Astero (1959): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1959, Astero is a drama and romance film directed by Dinos Dimopoulos, running about 73 minutes.

What it’s about. This immensely successful remake of the 1929 foustanella classic was directed by Dinos Dimopoulos and quickly established its stars (Dimitris Papamichael and the beautiful Aliki Vouyouklaki) as the Greek cinema's top box-office draws. The story itself rigidly follows the conventions of its subgenre, although because Greek filmmakers were still churning out foustanellas for decades afterward, it hardly seems more dated than the original. Once again, it tells the tale of Mitros (Titos Vandis), a wealthy herd owner with a foster daughter named Astero (Vouyouklaki) whom he marries off to another herd owner, despite the fact that she and his son Thimios (Papamichael) are desperately in love. The other herd owner dies and Astero loses her mind a bit (although she doesn't wig out quite as spectacularly as Aliki Theodoridou in the silent original), but Mitros finally comes to the right decision and allows the children to marry.

Who’s in it. Astero stars Titos Vandis as Mitros, Dimitris Papamichael as Thymios, Georgia Vasileiadou as Stamatina and Stephanos Stratigos as Thanos, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 3.0/10, Astero has proved divisive with audiences.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Astero page.

If you liked it. Fans of Astero tend to enjoy The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather, Schindler's List and The Godfather Part II.