A Night at the Movies

One of the highlights of growing up in a Greek immigrant family in the late fifties and early sixties in New York City, was going to the Greek movies. My parents didn't believe in eating out much. They're idea of entertainment was spending time with other Greek friends and relatives.  Occasionally, Mom and Dad would really let their hair down and take us to the movie theater in the Greek neighborhoods of  midtown Manhattan on the West side or the theater on Ditmars Boulevard in the Astoria section of Queens.  There, we were instantly transported to a black and white Greek World that was both oddly familiar and comfortable.  The offerings always consisted of a double feature. A movie that was guaranteed to have you bawling your eyes out and one that would invariably have the audience literally rolling in the aisles from unbearable laughter. Mama was an inveterate moviegoer who took great joy in the theater experience. She was the one who took Baba to his first movie and loved to relate  his wonderment at seeing the silver screen for the first time in his life.  Some of the thrill had apparently worn off however, since Baba would sometimes doze off into a peaceful slumber as soon as the lights were turned down. As for me, I was always on the edge of my seat, watching intently, telling my pesky kid sister, Katina, to quiet down and leave my popcorn alone.

The 1950s was a golden age for Greek Cinema, producing tremendously talented Greek actors and actresses, like Melina Mercouri,  Aliki Vougiouklaki, Thanasis Veggos, Tzeni Karezi, Dimitris Papamichael, Vassilis Logothetis, Ellie Lambeti, Rena Vlahopoulou and others. The technical qualities of many of these movies were questionable as evidenced by the ever present hanging microphone caught inadvertently by the camera. Despite the technical issues, Greek Cinema was dynamic, full of talented actors, writers and directors. More importantly, the reemergence of Greek Cinema came at a time of economic and societal renewal.  It also signaled a  rebirth of the Greek spirit and a desire to get beyond the tragedies of World War II and the Greek Civil War. Greeks wanted to get on with the task of living their lives again.  They wanted to laugh  and to revel in the stories of love and triumph. For Greek immigrants, the Greek Cinema provide a whiff of nostalgia, the ability to transport themselves back to their families and villages in the Patrida.

Right now it is snowing outside in Maine. We are in the middle of the worst  Northeaster storm of the year that will be dumping about a foot of snow or more. If you live in Buffalo, New York, you probably consider this a mild dusting. If you live in Miami, Florida, you're probably thinking this is reminiscent of the Al Gore disaster epic, "The Day After Tomorrow." It's neither. Just an excuse to stay home,  enjoy a warm fire and watch a very short double feature, thanks  to YouTube, that may take some people back to the old days of Greek Cinema.  The first clip shows Melina Mercouri singing a popular, poignant love song in a classic film directed by Michael Cacoyiannis, entitled "Stella."  That should get you crying.  The accompanying  scene from a  comedy featuring Thanasis Vengos, in which he plays a waiter trying to deal with an especially recalcitrant customer is guaranteed to make anyone laugh despite the language barrier for those who don't speak Greek. Vengos is an actor who is under appreciated but who is considered by many, familiar with his work, as  one of the world's greatest comedians. Enjoy!

Comments

[Hermes]

Stavros, you are on a roll. I spent years at the Enmore Theatre, Sydney as a small child watching Greek movie classics with my mother, father and sister. I remember there was an emergency once when I put a pistachio nut up my nostril and my father had to help me get it out. I received a good back hand for that indiscretion.

[GreekAmericanNYC]

Any more Vengos clips to share?

I have fond memories of watching his films in the summers in Greece when my parents took us there in the late 70s.

I still laugh at the thought of his playing opposite his "rich brother from America," especially when he got stuck paying the customs bill for his brother's car, then finding out it wasn't worth what he thought (a subtle mispronunciation of xilometra and xiliarika)!

[demonax]

You didn’t mention Giorgos Fountas in your pantheon of Greek actors from the golden age of Greek cinema. He is the guy in the clip with Mercouri in Stella, who plays the footballer who ends up stabbing her. Fountas is my hero. He always played the tough guy who exists on nothing but pride/philotimo, which he can’t control and inevitably drives him to destruction and self-destruction. Brilliant! I can't think of an equivalent Hollywood actor – maybe Victor Mature, without the sentimentality. The dismantling of Greek popular cinema – which at its height produced more films than India – is one of the great crimes of the dictatorship and those who supported it.

[Stavros]

Hermes,

Funny how Greek parents are all alike. BTW, my kid sister put a metal button up her nose and no one knew until the rust started draining out of her nostril. Sorry couldn't resist that story. Hope Katina doesn't read this.

GANYC,

Ask and ye shall receive. Greek Americans don't usually fare very well in the Greek movies.

Demo,

Fountas was great. He reminds me a little of Cassavetes (working on a future post). Did you ever see Victor Mature in "Glory Brigade" about the Greeks who fought in the Korean War. He played a Greek American soldier assigned to a Greek unit. Unfortunately I haven't given the Greek Cinema as much attention as it deserves. It would require a book. I wasn't aware of the Junta's role in the demise of the industry. I thought it was primarily a result of market forces.

[demonax]

Here’s an interesting site I’ve just come across
http://www.greek-movies.com/
which allows you to watch loads of Greek films (and TV series) from 1950 to the present in their entirety. (I think I might be busy for the next few days).

GANYC, I even came across this site while surfing:
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=120939752

It’s a Thanassis Vengos fan page with many clips and so on.

[Stavros]

Thanks Demo. Can't wait to tell Anna about this. Break out the popcorn.