Stella

(Originally posted at 18 May 2002)

One of the best Greek films ever released. Its highlights are the great acting of Melina Mercouri (she was robbed away the Cannes Best Actress Award) and the music of Manos Hadjidakis - he won an Oscar for "Never on Sunday" (1960).

This Greek version of Carmen was first written as a play but was immediately adapted to the big screen to be used for the cinema premiere of Ms Merkouri. It was both a critical and box office success and won international acclaim (Golden Globe for Best Foreign Film, 1955).

Many supporting actors (Alekos Alexandrakis, Tasso Kavadia, Voula Zoumpoulaki, Sofia Vembo, the list is long...) do a great job and all the songs of film are cherished and performed to this day, the most known of them being the dramatic: "Agapi Pou Gines", that foreshadows the ending of the film - one of the most recognizable films of Greek cinema...