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Reviews
Despoinis eton '39' (1954)
a bride to give away-aged 39 +
...So, in response to the newspaper ad, two perspective husbands showed up: one was a pensioner, a low-profile easy-going man. The other was a lively Greek who had long migrated to Argentina, and who had returned in order to marry a Greek woman and take her abroad with him. The brother arranged for both men to meet with his sister the following day. However, due to some funny coincidence, the pensioner fell in love with a widowed cousin (who had the same name with the sister and was visiting their house at the time)and decided to marry her. So, the hopes of the brother fell on the immigrant, who also got confused and fell in love with the brother's girlfriend...
O romios ehei filotimo (1968)
remake with a different ending
Compared to the earlier version, this movie has a happy ending.There is the same story with the middle-aged sister who demands to get married first, so that her brother can follow, the brother puts a classified ad in the papers and gets the same two responses as in the first version of the film. Although the pensioner eventually marries to the cousin, and the Greek migrant to Argentina marries Telemachus' girlfriend, Chrysanthi will meet again with her teenage-years sweetheart who has returned from a long absence in Africa. This is a much more optimistic version of the old story, lacking the intense dramatic features of the Logothetidis' performance. It is as if the same topic is acted out as a comedy this time.
Santa Tsikita (1953)
When help from Heaven comes in form of an impressive woman
The film hero is an office lower employee, whose salary is too low to allow him to marry his beloved and very patient girlfriend. While he was collecting his courage to ask for a raise, he received a telegram from his mother, informing him that she needed his financial support in order to undergo surgery. Desperate to help his mother, he turned to everybody he knew asking for a loan, and ended up at his cousin's cabaret. There, the cousin was in trouble, because one of his performers (a Latin-American beauty by the name of Chikita)was about to be deported from Greece before their contract was over. So, he had to find a poor,unmarried,Greek guy to marry Chikita- and there was the needy cousin!
Fonazei o kleftis (1965)
What amount of honesty can a wife bear?
Vlahopoulou in one of her best performances, is the wife of a retired army official who is employed in a ministry in a high-ranking position.Her brother, whom her husband helped to find a job in the same ministry, has been stealing money from his job, and finds himself at a great risk of being arrested. His sister is trying to conceal him and hide his activities even from her own husband. As an excuse for the inexplicable inflow of cash, the wife and her brother tell their spouses the money is an offer from their uncle in the US. The truth is there is an uncle who migrated to the States, but he had never offered to help them. Instead, he wrote his niece a letter, asking her to pay for his return ticket in order to come to Greece.
I kyria tou kyriou (1962)
Bribes,smart women and more...
A young couple, consisting of a lower accountant in charge of the supplies contracts in a large organization and his smart and charming housewife spouse is trapped in the routine of their below-the-average life.The husband is very proud and too honest to get involved in bribing, favoring one supplier over others; however, his wife is fed up with the wives of other dishonest employees who enjoy the most of life and show off their wealth in any way possible.A dispute over a fur coat is only the beginning for Eva to change their lives... At the same time,a parallel story develops between another couple, that of Eva's cousin and her store-owner and unfaithful husband.
I vouleftina (1966)
Satire on the emerge of women in Greek politics
Rena is a housewife, who is growing desperate after the long time she has been engaged to her politician fiancé. She insists on them getting married at last, but he keeps telling her that will only happen once he has fulfilled the dream of his life-to become a member of the Greek Parliament.
In order to fulfill her own dream of marriage, Rena concedes to help her fiancé in his pre-election campaign, employing all the ways she can to recruit voters. She gets so much involved in politics, that she starts fancying the idea of getting herself nominated, threatening to put aside her love affair in favor of her political ambitions.
O hazobabas (1967)
The portrait of the typical Greek father!
Another successful comedy by the Samian leading actor, who this time describes the life of a father, from the moment he learns his wife is pregnant, to the moment his son grows up to a really spoiled, unmotivated, and family-depended young man. The father, who has devoted his entire life to this boy, and who lives to see his son making a career and starting his own family, is disappointed by the young man's lifestyle and is trying his best to make the son realize what is the best for his own life and wellbeing.Through these efforts on behalf of the father, the latter also realizes his mistakes in bringing up his only child.
Anthismeni amygdalia (1959)
sweet old-time Athenian romance
Surrounded by the nostalgic images of the Plaka neighborhood in the heart of Athens, unfolds the love story between a poor young poet-author and a middle-class heiress who is an only child and has a fragile health. It is actually the true story of a famous Greek 19th century literary figure, describing the hardships the two suffered for the sake of their love. The title refers to the song the young poet had composed inspired by his beloved girl, a song he would often sing under her window accompanied by his friends and musicians, hiding his face in the thick darkness, as the morality of the time dictated in order to protect the moral reputation of the girl.
