REFUGEE GIRL (THE)


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  • Other title(s): GIRL REFUGEE (THE)
    GIRL REFUGEE ( THE)
  • Genre: Feature Film
  • Year: 1938
  • Description: A rich man, Loukas (Manos Filippidis), lives happily with his wife (Sofia Vempo), a refugee woman from the Caucasus, and their daughter. When a cousin of his pays them a visit, accompanied by a charming woman (Aliki Vempo), the family man falls into the trap of his vulpine cousin and deserts his wife. The latter leaves, taking their daughter with her, who becomes a singer. Loukas is blackmailed by his cousin and is forced to give him a large sum of money. Then he searches for his wife, finds her and asks her to forgive him and return to their home. This is the fourth of five films by the same title, and the first one by Sofia Vempo to meet with commercial success.
    1. OPENING TITLES The titles appear on shots of landscapes and of Sofia Vempo, who sings a waltz. TITLES: Togo Misrahi presents Manos Filippidis and Toula Anzi, Aliki Vempo and the little Melli Mazloumidi, as well as Plessas, Samartzis, Kalogeropoulos, and Sofia Vempo in the beautiful film: REFUGEE GIRL Script and Direction TOGO MISRAHI Adaptation and collaboration DIMITRIS BOGRIS Music and songs by GIANNIS GIANNIDIS Lyrics SAVVIDIS Recording LADISLA ZAMPO Head cameraman HALIM NASRI General distribution in Egypt and worldwide Production TOGO MISRAHI Selection MECHNA FILM, Alexandreia )
    10. LOUKAS DISCOVERS RITA’S CHEAT AND, AFTER KILLING HER, BUYS OFF THE MURDER, BRIBING HER LOVER TO PRESENT IT AS AN ACCIDENT Rita’s lover, whom she keeps presenting as her brother, is disturbed by her long stay in the village and goes back to pick her up. There they could make more money. Impressed by the modern furniture he sees, he finds out that the scheme that Rita is planning will take care of all their financial worries forever. Unsuspecting, Loukas goes to Volos on a business trip for two days. On the way he realizes that he is missing two bills of exchange, and orders the driver to take him back home. There he finds Rita with her lover in bed. In a state of delirium, he kills her with his carbine. The case ends with a financial arrangement between Loukas’s lawyer and Rita’s surviving lover. The murder is called an accident, at the price of 400.000 drachmas. (COUNTRY ROAD – LOUKAS’S OFFICE – FIELDS IN THESSALY – LOUKAS’ HOUSE – PETROS’ OFFICE )
    11. SOLUTION AND THE END: LOUKAS, IN REMORSE, FINDS SOFIA AND TOGETHER THEY RETURN TO THEIR QUIET FAMILY LIFE IN THE COUNTRYSIDE In Athens, Sofia’s big success continues every night. Full of sorrow and feeling remorse, Loukas goes to Athens, looking for Sofia and their daughter in the old musician’s house. When Sofia sees him, she forgives him. Reconciliation follows, with tears in their eyes. The family, along with the old musician, returns to their happy life in the countryside. (ΑTHENS – NIGHT CLUB – PROFESSOR’S HOUSE – FIELDS IN THESSALY)
    2. INTRODUCTION: PRESENTATION OF CHRISTAKIS AND HIS LIFE AS A GAMBLER IN JUXTAPOSITION WITH HIS INDUSTRIOUS AND JUST COUSIN LOUKAS, WHO ENJOYS A SETTLED LIFE IN THE COUNTRY The impersonal, noisy and tiring life in the city (shots in the city). A gaming club: Christakis (Takis Mizantis), a bon viveur, loses a huge amount of money. He immediately sends a letter to his cousin Loukas. Upon hearing Loukas’s name, his friends laugh disparagingly. Loukas (Manos Filippidis), a wealthy landowner in Thessaly, oversees agricultural works on his property, enjoying life close to nature. Loukas reconciles justly the issues and problems of the poor tenant farmers. A short speech to the farmers follows, praising work ethics. Devout Loukas seems to enjoy his life, thanking God for his wealth. (CITY STREETS – GAMING CLUB – FIELDS IN THESSALY – LOUKAS’ S OFFICE )
    3. FLASHBACK TO THE MEETING OF LOUKAS AND SOFIA Sofia (Sofia Vempo), a refugee girl from Caucasus, Loukas’ wife, sings a slow waltz. Everyone praises her, while they all seem happy by life at Loukas’s house. The couple has been married for eight years and has a cute girl. The elderly music professor, who’s rather naïve and also originating from Caucasus, tries to direct a children’s choir. On the occasion of the arrival of some young refugees from Caucasus, Loukas remembers (flash back) his acquaintance with the poor refugee Sofia, and the music professor. A case of love at first sight that led them to marry immediately. (LOUKAS’ HOUSE – REFUGEE CAMP – CHURCH)
