Oi Men Kai Oi Den
Encyclopedia
I Men... ke I Den is a comedy series which aired on ANT1
for three seasons from 1993 to 1996. The scripts were written by Haris Romas
and Anna Chatzissofia.
). Dionyssis was born to a Rebetiko
singer (played by Sperantza Vrana
) and an unnamed father. Later in the series his father was revealed to be a successful cross-dressing
singer and committed homosexual
who was seduced by a female colleague while drunk.
Dionyssis was raised in poverty and sought scholastic success in order to escape it. His favorite pet as a child was a rabbit
. While unemployed and unable to get other supplies, his mother killed the rabbit and served it to Dionyssis as stew
. This left him with a psychological trauma
.
Dionyssis grew to be a social climbing lawyer and married into an affluent and well-connected family. By the start of the series Dionyssis was highly successful in his chosen profession, having secured a position in the Supreme Court of Greece and a luxurious residence in Kolonaki
. His marriage on the other hand had grown stale, largely because of his lack of interest in sexual intercourse
.
Dionyssis was nouveau riche
and sought to impress others by showing off his wealth and education. He essentially became a snob
and hated being reminded of his lowly origins. He was also a miser
and hated expenses that gained him no prestige. One episode revealed his childhood idol to be Scrooge McDuck
, to the point of Dionyssis having his own Number One Dime. He earned his first dime by winning his first trial at the age of five: two kids were fighting over a loaf when he happened pass by. He asked, "Well, who does it belong to?" and one of the kids answered, "It belongs to the other kid. But if you say that it belongs to me I'll give you this dime." And so he earned his first dime by practising his future job.
During the series, Dionyssis grows used to financially supporting both his wife and his neighbours. By the series finale he is a father of two but is much closer emotionally to the son of his neighbour. The finale suggests Dionyssis attempting to raise four children instead of two and learning to co-habit with the Stamati family.
After finishing school, Vana was pursued by Dionyssis in his effort in social climbing. Ironically, she was actually in love with him. Her greatest disappointment during the series was being a warm and passionate woman in an essentially passionless marriage. She constantly attempted to seduce her husband, with little success. On the other hand Vana sought to appease her vanity by buying increasingly expensive fur
s and other material possessions, thus infuriating her miserly husband.
During the series Vana becomes a strange friend to Nana, always ready to put her down because of her lowly origins and fashion choices, but also ready to follow her lead in various money-making schemes. Several episodes have the women bonding.
By the end of the series Vana is a mother of two but finds herself much closer emotionally to the daughter of Nana than to her own.
). Son of a conservative school teacher, Timos rebelled against the values of his mother and led a Bohemian
life. Unemployed throughout the series, Timos supported himself by petty theft, the meager earnings of his wife and loans from his "buddy" Dionyssis.
He won a small apartment in Kolonaki in a game show
. He is an amateur clarinettist who plays his music at all hours. He is still in love with his wife, and eager for any opportunity for sexual intercourse. Though cunning enough to scam his way to money, Timos is rather naive and never understands that Dionyssis dislikes him. His favorite victim is also his best friend, or so he thinks.
By the end of the series he is a father of two but busy teaching Dionyssis's son the art of theft.
ren and particularly close with her rock musician
father. To the point of jealous Timos suspecting Oedipus complex
(actually Electra complex
).
Equally as bohemian as her husband, Nana is the income provider in the family. She is an "artist" and sells her jewellery
, statues and other artifacts in Monastiraki
. She is a shrewdish con artist
and typically leads either Timos or Vana in money-making schemes, some of which are successful while others backfire.
By the end of the series she is a mother of two, but is closer to Vana's daughter than to her own children.
ANT1
Antenna, better known as ANT1, is a television network airing in Greece and Cyprus. The alternate spelling is play on words in Greek; ena is the Greek number 1, thus ANT1 is pronounced the same as Antenna . It launched on 31 December 1989, the same year as rival Mega Channel, and is owned by...
for three seasons from 1993 to 1996. The scripts were written by Haris Romas
Haris Romas
Charis Romas or Haris Romas is a Greek actor, screenwriter, lyricist and cinematographist. His real name is Haralambos Rassias and he was born in Piraeus in 23 March 1960.-Filmography:-Movies made for television:-Television:...
and Anna Chatzissofia.
Dionyssis Dangas
Dionyssis Dangas (Διονύσης Δάγκας, played by Haris RomasHaris Romas
Charis Romas or Haris Romas is a Greek actor, screenwriter, lyricist and cinematographist. His real name is Haralambos Rassias and he was born in Piraeus in 23 March 1960.-Filmography:-Movies made for television:-Television:...
