Ntoltse Vita

Ntoltse Vita (Greek: Ντόλτσε Βίτα, Italian: Dolce Vita, English: Sweet Life) is a Greek comedy directed by Alexandros Rigas and co-written with Lefteris Papapetrou which aired on Mega Channel from 1995 to 1997.

The series focused on the illegal affair between Christina Markatou and her daughter's future husband. The entire structure of the show was based in which way the relationship will remain secret from the family members, the working and social environment through hilarious situations.

Ntoltse Vita draw high ratings and is one of the most successful series in Greek television history. Reruns of the show are airing until today.

Seasons

Season 1

Season 1 begins with Christina visiting her daughter Dorita in Italy where she studies. On the way home, the bus she is travelling on, stops in a motel near Perugia due to a blizzard. There, Christina meets a young man and they spent the night together. When Dorita returns in Greece, she announces at the family that she brought a boyfriend with her. Christina soon realises that Dorita's boyfriend is the unknown man she met in Perugia. Initially, Christina is against the thought of having an affair with Antonis, but after a while the two of them become lovers, trying desperately to keep it a secret. The only persons who know about the affair are Sasa, Christina's childhood friend and Manolis, Antoni's friend. Sasa and Manolis occasionally help the couple from being revealed. At the end of the season Antonis is called to service his military duty.^[2]

Season 2

Season 2 continues with the secret relationship between Christina and Antonis, even though Antonis joined the army. Later in the season everyone finds out about the affair except Dorita. Olga, Christina's mother-in-law, in order to keep it still secret from Dorita and wash away the shame Christina brought to the family, tries to persuade her to marry Dorita's godfather. The story continues with Christina leaving the groom at the altar and going away with Antonis. The series ends with the couple separating.^[3]

Cast and Characters

Main Characters

• Anna Panayiotopoulou as Christina Markatou, a widow that now runs her husband's company. Christina is shy, not familiar with true love. She lives with her daughter Dorita, her mother-in-law Olga Markatou and their maid Aspasia. When she spends the night with a stranger in Perugia she feels ashamed and when she finds out that the stranger is her daughter's future husband she gets crazy. After Antoni's pressure, Christina abandons all her inhibitions and lives a passionate affair. Anna Panayiotopoulou gives a great performance, making Christina hilarious and at the same time a tragic figure. Her catchphrases are still memorable.
• Thanasis Euthimiadis as Antonis Kaloudis, Dorita's boyfriend. Antonis is from Missolonghi and very proud of it. He's a good guy who loves Christina very much.
• Katiana Balanika as Sasa Papadima, Christina's best friend. Sasa could only be compared to Samantha Jones from Sex and the City. The only things she cares about are men, sex, gossip and her friend Christina. Throughout the series Sasa mentions many intriguing stories about her personal life. Katiana Balanika portrays Sasa as a high-class woman, funny and sexy making her character memorable until today and along with Panayiotopoulou's character Christina, an unforgettable duo in Greek television history.
• Maria Foka as Olga Markatou, Christina's mother-in-law. Olga is an old-fashioned woman, traditional, deeply religious and a member of the high society. She dislikes Christina from the beginning, since she married her beloved son Periklis. Olga is very strict and often makes Christina's life difficult. Maria Foka is totally enjoyable even if she sometimes seems a little mean. It was the last appearance of the great actress who died a few years later.
• Maria Kavogianni as Aspasia Vardatsikou, the house maid. Aspasia is 30 years old and still not married. That is her biggest desire in the whole world. She lives with the Markatou family since she was a little girl. Aspasia loves gossiping especially with her friend Sofi, Christina's secretary. She is naive and gullible but at the same time she can be cunning. She is in love with Antonis and many times she makes moves on him. Aspasia is the first person (except from Sasa and Manolis) that finds out about the secret relationship.
• Katerina Ziogou as Dorita, Christina's daughter. Dorita studies in Italy. She has an enormous love about the environment and she often takes part in various organizations protecting the trees and animals. She doesn't know if she truly is in love with Antonis and someone could call her a little bit "crazy". After she separates from Antonis, during season 2 Dorita meets Haris, they get married and have a child. These two incidents will cause many complications in Christina's and Antonis' relationship.
• Pavlos Orkopoulos as Loukas, Christina's work partner. Loukas is not married and in love with Christina since her wedding with Periklis. He is the next character that finds out about Christina and Antonis after Aspasia.
• Galini Tseva as Sofi, Christina's secretary. Sofi is a red-haired woman, who has the same desire with Aspasia, to get married. She loves gossiping and eavesdrops on Christina daily.
• Isidoros Stamoulis as Manolis, Antoni's friend who works in Christina's factory.

Secondary Characters

Christoforos Papakaliatis as Xaris, Dorita's husband
Kaiti Konstantinou as Chrisoula Striftombola, Antonis' neighbor

Guest Stars

Eleni Gerasimidou as Fotini Kaloudi, Antonis' mother
Sofia Filipidou as Amalia Pispiriggou, Antonis' captain
Athinodoros Prousalis as Periklis Markatos, Christina's late husband
Eleni Kastani as Eleni Gioulmpasi
Dimitris Kallivokas as Koulis Velivorias
Stelios Mainas as Pantelis
Iro Mane as Voula

Christina's Birthday

Christina's birthday is a significant day because it was then, that everyone found out. Coming to the end of the series, her family and friends decide to make a surprise party. So they announce to Christina that they will go on a trip. Initially, Christina is sad because no one remembered her birthday but after a little while comes to her mind that she can spend her special day with Antonis. The "gang" is gathered in Sasa's apartment. As the night continues, they decide to go to Christina's house to start the preparations for the party. When they hear sounds coming from upstairs, they start hiding and Dorita remembers at the last moment that she forgot the camera in the car and she goes to get it. At the same time Antonis is coming down the stairs with Christina in his arms. Then everybody sneak out surprising them but the real surprise was for them seeing Christina and Antonis together. Dorita didn't find out that day, since everyone kept it a secret. The night went on with Sofi and Olga passing out, along with Christina.

Reception

During the season 1995-1996 and 1996-1997 Ntoltse Vita was the most popular series in Mega Channel and today is considered to be a classic TV series (or Megalicious Classic) by Mega Channel.^[4]

Reruns

Ntoltse Vita ended its run in 1997. The TV station continued airing the series from 1998 until 2001, in 2004, in 2006, in 2008, in 2010 and again in 2011 achieving high ratings each time.^[5]

See also

• List of programs broadcast by Mega Channel

References

External links

• Ntoltse Vita at the Internet Movie Database
• http://www.megatv.com
• http://www.megatv.com/megaliciousclassics/default.asp?catid=17515