The Greek American Image
in American Cinema
How American
films depict
Greek Americans tells us more about American
culture than about Greek Americans. Cinema generally reflects
contemporary cultural beliefs. By presenting those values in vivid
forms, cinema reinforces them. The general rule is that screenwriters,
directors, cinematographers, and actors do not have any special
knowledge of Greek America and reproduce the dominant negative and
positive cultural stereotypes. Far less common is an attempt to
consciously reshape those perceptions.
The following
filmography, which offers an account of the image of
Greek Americans in American cinema, reveals how mainstream America has
perceived Greek Americans at any given moment and how American cinema
has reacted to that perception. For our purposes, Greek America is
composed of immigrants and any offspring who self-define themselves as
Greek.
In order to make the filmography useful, we have created five
rating
categories of one G to five Gs. These are not esthetic or approval
rankings; they are indicators of the nature of the Greek American
dimension of any given film.
GGGGG:
Indicates a film whose major character is a Greek American and
whose Greek heritage
is the central element in the film’s plot line.
Few Hollywood films fit into this category while almost all
independent
films made by Greek Americans do. For an
example, see the entry for
Beneath
the Twelve Mile Reef.
GGGG: Indicates a
film with a major or minor character whose Greekness
is integral to the film, but
that Greekness is not the film’s dominant
cultural concern. There are a considerable number of these films. For
an example, see the completed full entry for
City
Hall.
GGG: Indicates a
film with a major or minor character who is clearly
identified as a Greek American, but whose ethnicity is not vigorously
explored. This is a common practice. For an example, see the completed
full entry for Mr. Lucky.
GG: Indicates a film
with a minor Greek American character whose ethnic
identity is barely noted. Greekness often is only indicated by the
character’s name. Whether a film’s Greek character is GGG or GG is
often a close call. For an example, see the completed full entry for
Milk.
G: Indicates a film
with a very minor character who could be of any
ethnic heritage and may not even have a speaking role. This designation
also indicates films based on another medium in which a character who
was originally Greek has been given a different ethnicity or a
mainstream identity. For an example, see the completed full entry for A
Streetcar Named Desire.
The filmography that follows is a work in progress. Presently, we are
offering the titles of American films with Greek American characters,
their date of production, and their Greekness ranking. Over the course
of the next year, we will offer full production credits and plot
summaries for each film. Our filmography includes both Hollywood and
mainstream fiction films; but we have not included documentaries or
films made by producers in other nations.
This filmography has been compiled by the Center for Byzantine and
Modern Greek Studies at Queens College-City University of New York and
the University of Michigan. Anyone wishing to comment on the films or
add to the list is invited to e-mail:
Dan Georgakas at smyrnapress@hotmail.com
Vassili Lambropoulos at lambropoulos@umich.edu
Greek
Americans in American Cinema
(1912-2009)
Achilles
Heel—GGGG (aka Achilles Love)
2000
A Dream of
Kings--GGGG
1969
America,
America--GGGG
1963
The
Arrangement--GGGG
1969
A Sea
Apart--GGGG
2003
Astoria—GGGGG
2000
Before and
After-GGG
1996
Beneath the
Twelve Mile Reef—GGGGG
1953 Color 102 minutes
Producer: Twentieth Century-Fox
Director: Robert Webb
Writer: A.I. Bezzerides
Cast: Robert Wager, Terry Moore, Gilbert Roland, Richard Boone
Synopsis: Tony Petrakis (Robert Wagner) is a cocky Greek youth living
in Tarpon Springs in a stereotypical traditional family who undergoes a
manly rite of passage. Tony’s father, Mike Petrakis (Gilbert Roland) is
a sponge diver who is having a hard time finding sponges in the area
traditionally harvested by Greeks. He decides to make an early morning
run to Key West waters that are considered the territory of non-Greek
fishermen led by Thomas Rhys (Richard Boone). When the locals discover
the presence of Greeks, there is violence and a dramatic face-to-face
between the Petrakis and Rhys families. The story takes another turn
when Tony becomes romantically interested in Rhy’s beautiful and
rebellious daughter Gwyneth (Terry Moore). Terry’s boyfriend (Peter
Graves) takes offense. The ensuing fight is partly about sponges,
partly about jealousy, and partly about whether Greeks can be
considered as equals by native-born Americans. Much of the film is shot
on location and explores the skills and dangers involved in sponge
diving. Mike is killed diving in dangerous waters. After more violence,
Tony and Terry elope. Her father pursues them with a vengeance, but the
film ends with the feuding communities coming to terms with one
another, mainly due to the attitudes embodied in the younger
generation. The Greek characters are portrayed as courageous. The
script is by A.I. Bezzerides from his own short story. Bezzerides, son
of an Armenian mother and a Greek father, was born in Asia Minor. Rock
Hudson, then at the onset of his career, provides a brief narrative
introduction in the opening sequence. This early Cinemascope production
is noted for its innovative underwater photography (cinematographer
Edward Cronjagger got an Oscar nomination for his work). This is one of
two films about Greeks made by Twentieth-Century Fox in 1953. Perhaps
not coincidently, the studio was then headed at this time by Spyro
Skouras.
