Prosopa lismonimena aka Forgotten Faces (1946) Greek Noir

Written and Directed by Yorgos Tzavellas. 

Cinematography by Prodromos Meravidis and Music by Giorgos Mallidis. 

The film stars  Miranta Myrat as Mary, Giorgos Pappas as Tonis, Zinet Lakaz as Alki Makridi, Labros Konstadaras as Pavlos Kalvos, Athanasia Moustaka as Katerina, Dimos Starenios as Petrakis, Aimilios Veakis as Nikos Markidis, Koulis Stoligas as Cabaret Patron, Nasos Kedrakas as Tavern Owner.

So Tonis, a small time crook, blackmailer, and pimp, comes back to Greece after failing to make it in America. He left behind Mary, the young wife of an Athens loan shark Nikos Markidis who he seduced and then turned out for prostitution. 

Mary was easy to turn astray. It was an arranged marriage. Her family sent her off to marry Markidis to pay off their debts. When Toni showed up she willingly left her loveless marrige and took off  with him. However she had to leave behind her infant daughter Alki. 

Giorgos Pappas as Tonis

Dimos Starenios as Petrakis

Miranta Myrat as Mary

Zinet Lakaz as Alki Makridi

Aimilios Veakis as Nikos Markidis

Markidis told Alki that her mother had died. And so Alki was raised by Markidis and his housekeeper Katerina oblivious to her mothers existence.

When Toni left for America he turned over Mary to his pal Petrakis. Petrakis, another small time crook and pickpocket works the Hellenic Electric Railways Piraeus - Athens train for marks. He also pimps Mary to travelers, when he finds a live one. Mary, also works a gig as a cabaret singer and has an official streetwalker work permit. She is living in a backroom flop above the electric railway tracks. Its the Greek equivalent to a flop next to Manhattan el.

The Acropolis

Petrakis meets Toni

Toni meets Petrakis working the Piraeus - Athens train on the ride up from the ship. Old partners in crime. They shoot the bull, Petrakis asks him if he needs a hotel Toni tells him yes. Petrakis gabs Toni's valise and they get off the train at the Omonia Square subway station. Omonia is sort of the Hells Kitchen / Bunker Hill of Athens.

The hotel taken care of Toni and Petrakis head to one of their old hangouts The Old Den. It looks like an outdoor wine garden under olive groves with a view of the Acropolis that has private rooms off to the side. At the entrance a man cranks a barrel organ.

Entrance to The Old Den with organ grinder and the view of the Acropolis.

After shooting the breeze some more over a bottle of vino Petrakis asks Toni if he wants a woman. Toni is agreeable. 

They head down a dark stairway to a basement night club where a torch singer moaning about forgotten faces and lost loves. 

Its Mary. 

Its Mary

Toni sees her first. She then sees him, and when she finishes her song, she walks over to their table. Then, before either Toni or Mary open their mouths Petrakis tells Mary that the first thing Toni asked him when they met on the train was "Where is Mary?" A regular Cupid.

Cupid

So Toni and Mary shack up at Mary's flop. He's letting her "work " and using the money she brings home to gamble at a club playing cards, if he wins they do it up on the town. 

Shackin' up again

Gambling

Billiards

The only thing that bothers Toni is when he discovers that Mary has lied to him about being in church on Sunday mornings. He tailed her and found out that she is meeting a woman. Something is going on behind his back.

When Toni slaps her around to get answers he finds out that the woman she's meeting is the housekeeper of her Loan Shark ex husband. The housekeeper gives Mary updates on her daughter Alki. Markidis has banished Mary from the house and has deigned her all access to Alki. 

Toni is satisfied, but when he decides to blackmail Markidis by revealing that Alki's mother isn't really dead (the fabricated story he told Alki) but an Athens streetwalker it all goes Noirsville.

Noirsville

Watch for a pickpocket sequence that predates the one in Sam Fuller's Pickup On South Street (1953)

Director Tzavellas has fashioned a good Noir. And it's fun the see Noirsville "Athens Style." Potentially every modern culture on Earth has some sort of Noir story on film. We just got to keep digging them out. 7/10 as is.