O Pseftothodoros (1963)
the classical Sunday noon Greek movie
The Sunday noon fav until very recently, this film describes the story of a Greek immigrant to Kongo, Africa, who, after he got involved in a fraud against the local community of his hosting country, he fled Africa penniless to escape arrest and returned to Greece in order to sell his (already mortgaged) family house. To his money-greedy Greek relatives, however,he never told the truth about his financial status, pretending he had made a huge fortune in Kongo, and giving each of them false promises to involve them in his testament. At the same time, he lied to them about his health, presenting them false evidence that he had only a few weeks to live. The relatives would lend him money and do all they could to please him- hoping for a generous pay-back.
Triti kai 13 (1963)
A superstition-in-excess movie
The excellent Samian actor plays the role of an excessively superstitious middle-aged contractor, whose obsession gives a hard time to everyone in his house and his office, including his wife, their friends, the secretaries, and the housekeeper. Everyday he invents a new superstition and keeps blaming his bad luck for the ups and down of his job and for the fact that he and his wife do not have any children. One day, an old schoolmate suddenly shows up in the contractor's house. He is broke, hungry and unemployed, despite the fact that he used to be the best student in their class. He is still a very smart guy, who quickly realizes his old friend's obsession and...
O thisavros tou makariti (1959)
a hilarious comedy with unusual story
A widowed aunt and her niece share an old house a common uncle had bestowed to them upon his death. That uncle was rumored to have accumulated a huge fortune, however the two women (his only alive relatives and heirs)found no evidence of that. Therefore, because they needed some extra money to make a decent living,they decided to indirectly spread the rumor of the supposed dead man's treasure that was hidden somewhere in the old house, in an effort to attract prospective tenants-treasure hunters for the extra bedrooms. Their idea indeed worked for them, and the tenants began searching every little corner of the house. Love-stories, lies, singing,dancing, betrayal and a hidden will, keep viewers in alert to the last minute.
Barba Giannis, o kanatas (1957)
Nostalgic old-time Athens story
A nostalgic love story that has inspired a famous old-time song revives in this movie, under the sun of Athens, at the neighborhood of Plaka, under the Acropolis.
The main heroes are a young couple, whose love does not meet the approval of the girl's strictly traditional upper-class family. The wandering pottery seller, who has a donkey as his job helper, likes to make spicy remarks and especially enjoys gossiping, is asked to play the role of the matchmaker, despite the fact that himself was facing a love without response. Nice music accompanied by the guitar and lots of singing, along with an amazing scenery of Athens at a time when three story houses were a rarity, take the viewer for a trip through time.
O Fanouris kai to soi tou (1957)
The hardships of a traditional Greek brother
Fanouris, a carpenter, is the main provider for the household since his parents died,taking care of his two younger sisters. There is also an elder sister, who is married to one of Fanouris' friends, and an elder brother, who migrated to New York when he was 14. The elder of the two sisters Fanouris cares for, is at an age when she has to get married, but she is still mourning for the death of her fiancé in a car accident. Fanouris has arranged for her to marry a promising merchant, a grocery store owner. The prospective groom demands a fixed amount of money as a dowry, and he gives Fanouris a deadline, otherwise he refuses to proceed with the wedding. In the meantime, the elder brother arrives from the US for a visit with his wife.
Kalos ilthe to dollario (1967)
The first Technicolor movie processed completely in Greece
A quite humorous George Konstantinou, is a teacher of English as a foreign language, who has problems finding a well-paying job. At home, he is also facing numerous troubles, partly because the house needs to be abandoned soon to be demolished and he can't afford to rent an apartment, and mostly because of his two brothers who persistently refuse to get themselves a job to contribute to the household expenses. The elder brother is dreaming in vain that he will return to his former career in politics, and the younger is too lazy to find a job, and not honest enough to keep it. At that time of great distress, a solution arrives from the sea...
O papatrehas (1966)
A family-favorite Greek comedy
The all-time running janitor, is in haste to have his six sisters settled through marriage.These are the great cook with the sweet voice and ugly face, the seamstress who speaks ceaselessly, the beautiful yet dump blond,the dancing fan,the pious and reserved one,and the educated of the family. Also, the aunt who spent her youth to raise the seven orphaned siblings demands that Polydoros should find her a groom,as well. This is not an easy task, but Polydoros has no choice, because his girlfriend, in turn, must be married ASAP so that her nine brothers will be then free to get married.Aunt Elpa from the States keeps promising she will help them with her money.In the meanwhile, Polydoros has to cope with suicide attempts,eccentric tenants,house maintenance accidents,hysterical crises,and huge expenses.
Istoria mias kalpikis liras (1955)
Top cast of all times in Greek cinema
The new year's Eve scene with the poor orphan girl and the old childless miser man in the third story is maybe the most touching scene in Greek cinema.
Orestis Makris awakens the viewers' hearts with his excellent dramatic performance. A few scenes earlier, his screen-wife had told him 'look at the lime-painter and his wife: they have no money, but they have Fanitsa, their little angel', a line that always brings tears in my eyes.A must-see movie, an all-star film that combines the top theater actors of the time with the then-emerging cinema stars of the following 20-30 years.A film shot in lovely settings of the old-time Athens.