Where was the desert scene filmed and how was Onassis involved?

“A Greek Woman in a Harem” is one of the most delightful comedies of Greek cinema. With outdoor shots, surreal scenes, delightful dialogues and wonderful actors.

Rina Vlachopoulou, Chronis Exarchakos, Vangelis Silinos and Maria Ioannidou star in the 1970 Finos Films film, directed and written by Yannis Dalianidis. The film was released in theaters on January 4, 1971 and sold 455,385 tickets. Today we will discuss where the desert scenes were filmed and how Alexandros Onassis is connected to the film.

Greek Woman in Harem: Where Was the Desert Scene Filmed?

Most of the film was shot at Finos Studios – but there was no shortage of outdoor shots, with Lutsa and Eleusina chosen by the director. The sight of the four protagonists wandering through the desert after landing in the small plane sparked a lot of interest in the location. Where was the desert? The location was linked to Amothinis Island on the island of Lemnos, the only desert in Europe located on an island! What are the dunes described as the “Little Desert” in Greece?

We are dealing with a very impressive geological phenomenon, the golden sand dunes that extend over 70 acres on the northern side of the island, in the northern Aegean Sea. The visitor will encounter the desert three kilometers above the village of Katalakos, near the beach of Gomati. According to geologists, the sand dunes of Lemnos owe their creation to the winds that moved the sand. This is also the reason why the formation of the dunes is constantly changing. It is an ecosystem created by the parallel action of air and sea and results from the erosion and deposition of sand, usually in coastal areas but also in an area like Lemnos. Well, this place has made many believe that the famous scene in the desert was filmed there.

In this case, the director has the final say, not guesswork. Giannis Dialanidis recalls the film: “I was ready to leave for Egypt to find the desert and oases I needed. I was told about a sandy site in Cyprus as well, which looked like a desert. One afternoon, when my route took me to Lotsa, I saw bulldozers and loads of sand as part of the municipality’s efforts to create a beach. I went there and did all the desert scenes. For the oasis, I used a property in Eleusis full of palm trees.”

Onassis plane

The four heroes had to travel by plane to reach the desert. The shot was real, Maria Ioannidou, who participated in the scene, told iefimerida.gr: “The pilot was lying on the ground and the operator was pulling Chronis who was supposed to fly it. But Exarchakos was so scared, he almost started crying, because the scene was dangerous. We had to land twice for him to recover! That’s where the saying “pull the wool” was said, which has gone down in history.

But the single-engine plane belonged to Alexandros Onassis and he gave it to him for this very scene. “We flew normally in the plane owned by Alexandros Onassis! He gave it to us and we arrived in Egypt!” said Ms. Ioannidou.

Greek Woman in the Harem: Movie Introduction

Rina, a worker in a large company, tries to support herself and her unemployed and crazy brothers. One is an inventor and the other is a musician. After a misunderstanding about a winning lottery ticket, Rina finds herself in Rhodes with her brothers, posing as a psychic. When the news reaches them, they escape in a small plane, which crashes in the desert and they end up in the harem of a sheikh. Continuation on screen…

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