Maiden's Cheek

The young teacher Floras takes up a post at a girls' high school in Athens. The students in his class are the daughters of wealthy families and there is no limit to how spoiled they are; making life hard for teachers has become almost a sport. When Floras tries to bring in some discipline, the girls do everything they can to get him thrown out. Alekos Sakellarios's film is one of the best known comedies in Greek cinema. Aliki Vougiouklaki and Dimitris Papamichael take the leads. The relationship that forms between a teacher and a student is uncomfortable by today's measure; the film was made with the outlook of its own period and is worth watching with that in mind. The telling also folds class difference and the question of authority into the comedy. It is quick and built on its dialogue.