«THE FIRE BRACELET» PREMIERE ON ERTFLIX INTERNATIONAL
The Fire Bracelet, ERT’s riveting period drama series, based on the book by Beatrice Saias-Magrizou and directed by Yorgos Gkikapeppas, is available on ERTFLIX International from Friday 12 January 2024, starting with a double episode!
Through eight episodes, the series brings the gripping journey of a Jewish family to the small screen. It transports us to the early 20th century, a time of successive conflicts, powerful romance, and relentless… fires.
The series features an exceptional cast, including actors such as Nikos Psarras, Elisavet Moutafi, Christos Loulis, Spyros Stamoulis, Michalis Tabakakis, Nefeli Kouri, Dimitris Arianoutsos, while the original end-title music is composed by Minos Matsas.
The story
The great fire of Thessaloniki in 1917 forces the family of the Jewish businessman Moys Cohen (Nikos Psarras) to seek refuge in a Gypsy camp. There, his wife, Benouta (Elisavet Moutafi), gives birth to Joseph (Christos Loulis and Dimitris Arianoutsos at a young age), a child literally born in the fire.
Fire, which sometimes creates and sometimes destroys, seems to follow Joseph throughout his life. His family undergoes the arson of the Campbell Jewish neighborhood, his father’s bankruptcy, and his older sister, Jacqueline (Nefeli Kouri), departing from home to pursue her forbidden love with the Christian Konstantinos (Spyros Stamoulis).
World War II “burns” everything Joseph knew until then, with the tragic outcome of the family’s transfer to the Auschwitz concentration camp. Yet, through it all, there’s something that withstands it. Something that no fire manages to melt but instead makes it even stronger!
The characters
Nikos Psarras (Moys Cohen): The father of the Cohen family. A successful factory owner, and father of three boys and two girls. He faces one challenge after the other, from the Thessaloniki fire of 1917 to World War II, and his eventual transfer to Auschwitz.
Elisavet Moutafi (Benouta Cohen): The mother of the family, and wife of Moys. We are introduced to her while she is carrying her fifth child, Joseph, having already given birth to David, Jacqueline, Ilias, and Rachel. She is a devoted mother, a loving wife, and a dynamic personality. She fights for her family under any circumstances. When she loses track of them, she suffers greatly.
Christos Loulis (middle-aged Joseph Cohen, in 1962): He is the only male family member who has survived Auschwitz. He is now a jeweler, married, and father to a daughter, Betty, who is the one responsible for ‘the fire bracelet’ finding its way back to the family. Through a painful flashback to the past, he is now having to deal with a terrible discovery.
Alexandra Aidini (Esther Cohen): A woman who has lost her husband and is left alone with a young child. One day she meets the family’s oldest son, David, at the meal center. He wants to help her, so the Cohen family takes her on board.
Spyros Stamoulis (Konstantinos Dimou): He is the Christian who wins the heart of Jacqueline resulting in her switching religions to marry him. They get married and have children together. When worse comes to worst, he helps Zacqueline’s mother hide and avoid capture.
Gal Robisa (David Cohen): The oldest son of Moys and Benouta. He leaves for the Land of Israel but when his father loses his fortune he returns to support his family and follows them into Auschwitz.
Nefeli Kouri (Jacqueline Cohen): She is the family’s eldest daughter. She is unconventional, with an artistic temperament. She will fall in love with Konstantinos who is a Christian and their love will overcome all obstacles. She does not hesitate to come into conflict with her family when she chooses to switch her religion to marry him.
Michalis Tabakakis (Ilias Cohen): The family’s second son, he has always dreamed of serving Greece as a soldier. He will graduate from the Hellenic Military Academy Evelpidon School and fight on the Albanian Front.
Dimitris Arianoutsos (young Joseph Cohen): He is the youngest child of the family, closely attached to his mother. He is the fiery child who will face pure horror. He is the one who is taken to Auschwitz, and one of the very few ones who manage to survive and return.
Christina Mathioulaki (Rachel Cohen): The youngest daughter of the family. She stands by her parents and her siblings and follows them into Auschwitz, with unforeseeable consequences. She is the one who, unwittingly influences the family’s future course.
Argyris Xafis (middle-aged Thanasis in 1962): The years go by and Thanasis, Joseph’s (Christos Loulis) childhood friend remains by his side. Could anything shake this life-long friendship?
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