Greek silent cinema

Thomas · Post by **Thomas** » Sat Feb 20, 2010 7:19 am

The history of greek silent cinema is a very unknown topic. A little impression is given by the website of the Greek Film Archive in Athens.
http://www.tainiothiki.gr/en/

The website contains a digital archive with photographs of some surviving silents:

-Astero (GR 1929)
http://www.tainiothiki.gr/en/Collection/Photo/673

-Dafnis kai Chloi (GR 1931)
http://www.tainiothiki.gr/en/Collection/Photo/845

-Maria Pentagiotissa (GR 1926)
http://www.tainiothiki.gr/en/Collection/Photo/2936

-O Villar sta gynekia bania tou Falirou (GR 1922)
http://www.tainiothiki.gr/en/Collection/Photo/4728

-To lagiarni (GR 1930)
http://www.tainiothiki.gr/en/Collection/Photo/2516

-Eros tou Michail kai tis Kontsetas (GR 1923/24)
http://www.tainiothiki.gr/en/Collection/Photo/3817

-Promithefs desmotis (GR 1930)
http://www.tainiothiki.gr/en/Collection/Photo/874

-O magos tis Athinas (GR 1931)
http://www.tainiothiki.gr/en/Collection/Photo/2785

For "Dafnis kai Chloi" I found one more article:
http://www.filmfestival.gr/tributes/200 ... film1.html

At YouTube you can see some documentary scenes of the Meteora Monasteries:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RKdcjubhso

And, also there, a commercial for the Cinematographic Museum of Athens with a short sequence of "I peripeties tou Villar" (GR 1926):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsJGdvKvn2M

milefilms · Post by **milefilms** » Sat Feb 20, 2010 8:39 am

Thomas wrote:
For "Dafnis kai Chloi" I found one more article:
http://www.filmfestival.gr/tributes/200 ... film1.html

This was screened at last year's Il Cinema Ritrovato in Bologna. The plot was slim (it was an independent film by a very young director) and somewhat bizarre -- two poor children who were both lost at a young age by noble families, showing that you don't want Greek nobility as your babysitters. BUT, the director had an incredible eye for beauty -- both physical (the leads are just astonishingly gorgeous) and landscape. It was primitive in some aspects, but the Greek Film Archive did a great job finding it and making it available.

Thomas · Post by **Thomas** » Sat Feb 20, 2010 10:02 am

milefilms wrote: The plot was slim (it was an independent film by a very young director) and somewhat bizarre -- two poor children who were both lost at a young age by noble families, showing that you don't want Greek nobility as your babysitters.

The movies' plot is from an ancient greek love novel, written by Longos (latin: Longus) in the 3rd century on Lesbos, a greek island.

Post by **Christopher Jacobs** » Sat Feb 20, 2010 8:56 pm

I'd love to see some of these, especially a silent version of Daphnis and Chloe, released to DVD/BluRay. From Dennis' very brief description it sounds reasonably close to the original novel, which in the most common English translation (made by George Thornely in 1657) is described by the translator as "a most sweet and pleasant pastoral romance for young ladies." Even the Loeb Classics edition uses this translation (or did as recently as my 1989 edition). The spelling and phrasing are quaintly charming (much like the story) but it seems pretty close to the original Greek (as far as my couple years of college Greek can discern), and Loeb's edition does render into English some of the putatively racier passages dealing with the kids' coming-of-age that Thornely had put into Latin rather than English.

The two children were not "lost" by their noble families, but "exposed," i.e. abandoned, the civilized ancient Greek alternative to abortion for unwanted children, as it left to the will of the gods whether some kindly soul might run across the infants and decide to adopt them (hence the inclusion of a few identifiable items that could later prove their aristocratic lineage in classic melodramatic fashion). Longus' Daphnis and Chloe is one of the few ancient novels to have survived, and appears to have had some influence on various Shakespearean plots. The subject and romantic treatment seem ideal for silent cinema.

--Christopher Jacobs
http://www.und.edu/instruct/cjacobs
http://hpr1.com/film

urbanora · Post by **urbanora** » Sun Feb 21, 2010 8:44 am

The history of greek silent cinema is a very unknown topic.

Many thanks for having posted this. I'd never given Greek silent cinema a thought before now. Something to discover, clearly.

Frederica · Post by **Frederica** » Sun Feb 21, 2010 9:14 am

This looked to have been a fabulous festival, too; I don't recall hearing much discussion of it.
http://www.filmfestival.gr/tributes/200 ... index.html

Mazamette · Post by **Mazamette** » Sun Feb 21, 2010 10:01 am

This is a great topic, bringing Greek silents out of obscurity as it does.

Also check out Thomas's terrific website covering tons of information on Latin American silent film. It's in German, but I've been finding that google translation has been giving me good results with it. It's an awesome resource!

Thanks, Thomas!

http://latinostummfilm.oyla6.de/cgi-bin ... mepage.cgi

Thomas · Post by **Thomas** » Thu Mar 22, 2012 2:12 pm

Here are some pictures of the 1929 silent "Astero".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ocmIGrUbD4

Greek silent cinema

Greek silent cinema

Re: Greek silent cinema

Re: Greek silent cinema

Re: Greek silent cinema