Stella (1955)

Original title

Στέλλα

Directed by

Michalis Cacoyannis

Genre

drama film, melodrama

Country

Greece

Runtime

1h 40m

Rating

6.9 of 10 from 35 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A free-spirited singer in Athens defies social norms and juggles two suitors. Her fiery independence leads to a conflict between love and freedom.

passionatedefianttragicmelodramaticrebelliousintenseromanticfatalistic

What happens

Stella (Greek: Στέλλα) is a 1955 Greek film retelling Carmen, featuring Melina Mercouri. The film was directed by the Greek Cypriot Michael Cacoyannis and written by Cacoyannis and Iakovos Kambanelis. The music was composed by Manos Hadjidakis and Vassilis Tsitsanis. Stella was originally intended as a stage play with the title Stella with the Red Gloves, but it was never staged. It has been claimed that this story was the perfect vehicle for the thirty-five-year-old Mercouri's film debut. Indeed, it was the hit that Melina Mercouri needed. The film sparked great controversy, and although it was initially rejected by Greek critics, it has since been considered one of the five greatest Greek films. At the 1955 Cannes Film Festival, where the film was screened, Melina met Jules Dassin, her future husband, mentor, and director. He helped her to secure major roles in such films as Topkapi, Never on Sunday, Phaedra, and 10:30 P.M. Summer, which became major international successes. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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