Laterna, ftoheia kai filotimo

Avlonitis and Fotopoulos shine in this classic film which shows us the majesty of poverty and how this can override all the obstacles.Excellent music from Hatzidakis too.

This movie is the peak of the Greek cinema. It teaches to the whole world how a movie should be made. It has wonderful music and songs, excellent dialogues, sophisticated jokes, and a happy end, which we all want, don't we? A strong point of this movie is that it preserves the picture of the purity of the Greek society in early 1900s, a picture that had already started to disappear, and the makers of the film seem to know that. It is more a laographical- anthropological work than a movie.

All the actors are here in the best role of their career. Even the young Tzeni Karezi, in her first role! Avlonitis also became legendary for his performance as the old man with the golden heart. Fotopoulos plays the patient young man who follows Pavlaras just because he is too old to do it alone. Something that most people don't know is that Manos Hatzidakis wrote the music of this film, and I believe this is the best work in his life, too. "Garyfallo st' afti" (=carnation to the ear)remains until today one of the most popular Greek songs.

The film very soon had had a sequel, "Laterna, ftocheia kai garyfallo", as result of the unbelievable success it had.

It is remarkable that the common people in Greece like this movie more than the "I Kalpiki Lira", which was made with the purpose to become the best Greek movie of all seasons. Truly, in Laterna, ftocheia kai filotimo the philosophical and other ideas come out more naturally, are not "pushed to". I love this film. Is a part of my life.