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Electra

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Electra is a 1962 black and white adaptation of the version of the story from Euripides. Electra (Irene Pappas) and Orestes take revenge on King Aegisthos and on their mother, Queen Klytemnestra, for killing their father, King Agamemnon. [It's interesting to compare "Electra" with "Hamlet".]

The movie is very close to the play. The main difference is an added portrayal of the arrival and murder of Agamemnon and the rescue of the young Orestes. Also, the death of Aegisthos now comes at a festival for Bacchos, rather than at a service to honor the Nymphs. These changes make sense for a modern audience.

Euripides is well served by the excellent acting and by the psychologically-correct bleak, isolating landscapes. It even looks as though the scenes at Mykenai may have been done on site. (The end credits are all Greek to me.)

(If the movie were remade to day, one might be tempted to have a computer-generated Palace. If one wanted to be historically accurate, the film maker might have had to partially reverse the severe soil erosion that accelerated the relative decline of the Argos area.)

While it is difficult to know why such a cloud of black-clothed women would hang around Electra's house in such a sparsely populated land, the handling of the Greek chorus is well done.

The movie can be heard in Greek, English, or French. There are subtitles in English, French, and Spanish. The music is small- scale Near Eastern. The only extra is the original theatrical trailer.

It is a classic movie from a classic source, given classic acting.

Interesting that this 1962 film's director, Michael Cacoyannis, also directed Zorba the Greek and that the latter film also starred Irene Papas who plays the title character in Electra. It easily demonstrates Cacoyannis' artistry as a director, for in this film, he does a masterful job of interpreting the Euripides drama.

Filmed naturalistically in Greek settings, Electra does not disappoint. The great hero and king Agamemmnon is brutally murdered near the beginning of the story by his wife Clytemnestra and her lover Aegisthus. Electra and her brother Orestes, children of the royal couple, are both thrown out of their palatial home--Orestes is exiled, and Electra forced to marry a commoner and live in a hovel.

The term "Electra Complex" refers to a daughter's unnatural love for her father and while this is not overtly portrayed here, the hints are certainly in place. Even when her mother tells Electra of the king's infidelities the daughter defends him, citing the queen's own as proof of the latter's treachery.

Electra and Orestes take revenge on the couple who have killed their father--not without great remorse.

Cacoyannis' skill is demonstrated in his choice to film this work in black and white, accentuating the starkness of the tale, which contains numerous stretches of silence, an effective Greek chorus of village women (all clothed similarly in black), and an equally effective score by the great Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis who also composed the music for Zorba the Greek. The story is pure drama--the emotional elements are laid bare in the stripped to the bone dialogue that wastes no words.

The cinematography as well emphasizes the basic elements of earth and sky; black and white has seldom been used as well in a drama as it is here. Earth is the land of man where we live and die; sky is the land of the gods to whom we appeal for everything we want that we don't have. And whether or not we get what we want--who can say?

Highly recommended.

This screen version of ELEKTRA shows how ancient Greek culture knew instinctively so much about human psychology long before Freud came along to carry on the good work. It is a deeply moving and cathartic experience that touches upon dark recesses in the human psyche, and too, confronts our philosophic "certainties". Above all, it teaches us that most valuable lesson; that guilt cannot be imagined - the deed has to be performed and then, and only then, does guilt or justification enter into your consciousness. Elektra and Orestes feel totally justified in killing their mother, but, when she gives her side to the story, doubts begin to ebb in, and once the deed is done, nothing can absolve the guilt and shame that descend on their shoulders. A powerful, potent film, superbly made, acted and assembled, and one of the very few, in a long lifetime of movie watching, that I have given my top star rating to! Am delighted that it is at long last available, because it is unjustly neglected and forgotten. Highly recommended.

