni
• Maro Mavri as Television Woman
• Christos Houliaras as Cameraman
• George Houliaras as First Dealer
• Kostas Katsikis
• Dimitris Katsimanis as Short Guy
• Themis Katz as Second Dealer
• Stefanos Lazarinos as Third Dealer
• Grigoris Pimenidis as Detective
• Notis Pitsilos as Pawnbroker
• Takis Tsagaris as "El Dorado" Boss
• Michele Valley as Dead Mother

Soundtrack

The film's soundtrack contains the following songs:

• "It's a Wonderful World" by Simeon Nikolaidis
• "Space in Time" by Simeon Nikolaidis
• "Into Town" by Simeon Nikolaidis

The soundtrack was released in 2003 by the company Hitch Hyke Records and includes twenty-eight pieces (mostly instrumental), including the song "The Loser Takes It All" (Greek: «Ο χαμένος τα παίρνει όλα,» tr. "O chamenos ta pairnei ola") sung by Giannis Aggelakas. It was later reissued by Aggelakas' record label All Together Now.

Further reading

• Νίκος Γεωργίου Νικολαΐδης, Ο χαμένος τα παίρνει όλα: Σενάριο, Αθήνα: Εκδόσεις Αιγόκερως, 2003, 143 σελίδες (ISBN 9603221821). (in Greek)

External links

• The Loser Takes It All at Nikos Nikolaidis (Film Director/Writer/Producer)
• The Loser Takes It All at IMDb
• The Loser Takes It All at the Greek Film Archive Film Museum: Home Page, Digital Archives, Filmography
• The Loser Takes It All at Rotten Tomatoes
• The Loser Takes It All at AllMovie
• The Loser Takes It All at The New York Times Movies
• Ο χαμένος τα παίρνει όλα at 5 Books, 6 Films, and... Nikos Nikolaidis: Films (in Greek)