''Young Aphrodites'' ( el, Μικρές Αφροδίτες, translit. Mikres Afrodites) is a drama film of

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Co ...

directed by

Nikos Koundouros Nikos Koundouros ( el, Νίκος Κούνδουρος; 15 December 1926 – 22 February 2017) was a Greek film director. Biography Koundouros was born in Agios Nikolaos, Crete, in 1926. He studied painting and sculpture at the Athens School of F ...

based on a script of

Vassilis Vassilikos Vassilis Vassilikos ( el, Βασίλης Βασιλικός, born 18 November 1934) is a Greek writer and diplomat. Biography He was born in Kavala to parents native to the island of Thasos. His father was an MP with the Liberal Party. He grew u ...

Plot

In 200 BC, a nomadic group of shepherds, in search of new pastures, leaves the mountains to settle close to a fishing village. The women of the village hide and the only ones to venture out are Arta, the fisherman's wife, and a twelve-year-old girl, Chloe. Skymnos, a young shepherd, approaches Chloe who walks semi-naked around the rocks and the beach. Among the two children begins a tantalising game; as a sign of his affection, Skymnos catches a pelican for Chloe and mounts it on a gantry. On the other hand, although Arta initially rejects Tsakalos, she finally succumbs and the couple meets in a cave where Skymnos and Chloe can watch through a crack in the rock. When the shepherds decide to leave, Skymnos refuses to follow them. Lykas, a mute teenage shepherd, finds Chloe and rapes her. At first Chloe struggles, but then apparently gives in to the sensations her first sexual experience is exposing her to. When Skymnos witnesses this scene, he unties the dead pelican, throws its corpse into the sea and allows himself to be swept away.

Production notes

Many of the actors were actually sheepherders. The film is based on the

romance Romance (from Vulgar Latin , "in the Roman language", i.e., "Latin") may refer to: Common meanings * Romance (love), emotional attraction towards another person and the courtship behaviors undertaken to express the feelings * Romance languages, ...

of ''

Daphnis and Chloe ''Daphnis and Chloe'' ( el, Δάφνις καὶ Χλόη, ''Daphnis kai Chloē'') is an ancient Greek novel written in the Roman Empire, the only known work of the second-century AD Greek novelist and Hellenistic romance, romance writer Longus ...

''.

Awards

Silver Bear for Best Director The Silver Bear for Best Director (german: Silberner Bär/Bester Regie) is an award presented annually at the Berlin International Film Festival since 1956. It is given for the best achievement in directing and is chosen by the International Jury ...

( Berlin Film Festival) - Nikos Koundouros * International Federation of Film Critics ( FIPRESCI) Prize * Thessaloniki Film Festival Award for Best Film and Best Director - Nikos Koundouros

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 0057307, Mikres Aphrodites 1960s Greek-language films 1963 films 1963 drama films Greek black-and-white films Films directed by Nikos Koundouros Greek drama films Works based on Daphnis and Chloe