The Carolina
Caper-GGG
1967
Charlie
Wilson’s War—GGGG
2007
City Hall—GGGG
1986 Color 111 minutes
Producer: Pressman Film Corp., Lipper Productions, Castle Rock
Entertainment
Director: Herold Becker
Script: Ken Lipper, Paul Schrader, Nicholas Pileggi, Bo Goodman
Cast: Al Pacino, John Cusack, Bridget Fonda, Martin Landau, Danny
Aiello
Synopsis: John Pappas (Al Pacino) is an idealistic mayor of New York
with presidential ambitions. Although Pappas’ Greek ancestry is noted
from time to time, only one sequence has a Greek dimension. When a
black boy is accidentally killed in the cross fire between a drug
dealer and a white narcotics detective in a predominately black
neighborhood, a riot is in the offing. Pappas eases tensions with a
funeral speech at the boy’s church that explicitly references an
address by Pericles to the Athenians and the mayor’s own Greek
heritage. During the course of the film, a mayoral aide (John Cusack)
uncovers seedy elements in the mayor’s political rise to power. The
film, however, mainly focuses on a Brooklyn council member (Danny
Aiello) with considerable reference to Italian American culture.
Collision
Course—GGG
1989
Crank—GG
2006
Crime
School-GGG
1938
Daredevil—GGGG
2003
Dark
Odyssey—GGGGG
1961
The Deep End
of the Ocean—GGG
1998
Destination
Tokyo—GGGG
1943
Do You Want
To Dance?—GGGGG
1997
Double
Indemnity—GG
1944
Down to the
Sea-GGGGG
( aka Down Under the Sea)
1936
Electra-GGGG
2005
Eleni—GGGG
1985
Everything
for a Reason—GGGG
200?
The
Exorcist—GG
1973
Fifteen
Minutes—G
1998
Final
Analysis--GGG
2001
Five Aces—GGG
1999
Fletch
Lives-G
1998
Flying Down
to Rio—G
1933
Frankie and
Johnny—GGG
1991
The Glory
Brigade—GGGGG
1953
Go Naked into
the World—GGG
1961
Goodbye, Miss
Fourth of July—GGGGG
1988
The Great
Gatsby—GGG
1949
The Great
Gatsby—GGG
1974
The Great
Gatsby-GGG
2001
The Greek
Tycoon—GG
1978
The Heart is
a Lonely Hunter—GGG
1968
Heat—GGG
1995
The
Imposters—GGG
(aka Ship of Fools)
1998
Juke Girl—GG
1942
King of
America—GGGGG
1983
Kiss Me
Deadly—GGG
1955
Land
Raiders—GGG (aka The Day of the Landgrabber)
1969
Mad Bull—GGGG
British title: The Aggressor
1997
The Man from
the Diner’s Club-GGGGG
1963
Milk—GG
2008 Color 128 minutes
Producer: Focus Features
Director: Gus Van Zant
Script: Dustin Lance Black
Cast: Sean Penn, Jeff Koons
Synopsis: This biopic explores the life of Harvey Milk, the first
openly homosexual politician to be elected to office in San Francisco.
Milk was subsequently murdered by a homophobic fellow politician. Early
in his career, Milk (Sean Penn) has a political debate with Art Agnos
(Jeff Koons). Agnos expresses no animus whatever to Milk’s sexual
orientation, and after their debate, he tells Milk that he will never
win until he begins to tell people what he is for as fervently as what
he is against. Milk will take this advice to heart and make it central
to his future (successful) political campaigns. The film never notes
that Agnos is Greek, Audiences would only know so because of his name.
The real-life Agnos eventually served as mayor of San Francisco
(1988-1992).
Mister
Lucky—GGG
(Remade as Gambling House in 1950)
1942 B&W 98 minutes
Producer: RKO
Director; H.C. Porter
Script: Milton Holmes and Adrian Scott
Cast: Cary Grant, Lorraine Day, Charles Bickford
Plot line: Cary Grant plays Joe Adams (Joe Bacopolous). His Greekness
is noted from time to time, but Grant makes no attempt to Hellenize his
usual persona. He remains Cary Grant with a Greek name. Bacopolous is a
gambler who assumes the identity of a dead gangster in order to avoid
the draft. He then schemes to use a war charity as a cover for his
gambling operations. When he falls in love with one of his victims
(Lorraine Day), he has a change of heart. This film is one of many in
the studio era that portrayed Greeks as gamblers. Although a rascal at
the onset, Bacopolous is transformed into a Hollywood “good guy” by the
end of the picture.
My Big Fat
Greek Wedding—GGGGG
2002
My Life in
Ruins—GGGG
2009
My
Palikari—GGGGG (Video release as Silent Rebellion)
1982
The Naked
City—GGG
1948
Napatia, The
Greek Singer—GGG
1912
Nicky’s World-GGGGG
1974
A Perfect Couple—GGG
1979
Pizza Palace
?
The Postman Always Rings Twice--GGG
1978
The Redemption of Greek Joe—GGG
1912
Sands of Iwo Jimi—GGGG
1949
Shelter—GGG
1998
Smart Money—GGG
1931
Summer Lovers—GG
1982
A Streetcar Named Desire—G
1951 B&W 122 minutes
Producer: Charles Freedman
Director: Elia Kazan
Script: Tennessee Williams from his play of the same name.
Cast: Marlon Brando, Vivien Leigh, Kim Hunter
Synopsis: One of the men who plays cards with the main character
(Brando) is identified as a Greek
Strike Me Pink—GGG
1936
The Tempest—GGG
1982
Thieves’ Highway—G
1941
The Thin Man—G A series of six films beginning in
1934
The Thin Red Line—GGGG
1998
Tiger by the Tail—GGGG
1968
Tribute to a Bad Man—GGGG
1956
Twelve Hours to Kill--GGG
1960
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