This movie promised great things:Philippe Noiret,Victor Lanoux and Umberto Orsini as the three male principals ,and Romy Schneider,as beautiful as ever ,now in the late part of her career;plus the magnificent Greek landscapes;plus a love affair between a communist (Lanoux)and a diplomat's wife ;plus politics;plus a non-linear plot.
But ,for all that, the movie is boring,and if it weren't for the cast,you'd often feel like giving up;politics ,yes,military dictatorship,but most of the time,it stays theoretical ,although Noiret calls Greek mythology to the rescue (Oedipus and Antigone),the characters remain hollow and the passionate love story lacks focus ,intensity and passion ;as for the political side ,it is only skimmed over ,Granier-Deferre being not Costa -Gavras for that matter.
The characters move in a world of luxury and the only pictures of the victims of the dictators are those the lady sees from the window ....of her car as she passes through a wasted land in the hands of the soldiers.
But ,for all that, the movie is boring,and if it weren't for the cast,you'd often feel like giving up;politics ,yes,military dictatorship,but most of the time,it stays theoretical ,although Noiret calls Greek mythology to the rescue (Oedipus and Antigone),the characters remain hollow and the passionate love story lacks focus ,intensity and passion ;as for the political side ,it is only skimmed over ,Granier-Deferre being not Costa -Gavras for that matter.
The characters move in a world of luxury and the only pictures of the victims of the dictators are those the lady sees from the window ....of her car as she passes through a wasted land in the hands of the soldiers.