Bitterness in ancient Greece. If you go for Greek tragedy you'll enjoy this. Agamemnon returns home to Mycenae, is murdered by his wife and her lover, and his daughter Elektra schemes revenge. The real Mycenae stands in for itself and the acting is top-notch. Regarding this DVD: beware of using the dubbed English track - the voices don't always say what they should at certain points. Also, the great Irene Papas' powerful voice is "girlie-fied" by whoever dubbed her. Stick to the original Greek track and access the English subtitles instead. The film is in 16:9 format but is not anamorphic. This is not a problem due to the excellent b & w transfer, and no serious graininess is introduced when it is vertically expanded to fit your widescreen TV screen. Recommended.

I show this film to high school students and after they get past the relatively crude production values, English subtitles and strange music, they begin to sense the power of the story. The intensity of the characters becomes almost hypnotic and the fact that this is a really old film becomes unimportant. My only regret is the story is closer to the Sophocles/Aeschylus versions that show the traditional endorsement of revenge killings. The revolutionary antiestablishment undertone of the Euripides text is ignored despite the fact that it raises timeless questions these actors could have explored to great effect.

Greek director Michael Cacoyannis brings Euripedes' classic tragedy to the screen with great liberties. Taking off from the murder of Agamemnon, this version of the tragedy sticks to the basic story of Elektra marrying and the ensuing double murder. Yet, Cacoyannis has stripped away much of the original dialogue in favor of stark cinematography and silent stretches. Irene Papas is outstanding as the doomed heroine. Pure Cinematography...excellent film

I think this title would be a worthwhile addition for anyone interested in art films, or who has an interest in classical Greek tragedy. All the more so, since the dvd sells for a modest price. However, for someone who is in the exploration stage of viewing foreign art films,there are some things to consider. While artistically filmed in black and white, the emphasis is almost totally on dialogue and dramatic tableau rather than action. Of course, this is the nature of Greek plays, but may seem rather stark,even alien, to modern tastes. Irene Papas as Electra gives a convincing portrayal of a woman obsessed with revenge. Her facial expressions convey extremely well the intensity of this passion. While this sort of monomaniacal focus of destructive emotions may be a common element of ancient Greek drama, by present-day standards it could appear somewhat sick and monotonous. If one had a relative like Electra to contend with,who had such a self-absorbed attitude, it would no doubt be quite tiresome. But in the play this passion is distilled into a purity that becomes art. But be warned that there is no transformation from all this negativity into anything hopeful. The oppressive atmosphere of revenge metamorphoses into an oppressive atmosphere of guilt. After all, it is a tragedy.

I enjoyed the acting in this very interesting film. It was refreshing to view a film untainted by the worn out formula of graphic sex, violence, explosions and vulgarity. However, this movie has a portion of sexual tension and violence at its base, like a greek tragedy should. Good acting and lots of options with subtitles and dubbing. If you're not in the mood for this radical departure, you may not like it. But I was hungry for a change of pace and this delivered nicely. I got so absorbed in the acting I felt like I was in the presence of the actors. There are a couple over-acted scenes and offbeat background music on occasion, but not enough to detract from the overall acting or interfere with the storyline. It was also gratifying to see the treachery of Electra's adulterous mother, the queen, who has her lover kill the returning king in the beginning of the story come back to her in spades when Electra and her brother exact their revenge years later. The confrontation between Electra and her mother, 16 years after her father's murder, is very well-acted and a bit spell-binding. It was a neat movie with a neat plot that I'll watch again and again.

must greatly suffer - something along that line - but that quote belongs to the Sophocles version - this one's a little more method - although slightly too emotional [but then - there goes ther movie and the performances!] Always bearing in mind that these great works were written as rituals - not as .... entertainment. [This version is slightly too close to the kitchen sink - smatters of that great Juliette Greco vehicle "The Crack in the Mirror"].

BUT for what this version is worth IRENE PAPAS is spectacular as the misbegotten daughter seeking revenge - choreography of the chorus is superb as is the bleak, bleak cinematography.

Perfect and no doubt authentically researched costume design.

I sent Electra to a Japanese friend who saw it forty years ago and had been searching for it ever since.
He was as thrilled with it now as he was then. "Suburashii" - Excellent!