“Character may almost be called the most effective means of persuasion,” Aristotle. A play on honor and family ties was presented in the play Nyfes, at the Pallas Athena luncheon in honor of Mrs. Erika Wilhelmine Knickmann Spyropoulos on May 19, at the Grand Prospect Hall, Brooklyn, New York. The play was in Modern Greek. This was a story of the journey of the 1920’s Greek mail-order brides at Fort Hamilton Army. It was directed by the Greek School of Plato, Principal Eleftheria Ikouta.
The Brides (Nyfes) is a 2004 Greek film directed by Pantelis Voulgaris. The film stars Victoria Haralabidou and Damian Lewis, and the photography is by Giorgos Arvanitis. Set in 1922, it is the story of a mail order bride, one of the 700 aboard the SS King Alexander, who falls in love with an American photographer. She is bound for her new husband, in Chicago, who is on his way home to a failed marriage. The film entered the 27th Moscow International Film Festival. The film was supported by Martin Scorsese, who is credited as executive producer.
( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brides_(film).
The cast included: Katerina Kritikos; Yiannis Eugenis, Katerina Grafakos; Demetrios Zylomenos; Markella Roros; Mihalis Korfis; Stavroula Sartzetakis; Anthoula Korfis; Panagiotis Xylomenos; Maria Pondikos; Maria Gournelos; Anthoula Kritikos; sofia Lignos; Maria Marnelas and Maria Pondikos.
The heroine Niki, a seamstress heading for Chicago to marry a Greek tailor, was from the island of Efstratios opposite the Dardanellis Straits. She gave up her love for the American photographer Norman Harris to follow a code of honor. She had to save the women of her island by marrying according to family tradition, that would open the door to future marriages on her island. My late grandmother, Catherine, wore a similar wedding gown.
A time lost but remembered nearly one hundred years later.
Scene from NYFES
writer’s grandmother 1920
Links:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bR7jtT-ymE4- movie