divine

i have been looking forward to this. 'a matter of dignity' is one of my favorite films ever and when i recently spoke with a young woman from greece, i knew the time had come to speak about it. she understood my admiration for this 1957 work of art.
in greece, the director mihalis kakogiannis (say it, it's fun) must be a national treasure. after all, he gave the world 'zorba the greek.' a few years earlier he cast the actress ellie lambeti in a perfect film.
the story of a young girl living with her mother's shame over the family's dwindling resources is shot in beautiful black and white. the costumes are stunning. all the men and women look tres chic. the father smokes and stays late at the office, the mother continues having her fancy card games, the daughter pretends all is fine as she miles at her friends while on the phone with the liquor store refusing her credit.
it may seem like just another case of the rich facing the struggles like the poor, but it is not. layer upon layer of plot carefully builds around this beautiful woman's every step. in the end you will see how one director's vision (he wrote the screenplay) transforms into a patisier's masterpiece, only to be eaten away by the greed of it's ingredients, leaving only it's soul.
this film is a stunning lesson on just what life is worth. i adore it.