Corfu of 1962 Through the Lens of British PATHE

Last updated on October 6th, 2023 at 11:52 am

The Corfu land of 1962 as seen with the cameras of British Pathe, a famous film company that has left many documents from that era as well from the era during World War II.

Yes, in comparison with today Corfu was then a virgin island, both in the environment and on the character of the locals.
Most landscapes were not flattened by the “development” that mass tourism brought, and the mentality of Corfiots was not yet alienated by the illusion of easy money.

The Old men and the prickly pears (pavlosyka in Corfu) still here but the first spend their time in cafes, the difference is that at those times they remained active until their death.
Children no longer play with marbles and stones but with Smartphones, and the more affluent with iPhones, each season has its mark (and pays its price).
We were impressed by how nice the beach of Glyfada looked when it was … empty.

Photographic documents of those times, from any place, are very interesting.
Even if no spectacular at all, like the current videos are, (where everyone with the help of a high-resolution camera and a flying drone can deliver impressive images which tie you down), they are valuable through their simplicity, as well as something rare because only large movie companies had the technological capacity to carry them out.