The Adventures of Villar (1924)
June 26, 1924Release Date
The Adventures of Villar (1924)
June 26, 1924Release Date
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Release DateJune 26, 1924
Original NameΟι Περιπέτειες του Βιλλάρ
StatusReleased
Running Time24m
Filming LocationsGreece
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The Adventures of Villar (Greek: Οι Περιπέτειες του Βιλάρ) was a Greek silent film comedy created in 1927 by Hungarian-Greek cinematographer and film director Joseph Hepp. It was one of two films starring the iconic Charlie Chaplin-like character named Villar (Βιλλαρ) created by Nikolaos Sfakianos. The first film was entitled Villar at the Women's Baths in Faliro. The film inspired countless Greek films. The Apaches of Athens (1930) was also shot in a taxi. Kimon Spathopoulos portrayed a Greek Charlie Chaplin-like character in the Turkish comedy Sarlo Istanbul'da in 1954.
The silent film is a two-reel slapstick comedy about a man traveling around the city of Athens and getting himself into trouble everywhere he goes. Filming took place in the ancient city of Athens, Greece in 1927 and featured the city's most treasured historical landmarks. The film featured an African American dixieland jazz band composed of five members. They toured Europe in the 1920s and consisted of Johnnie Gratton the dancer/drummer, a banjo player, saxophonist, trombonist, and pianist. They were the first African American jazz performers to appear in an international film in Greece. The Adventures of Villar was also one of the first silent films to feature ancient Greek ruins.Initially, the Greek film organization characterized the film as being produced in 1924 but after analysis by jazz and film historians namely Manolis Seiragakis, the consensus is that the film was completed in September of 1927. During that same year, a jazz band toured Greece. Louis Douglas and his band toured Athens from February to March 1927 with the show Black People or Mavros Kosmos. The style and culture deeply influenced the music scene in Athens during that time. Louis Douglas returned to Greece and performed at a bar in Faliro intermittently while continually touring Europe throughout that period.