Das Mädchen in Schwarz

Cacoyannis, best know for directing the film Zorba the Greek (aka Alexis Zorbas) in 1964, explored some of its themes in this 1956 film, which stars Ellie Lambeti. She plays a young woman who is constantly harassed by the young bachelors who live on the island of Hydra because she refuses to marry any of them. When a worldly Athenian comes by and rents a room in her home, the rumors begin to fly. In The Girl in Black and A Matter of Dignity (and even Zorba the Greek), Cacoyannis demonstrates a perfect and natural ability to explore moral issues within the culture, as well as create believable and moving tragedy. The earlier films came straight from his imagination (Zorba was adapted from a novel), and they are the works of a great screenwriter, one of the best of the era. Cacoyannis' direction in these two films is also flawless. He did really well in Zorba, too. One wonders why his abilities aren't more highly considered. I would guess it is because these early films are fairly obscure nowadays. I guess he's an artist who deserves to be rediscovered.

Ellie Lambetti's performance in "A Girl in Black" is one of the greatest performances by an actress in all of cinema and yet hardly anyone has seen it. Michael Cacoyannis made this film for virtually nothing on the Greek island of Hydra after achieving international success with "Stella". It's a beautiful looking film, (the great Walter Lassally was the photographer), and the simple island setting suited the simplicity of the style perfectly. Early in the film one of the character says that everything is exposed by the light, even men's sins and that is the theme of the film.

When two strangers arrive on the island their presence arouses passions among the locals that were always there but kept simmering just below the surface. Eleni Zafiriou is the widow who bestows her favours a little too freely, (the islanders are a very unforgiving lot), Lambetti is the daughter tainted by her sins, Anestis Vlachos is the son who is shamed by her, the better-known Greek actor Georges Foundas, (he was in "Never on Sunday"), is the fisherman who wants Lambetti and Dimitri Horn, the man from Athens, who gets her. It's a contemporary Greek tragedy on a small, but no less terrible, scale and it's heartbreaking. In America the film won the Golden Globe but it is seldom revived. See it at all costs.

A film not so well known to the greek audience for reasons i cant explain.

This film is one of the best of The Greek Cinema People don't realize that this is one of the best films to come of Greece. The other is Stellla. I have seen this and other films of Cacayiannis and they the critics should give him the credit he really deserves.

This is a great film a must for Greeks and for people who enjoy good works from a master filmmaker. Again I urge people who love good storytelling to see this film as i have watched it many times and never get sick of seeing it It won reviews and awards at the Cannes film festivals and it won the Golden Globe award here in the United States. It should have won more awards. It deserves the best as it is a compelling story. I urge all to see this film as it does have English subtitles.In summary i would say do not miss seeing this film I love it.

Two well-to-do Athenians journey by ship to a small village. Pavlos (Dimitris Horn) is a writer, and Antoni (Notis Peryalis) is an architect and older friend. A native convinces the two to stay at the residence of a widow (Eleni Zafirou), rather than book a room at the hotel. The first woman they meet on the island is the widow's daughter, Marina (Ellie Lambeti), who wears a black dress throughout the film, as though in mourning. As Pavlos learns the history of her family, he starts to care emotionally for this sad-eyed woman.

Her mother was widowed years ago. Her looks fading, she (the widow) still longs for men, and has become an object of ridicule on this small island. Her son Mitso (Anestis Vlahos) is strong-headed in defense of his mother's virtue, but he lacks the physical strength to face down her detractors. In addition to her mother's woes, daughter Marina is tormented by her own memories. Marina's sister was not attractive, and, unfortunately, loved an egotistical braggard, Christos (George Foundas). He attempted to use the homely sister to get to the attractive one. His unwanted attentions toward Marina, and his unkind remarks about the sister led to the tragic suicide by drowning (of the sister).

The arrival of Pavlos intensifies Christos' desire/jealousy, and he attempts to play a practical joke on Pavlos. An unintended consequence of this prank is a horrible event, something so jarring that no one (including the audience) could have foreseen or imagined such an outcome.

This early film by Cacoyannis is photographed in b&w, with a very sharply focused foreground/background. Absolutely authentic in its setting, the movie is a landmark in Greek cinema. Ellie Lambeti (Marina) is natural looking, lovely in sad, unspoken ways, and very empathetic. Pavlos, so much more worldly, allows himself to be deeply touched by this simple, yet emotionally complex woman.