). Dionyssis was born to a Rebetiko
Rebetiko
Rebetiko, plural rebetika, , occasionally transliterated as Rembetiko, is a term used today to designate originally disparate kinds of urban Greek folk music which have come to be grouped together since the so-called rebetika revival, which started in the 1960s and developed further from the early...
singer (played by Sperantza Vrana
Sperantza Vrana
Sperantza Vrana was a Greek actress and writer.She was born as Elpida Homatianou in Messolongi on 6 February, either in 1926 or 1932. She wrote several books with the most famous autobiogrqaphy Tolmo . She died of a heart attack on 29 September 2009, aged either 77 or 83.-Film:-External links:...
) and an unnamed father. Later in the series his father was revealed to be a successful cross-dressing
Cross-dressing
Cross-dressing is the wearing of clothing and other accoutrement commonly associated with a gender within a particular society that is seen as different than the one usually presented by the dresser...
singer and committed homosexual
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
who was seduced by a female colleague while drunk.
Dionyssis was raised in poverty and sought scholastic success in order to escape it. His favorite pet as a child was a rabbit
Rabbit
Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world...
. While unemployed and unable to get other supplies, his mother killed the rabbit and served it to Dionyssis as stew
Stew
A stew is a combination of solid food ingredients that have been cooked in liquid and served in the resultant gravy. Ingredients in a stew can include any combination of vegetables , meat, especially tougher meats suitable for slow-cooking, such as beef. Poultry, sausages, and seafood are also used...
. This left him with a psychological trauma
Psychological trauma
Psychological trauma is a type of damage to the psyche that occurs as a result of a traumatic event...
.
Dionyssis grew to be a social climbing lawyer and married into an affluent and well-connected family. By the start of the series Dionyssis was highly successful in his chosen profession, having secured a position in the Supreme Court of Greece and a luxurious residence in Kolonaki
Kolonaki
Kolonaki , literally "Little Column" is a neighborhood in central Athens, Greece. It is located on the southwestern slopes of Lycabettus hill.Kolonaki is a wealthy, chic and upmarket district, and a fashionable meeting area...
. His marriage on the other hand had grown stale, largely because of his lack of interest in sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse, also known as copulation or coitus, commonly refers to the act in which a male's penis enters a female's vagina for the purposes of sexual pleasure or reproduction. The entities may be of opposite sexes, or they may be hermaphroditic, as is the case with snails...
.
Dionyssis was nouveau riche
Nouveau riche
The nouveau riche , or new money, comprise those who have acquired considerable wealth within their own generation...
and sought to impress others by showing off his wealth and education. He essentially became a snob
Snob
A snob is someone who believes that some people are inherently inferior to him or her for any one of a variety of reasons, including real or supposed intellect, wealth, education, ancestry, taste, beauty, nationality, et cetera. Often, the form of snobbery reflects the snob's personal attributes...
and hated being reminded of his lowly origins. He was also a miser
Miser
A miser, cheapskate, snipe-snout, penny pincher, piker, scrooge, skinflint or tightwad is a person who is reluctant to spend money, sometimes to the point of forgoing even basic comforts and some necessities...
and hated expenses that gained him no prestige. One episode revealed his childhood idol to be Scrooge McDuck
Scrooge McDuck
Scrooge McDuck is a cartoon character created in 1947 by Carl Barks and licensed by The Walt Disney Company. Scrooge is an anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a red or blue frock coat, top hat, pince-nez glasses, and spats...
, to the point of Dionyssis having his own Number One Dime. He earned his first dime by winning his first trial at the age of five: two kids were fighting over a loaf when he happened pass by. He asked, "Well, who does it belong to?" and one of the kids answered, "It belongs to the other kid. But if you say that it belongs to me I'll give you this dime." And so he earned his first dime by practising his future job.
During the series, Dionyssis grows used to financially supporting both his wife and his neighbours. By the series finale he is a father of two but is much closer emotionally to the son of his neighbour. The finale suggests Dionyssis attempting to raise four children instead of two and learning to co-habit with the Stamati family.
