Nicolas Astrinidis (1921–2010)
http://www.stanford.edu/~ichriss/Astrinidis.htm
Romania-born Greek composer and pianist
Book (Greek music / Greek Diaspora)
Ilias Chrissochoidis, Nicolas Astrinidis: Life – Works catalog (Greek edition) (private publication, 2012), 114 pp.
From prewar Romania to the battlefields of Libya, and from postwar Paris to the four corners of the earth as a concert pianist, Nicolas Astrinidis led the life of a Greek cosmopolitan before settling in Thessaloniki, the city that became both his muse and his cell.
Ηλίας Χρυσοχοϊδης, “Το δράμα στο έργο του Νίκου Αστρινίδη: Εισαγωγικές παρατηρήσεις,” Twentieth-Century Greek Music Creation in Lyric Drama and other Representative Arts, ed. George Vlastos (Athens: Friends of Music, 2009), 252–256.
http://www.academia.edu/249355/
“From the garden of Diaspora to the cell of repatriation: Hellenism in the life and works of Nikos Astrinidis,” Aspects of Hellenism in Music (conference)
http://www.academia.edu/2192960/
Spyros P. Skouras: Archival Material, Resources, Books, Reviews, Articles (submitted by Ilias Chrissochoidis)
Research web portals:
Spyros P. Skouras (1893–1971)
http://www.stanford.edu/~ichriss/Skouras.htm
Primary sources on his life and achievements
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vc6R0tVgRyg
Commemorative video celebrating the 120th anniversary of Skouras’ birth
Spyros P. Skouras (1893-1971)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uNx_4a-5Qk
Commemorative video celebrating the 120th anniversary of Skouras’ birth
Books (film history):
Ilias Chrissochoidis (editor), CinemaScope: Selected Documents from the Spyros P. Skouras Archive (Stanford: Brave World, 2013), 214 pp. ISBN 978-0615898803.
CinemaScope (1953), the process that established the widescreen format in motion pictures, was more than a technical innovation. It breathed life into the film industry, saved Twentieth Century-Fox from liquidation, and inducted its president Spyros P. Skouras into the pantheon of American visionaries. For the first time an intimate story of the second technological revolution in film history emerges from the papers of Spyros P. Skouras. Ranging from correspondence with Churchill and Eisenhower to company memos and financial reports, this collection is an indispensable source for the historian and affords a rare glimpse into Hollywood’s corporate performance at its best.
Ilias Chrissochoidis (editor), The Cleopatra Files: Selected Documents from the Spyros P. Skouras Archive (Stanford: Brave World, 2013), 206 pp. ISBN 978-0615829197.
The most extravagant film production in history, “Cleopatra” (1963) broke multiple records in expenditure, shooting length, footage, and artistic indulgence. It marked the birth of star-driven film making and ushered in the age of blockbuster movies. Swerving between tragic accidents and shocking unprofessionalism, it soon became a noose around the neck of a historic Hollywood studio. For the first time the story of the production becomes available through original documents in the archive of Spyros P. Skouras, the man who transformed “Cleopatra” from an artistic vision into a global phenomenon.
Book (Greek Diaspora / film history):
Ilias Chrissochoidis (compiler/editor), Spyros P. Skouras, Memoirs (1893–1953) (Stanford: Brave World, 2013), 162 pp. ISBN 978-0615769493.
Spyros P. Skouras (1893-1971) was the most influential Greek immigrant in American history and one of America’s preeminent citizens during the Cold War period. In an astonishing sixty-year career, he shaped two industries (film and shipping), turned Twentieth Century-Fox into a global film leader, saved Hollywood by introducing CinemaScope, masterminded Century City in Los Angeles, and, not least, helped save millions of Greeks from starvation and disease during World War II. For the first time his story is being told in his own words and in full detail. Coinciding with Skouras’ 120th birth anniversary, this book is a valuable contribution to American and Greek Diaspora historiography that will inspire younger generations to pursue the intertwined ideals of business excellence and public service.
Reviews and publicity:
New discoveries at the recently expanded “Spyros P. SkourasPapers” collection at Stanford, especially the discovery of nearly 100 hours of private audio recordings of Skouras’ reminiscing about his life, career, Hollywood, the Greek War Relief Association, and world events.
Kelsey Geiser, “Stanford scholar sheds light on Greek immigrant’s rags-to-riches story,” Stanford News Service, May 23, 2013.
Kelly Fields, “Ilias Chrissochoidis’ book, Spyros P. Skouras, Memoirs (1893–1953),” Stanford University Libraries News, August 27, 2013.
Λαμπρινή Κουζέλη, “Σπύρος Σκούρας: Ο έλληνας πρωτοπόρος του Χόλιγουντ,” Το Βήμα της Κυριακής, 10 Μαρτίου 2013.
Kathy Tzilivakis, “Twentieth Century motion picture mogul Spyros P. Skouras’ early years revealed in newly-published memoir,” The Pappas Post, March 22, 2013.
Σπύρος Στάβερης, “Spyros Skouras, 20th Century Fox,” www.lifo.gr, 16 Αυγούστου 2013.