O Assotos (1963)

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Synopsis by Robert Firsching

Writer-director Maria Plyta adapted the Nikos Hadjiapostolou operetta The Father's Heart into this relatively sumptuous black & white film featuring Metropolitan Opera star Nikos Moschonas, the celebrated baritone, in his only known Greek film. Moschonas plays the loving father of Yiorgos (Andreas Douzos), who leaves his poor island to study law in Athens. Yiorgos blows all of the money that his father scrapes and saves to send him at the racetrack or spends it on his nightclub-singing girlfriend Jenny (Zozo Sapountzaki). Eventually, Yiorgos finds himself in debt to a loan shark (Demos Starenios) and returns home to the island rather than having his legs broken. The loan shark follows him, however, and Yiorgos's father finally learns what his son has been up to in the big city. Understandably upset -- especially since he has to sell his taverna to keep his son out of cement boots -- he kicks Yiorgos out of the house. This leads to Yiorgos's eventual reform, as the prodigal son goes back to school and finishes his studies, returning to win back his father's affection and marry Krinio (Xenia Kaloyeropoulou), an orphan who grew to love Yiorgos while she was raised alongside him as his adopted sister. The top-notch supporting cast includes Lavrentis Dianellos, Pantelis Zervos, and Stathis Hadjipavlis.