    4. ARRIVAL OF CHRISTAKIS AND RITA. RITA’S PRESENCE AND EROTIC TRICKS AROUSE LOUKAS AND MAKE SOFIA FEEL UNEASY A festive day at the house of Sofia and Loukas, with guests, dance and songs. The feast stops at the arrival of his gambling cousin Christakis and his snob friends: bourgeois men and women from the city. After their withdrawal to their rooms, the visitors plan the way to extract a large sum of money from the provincial Loukas. The sensational Rita undertakes to seduce him (Aliki Vempo). Sneer and ironic comments are addressed towards the farmers and their life. Rita asks Loukas to join her in an evening stroll. He shows her his property, rather coy. Rita provokes him and Loukas seems unquiet. Sofia, with a sharp premonition, stops this romantic stroll asking Loukas to return home. She asks him why he did it, he tries to calm her. Nevertheless, he is jealous as he inadvertently sees from the window one of the bourgeois visitors kissing Rita in the garden. (GARDEN AT LOUKAS’ S HOUSE – LOUKAS’ S HOUSE)
    5. CHRISTAKIS EXTRACTS MONEY FROM HIS COUSIN AND RITA PUTS THE PLAN OF LOUKAS’ SEDUCTION INTO EFFECT As the women of the farming community are upset by snob Rita’s presence at Loukas’s house, Christakis tries to extract a large sum of money from his cousin. Using as a pretext the upcoming excursion to Meteora, Rita insists on staying, in order to embezzle Loukas’s property, while the rest of the visitors leave, having succeeded in their plan. Loukas and Rita go on an excursion to Meteora: gullibility and pretension. The farmers at the manor make negative comments about their boss’s excursion. Upon their return, Rita talks to her lover, whom she presents as her brother, about the gullibility of the rich man from the country, who has fallen in their trap for good. Loukas begins to gradually change his habits, at Sofia’s dismay. Sofia cannot tolerate this situation, despite her husband’s firm assertion. At dinner, Sofia cannot tolerate Rita’s presence and leaves, while Rita makes nasty comments. (GARDEN AT LOUKAS’S HOUSE – LOUKAS’S FIELDS – METEORA)
    6. RITA’S MACHINATION LEADS LOUKAS TO EXPEL SOFIA FROM THE HOUSE, IN ORDER TO ENJOY HIS LOVE AFFAIR WITH HIS LOVER The old music professor waits in Athens for money from Loukas, as he has no money to pay the rent. Instead, he receives a letter from Sofia, who explains the upset caused by Rita’s presence. In the evening, Sofia lulls her daughter. Rita with her lover are in the garden. He is fed up with peasants and asks her to leave with him. She, in turn, gives him a ring worth «30 thousand for sure», saying that with a little romanticism and lying she can get hold of the wealthy farmer’s money. Loukas, rather upset, sends Sofia off to sleep and goes to the garden to meet Rita. The latter tells him that she has to leave, as she cannot stand her love for Loukas and the beauty of the farmer’s life, which is her destiny. Loukas, perplexed by these comments, promises everything to this “beautiful girl of the plain”. The tender scene is interrupted by the intervention of Sofia, who attacks Rita. Loukas calls her a “peasant” and reacts violently. He kicks Sofia out of the house without letting her take her child along, and reminds her that he picked her up, famished, from the street. At the same time, he admits he is in love with Rita. (ATHENS – PROFESSOR’S HOUSE – GARDEN AT LOUKAS’S HOUSE )
    7. SOFIA’S DEPARTURE FROM THE HOUSE, HER ARRIVAL TO ATHENS, HER STAY AT THE PROFESSOR’S HOUSE At night, while everyone sleeps. Sofia takes her daughter and leaves by train to Athens. She goes to the house of the professor, who lives penniless in the city. In order to support them, the old man asks for money from Giovanna, his landlady, a noisy but nice Greek-Italian woman. The old musician buys on credit from the grocer, in exchange for jobs inappropriate for his age and profession. (ATHENS – PROFESSOR’S HOUSE – GROCER’S )
    8. JUXTAPOSITION OF THE POOR LIFE OF SOFIA AND HER DAUGHTER TO THE PRODIGAL LIFE OF LOUKAS WITH RITA, WHO TRANSFORMS HIM INTO A HEARTLESS MAN Time goes by and in the village Loukas and Rita enjoy their own “love affair”, spending money to no end. When Sofia’s daughter gets sick, the old professor sells his most precious possession to save her: a painting, just enough to pay for the little girl’s medicines. Loukas, becoming more and more quick-tempered, fights with the poor tenant farmers. He has become hard and unjust. When his loyal foreman tells him about his wife and family, Loukas hits him violently with a ferule on the face. On the other hand, his lawyer claims to get the child back from Sofia. Rita, who has become the lady of the house by now, proceeds to costly repairs, overlooking Loukas’ needs. (RIVERSIDE – FIELDS IN THESSALY – LOUKAS’S HOUSE – PROFESSOR’S HOUSE – JEWELER’S STORE – LOUKAS’ OFFICE)
    9. SOFIA BEGINS TO WORK AS A SINGER The old musician helps Sofia get a job as a singer at a night club. From the very first evening, she enjoys great success. (ATHENS – NIGHT CLUB – PROFESSOR’S HOUSE)
  • Keywords: IMediaCities / ΠΛΟΥΣΙΟΣ ΚΟΡΗ ΕΞΑΔΕΛΦΟΣ ΠΑΓΙΔΑ ΤΡΑΓΟΥΔΙΣΤΡΑ ΕΚΒΙΑΣΜΟΣ ΣΥΓΓΧΩΡΕΣΗ / RICH DAUGHTER COUSIN TRAP SINGER BLACKMAIL FORGIVENESS / ΠΛΟΥΣΙΟΣ ΚΟΡΗ ΕΞΑΔΕΛΦΟΣ ΠΑΓΙΔΑ ΤΡΑΓΟΥΔΙΣΤΡΑ ΕΚΒΙΑΣΜΟΣ ΣΥΓΓΧΩΡΕΣΗ / RICH DAUGHTER COUSIN TRAP SINGER BLACKMAIL FORGIVENESS
  • Provider: Tainiothiki tis Ellados
  • Rights: In Copyright
  • Director: MIZRAHI TOGO
  • Collection: Ψηφιοποιημένες ελληνικές ταινίες μυθοπλασίας