by Christos Zabounis

The project is very old. Palaces, as the French affectionately call luxury hotels, have always attracted the public’s interest. An HBO television series sets its action in selected Four Seasons Hotels around the world. The first season selected the “Four Seasons Resort Maui” in Hawaii, the second the “San Domenico Palace” in Taormina, the third the “Four Seasons Koh Samui” in Thailand. “The explosion of anti-age retreats, under the influence of the “White Lotus”” I read in a full-page tribute in the French newspaper “Le Figaro”. We all seek mental and physical well-being, spiritual clarity, strengthening our immune system, controlling our neuroses. This is also achieved on our screen, in an exotic environment where everyday life is defined by well-being programs. Attention! This is not a parade of yoga, massages, pilates and other spa-type activities, but a pure-blooded thriller that always begins with murder. The will of the Lord is unknown, because Wikipedia presents it as a satirical comedy, both words of Greek origin. What is certain is that the American director, actor and screenwriter Mike White, who won the “Intependent spirit John Cassavetes” award, created a global phenomenon with “The White Lotus”. The hotels he chose for the filming of the series do not have time to drive away customers, while the lifestyle in them, of the ultra-well-off, is a model for imitation for generations of less privileged people. Returning to Greek television and the adaptation of the Spanish television series “Gran Hotel”, we are convinced of the evolution of cinematographic art since the era of the Lumiere brothers.