Vana Danga
Vana Danga (Βάνα Δάγκα, played by Anna Kouri). Wife of Dionyssis. Born to socially prominent parents, she grew up in luxury and attended the finest schools. However opportunities were only offered to her due to the financial support of her father. She herself was naive, childish even, and not particularly intelligent. Her studies had no practical use and left her with very little actual knowledge.After finishing school, Vana was pursued by Dionyssis in his effort in social climbing. Ironically, she was actually in love with him. Her greatest disappointment during the series was being a warm and passionate woman in an essentially passionless marriage. She constantly attempted to seduce her husband, with little success. On the other hand Vana sought to appease her vanity by buying increasingly expensive fur
Fur
Fur is a synonym for hair, used more in reference to non-human animals, usually mammals; particularly those with extensives body hair coverage. The term is sometimes used to refer to the body hair of an animal as a complete coat, also known as the "pelage". Fur is also used to refer to animal...
s and other material possessions, thus infuriating her miserly husband.
During the series Vana becomes a strange friend to Nana, always ready to put her down because of her lowly origins and fashion choices, but also ready to follow her lead in various money-making schemes. Several episodes have the women bonding.
By the end of the series Vana is a mother of two but finds herself much closer emotionally to the daughter of Nana than to her own.
Timos Stamatis
Timotheos "Timos" Stamatis (Τιμόθεος "Τίμος" Σταμάτης, played by Stelios MainasStelios Mainas
Stelios Mainas is a Greek actor. He graduated drama school in 1982 and has been working as a stage, cinema and television actor ever since. His first film role was in the 1984 movie Loafing and Camouflage. He became widely known in Greece from the comedy series Oi Men Kai Oi Den and the 1998 road...
). Son of a conservative school teacher, Timos rebelled against the values of his mother and led a Bohemian
Bohemianism
Bohemianism is the practice of an unconventional lifestyle, often in the company of like-minded people, with few permanent ties, involving musical, artistic or literary pursuits...
life. Unemployed throughout the series, Timos supported himself by petty theft, the meager earnings of his wife and loans from his "buddy" Dionyssis.
He won a small apartment in Kolonaki in a game show
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
. He is an amateur clarinettist who plays his music at all hours. He is still in love with his wife, and eager for any opportunity for sexual intercourse. Though cunning enough to scam his way to money, Timos is rather naive and never understands that Dionyssis dislikes him. His favorite victim is also his best friend, or so he thinks.
By the end of the series he is a father of two but busy teaching Dionyssis's son the art of theft.
Nana Stamati
Nana Stamati (portrayed by Joyce Evidi). Daughter of two flower childFlower child
Flower child originated as a synonym for hippie, especially the idealistic young people who gathered in San Francisco and environs during the 1967 Summer of Love. It was the custom of "flower children" to wear and distribute flowers or floral-themed decorations to symbolize altruistic ideals of...
ren and particularly close with her rock musician
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
father. To the point of jealous Timos suspecting Oedipus complex
Oedipus complex
In psychoanalytic theory, the term Oedipus complex denotes the emotions and ideas that the mind keeps in the unconscious, via dynamic repression, that concentrate upon a boy’s desire to sexually possess his mother, and kill his father...
(actually Electra complex
Electra complex
In Neo-Freudian psychology, the Electra complex, as proposed by Carl Gustav Jung, is a girl’s psychosexual competition with mother for possession of father. In the course of her psychosexual development, the complex is the girl’s phallic stage formation of a discrete sexual identity; a boy’s...
).
Equally as bohemian as her husband, Nana is the income provider in the family. She is an "artist" and sells her jewellery
Jewellery
Jewellery or jewelry is a form of personal adornment, such as brooches, rings, necklaces, earrings, and bracelets.With some exceptions, such as medical alert bracelets or military dog tags, jewellery normally differs from other items of personal adornment in that it has no other purpose than to...
, statues and other artifacts in Monastiraki
Monastiraki
Monastiraki is a flea market neighborhood in the old town of Athens, Greece, and is one of the principal shopping districts in Athens. The area is home to clothing boutiques, souvenir shops, and specialty stores, and is a major tourist attraction in Athens and Attica for bargain shopping...
. She is a shrewdish con artist
Confidence trick
A confidence trick is an attempt to defraud a person or group by gaining their confidence. A confidence artist is an individual working alone or in concert with others who exploits characteristics of the human psyche such as dishonesty and honesty, vanity, compassion, credulity, irresponsibility,...
and typically leads either Timos or Vana in money-making schemes, some of which are successful while others backfire.
By the end of the series she is a mother of two, but is closer to Vana's daughter than to her own children.
Television
The program was highly successful in its time, and was one of the most popular shows in Greek and Greek-language television. Even today, episodes are regularly rerun by ANT1 and continue to find an audience.External links
- http://patrastoday.gr/TV/series.asp?id=29&eid=3846
- http://tv.pathfinder.gr/ant1/ant10411271220.html