1. The influence of the immigration on the music
The music genre dealt with the Greek immigration was Rembetiko, means the music of the outsiders. It was the urban music that reflected the harsh realities, including also the immigration. The urban subculture of rembetiko included the poverty, illness, crime, labour, alienation, drinks and drugs. The cities where rembetiko became famous were Asia Minor, Athens, Piraeus, and Thessaloniki. After the Treaty of Lausanne (1923) many people immigrated to USA, because of the population exchange. Also in 19th century American companies had recorded Greek music performed by immigrants. The first American Greek recording enterprises made their appearance in 1919. From the mid 1920’s there are many recordings that could be classified as rembetiko.
The American recording companies helped the preservation of the genre. Especially in 1930’s, when in Greece there was a dictatorship of Ioannis Metaxas, who outlawed rembetiko and again in 1960’s with the dictatorship of George Papadopoulos. A notable example of American recording studios preserving the more bold expressions of some these rembetiko songs is the record album: "Otan Kapnizi O Loulas", translated as "when the hookah smokes." This album was recorded at the United States by Apostolos Nicolaidis, and could not be recorded in Greece because the songs all contain references of smoking hashish and of the experience of being under the influence of these.
One of the most famous songs ever to those who don’t know rembetiko is the song “Misirlu”, recorded in New York in 1940, in the vocals was Tetos Dimitriades, in clarinet Dave Tarras. The composer said to be Michalis Patrinos (1927) in Athens or the ottoman Jew, Abraham Levi. Tetos Dimitriades belonged to the American recording company, RCA Victor (Orthophonic). Other important Greek singers in USA were Achilles Poulos, Koula Antonopoulou (Vlahou), Marika Papagika, Amalia Vaka, Sotiris Stasinopoulos, Leonidas Smyrnios, Georgos Katsaros, etc. Moreover some important musical instruments’ players were Loukianos Kavadias (piano), Hierotheos Shizas, Harilaos Piperakis (Cretan Lyre), etc.
One famous singer was Rosa Eskenazi, she went to America and married by “fake (white)” marriage with an American citizen, a common practice of the period because it was forbidden to stay there and sing .
Many Greek composers of rembetiko travelled transatlantic to make music festivals of rembetiko for the immigrants. These travels took place especially between the World War 1 and the World War 2. The conditions of travelling were very harsh because of the transportations of the period.
Some characteristic song titles about the Greek immigration in America are: “America” (1933), “Damned America” (1940), “Be always good the uncle from America” (1947), “The Kiriakos’ departure to America”, “You Burned me America”, “Mother, don’t send me to America” (1934), “Karagoz in America” (1930), “Bezos in America” (19370, etc .
Some other songs about immigration are: “Damned immigration” (1959), “From little child in foreign land” (1936), “For your love I went to foreign lands” (1934), “I finally returned back from the foreign land” (1956), etc .
In general these songs (rembetiko) included all the pain, sadness and poverty of the common immigrants who had to travel to America for a better life and have the opportunity to gain money and return back to their family.
2. The influence of immigration on the movies
In this chapter we will discuss the movies and filmmaking which affected from the Greek immigration to America. It will be contain only Greek filmmakers. We have to add that many Greek-Americans financed filmmaking with other subjects, for example: “On Bosporus waves” (1934).
The film “Three Greeks from America” (1927) was one with theme the exactly the Greek immigration. The director and scriptwriter was I. Triantafillis and there was financial support for the production of the film by the state. Unfortunately, the film destroyed during development.
The film “Dollars and dreams” (1956) was a comedy about a Greek American who return to Greece because he have to find a person called Mr. Papadopoulos. During his search, he puts an announcement in the newspapers. After that, hundreds of people call him and say that their names are Papadopoulos and ask about the legacy from America.
The film “The aunt from Chicago” (1957) is also a comedy. The Greek American aunt comes from Chicago; she is very energetic and clever. Her brother in Greece is very conservative and old-fashion. She uses the American way and achieve with her clever and quick decisions to conduct good marriages for her nieces and also for her.
The film “Fanuris and his family” (1957) was directed by Dimitris Ioannopoulos. Fanouris is a person who is expecting the financial aid from his brother, named John from America. He expects this money because he wants to conduct a good marriage for his other sister. John and his wife came from America, but finally they don’t want to help financially.
The film “This girl has an uncle” (1957) was directed by Kostas Andritsos. Uncle Jimmy comes from America and achieves to solve all the problems of his niece, named Violet. All her sentimental and financial problems are solved by him.
A famous drama was the “Dark Odyssey” (1961). It was directed by William Kyriakis and Radley Metzger. A passionate Greek sailor seeks to get revenge upon the Greek who seduced and raped his sister, and then sailed to the US. She was so traumatized that she committed suicide. The brother follows the rapist to New York. Once there, he jumps ship and sets out to find him. In New York he meets and becomes friends with a Greco-American girl who tries to talk him out of getting revenge. He does not listen. Soon he finds his quarry and kills him. He then escapes from the police and tries to re-board his ship. The girl tries to convince him to turn himself in. They struggle with a gun and it suddenly fires. The vengeful Greek is killed.
The famous director Elia Kazan directed the film “America America” (1963). He was inspired by the life of his uncle. He describes shocking images of the American life in modern America. Kazan does his personal criticism through his film to America and its moral principles. He focuses also in the McCarthyism period. He presents an image that has nothing in common with the famous “American Dream”.
Gregory Markopoulos considered as one of the most important artists in the American underground experimental cinema. Some movies of him are: “Psyche”, “Galini (Silence)”, Twice a man”, “The Illac Passion”, “Enieos (United)” .
One other film is the “Letters from America” (1972). It presents to us many beautiful cart-postals, photographs and newspapers of the period.
After the Greek dictatorship of 1974, the Greek cinema started to express one more bitter sense about the Greek Americans and their culture. The majority of the immigration flow of 1900-1924 didn’t live now, so their children considered to be more Americans than Greeks.
The film “Ok my friend” (1974) directed by Marios Retsilas and the production was by Paris James and Wilson Cherry. The film is a comedy – adventure. One singer goes to America believing that there can make a career. Instead of that he gets into a strange drug case. Finally he achieves to make a lot of money there with the help of his manager. After he involves into strange situations with mafia and crime, he finally decides to take his money and returns back to motherland.
The film “Jack the Rider” (1979) directed by Jimmys Dadiras. It is a comedy. Many famous actors of the period play a role here. One member of Mafia (Don Cornilio) prepares in plans a big robbery. Finally his plans will not achieve because of the arrival of the famous American gagster, called Jack.
The film “Blue Nights” (1986) directed by Andriotis Costas, is a psychological adventure. One immigrant student forced to abandon his studyings because of big financial and personal problems. But he stays in America. He is totally outlaw and out of society. The environment around him is not friendly, but harsh for these kinds of persons. We see how his life has been totally wrecked.
The film “The brides” (2003) directed by Pantelis Voulgaris is a very famous film in modern Greece. It is social drama. The music composer is Stamatis Spanoudakis. One American photographer in the year 1922 travels to America. With him on board there are 700 Greek brides, they to travel to America because there will get married. The photographer gets in love with one of the brides. She comes from a small Greek island called Samothraki. Unfortunately, their love has an end: when the travel ends.
The film “The Journey: The Greek American Dream” (2007) directed by Maria Iliou. There is also in a book edition by the Museum Benaki Athens.
