Brides (2005)
A young female character, Nikki Douka, from Samothraki, is sailing to the U.S. to fulfill a marriage contract and save her family honor. Her skills as a seamstress keep her busily sewing throughout the voyage to alter wedding dresses for the third-class voyagers. But along the way, she meets a young American photographer who is returning from the Middle East where he was snapping shots of the war in Smyrna, 1922. Her honesty, pride, and beauty attract the attention of the American who falls in love with her. Tribulations abound during the voyage, following the dramas of several unfortunate young women upon whom nasty characters preyed, as Nikki struggles with her feelings for the photographer.
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Sadly Over-hyped
Fresh and Exciting
The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.
The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.
Every time I watch Nyfes, I think of many of my older relatives, my mom included, who emigrated to Canada in the 1940s and 1950s under very similar circumstances. The scenes shot in Greece are especially breath-taking. Voulgaris made me think how ironic it was that people were forced to leave such a beautiful, but poverty-stricken country. Damian Lewis is excellent as the hopeless romantic while Victoria Haralabidou, as Niki Douka, manages to convey the fatalistic acceptance her character must have been feeling. These two performers develop one of the best examples of culture clash in a movie. Martin Scorcese is one of the producers of this movie, and I don't think he would ever let himself be associated with something which is not artistically sound. As for Voulgaris, he has done an excellent job.
I had the opportunity to see this last year at The Toronto Film Festival. It was definitely my favorite of the festival. The story is beautiful and a topic that has never been featured before in a movie. All these mail-order-brides from Greece, Turkey, Russia and other east-European countries on there way to the US to marry a man they only knew from a photograph. I love the romance-story between Norman Harris and Nikki Douka. The end is quite a surprise and it brought a tear to my eye. This is not a Hollywood block-buster with lots of special effects, but it is a real story about something that happened in Greek history almost a century ago. It is not only for Greek people but also for those who love a romantic love story unfolding in tragedy...
Does anyone know if and when this movie will be shown in the States? Or if there is somewhere I could purchase the DVD or video, as long as its not in PAL? I was recently over at a Greek friend's house who has Greek cable, and the television show that was on was showcasing this movie. I am a history buff, and the historical aspect of this story peeked my interest. Also I am a fan of Damien Lewis, I think he is one of the best actors to come out of Europe in a long time. In the past I have enjoyed his performances in other movies that he has been in. My most favorite, was Band of Brothers, and I think if he was'nt in Dreamcatchers, I would not have gone and seen it.
Excellent film. Characters well developed. Visually, a beautiful film: from the sky and the sea of the Greek islands to the smallest detail of the wedding dresses of the brides from many different places. The sexual tension builds between the two main characters in a believable way as they carefully develop their relationship, respectful of each other and ever aware of the invisible boundaries that separate them. The film is imagined from a true historical event which lends poignancy to the plot. It gives great insight into Greek culture on things such as life on the Greek islands at that time in history and the importance of family honor in Greek families. It also addresses issues that we struggle with in our modern world. I hope you will be able to see it. It's well worth the time invested.