We in the western world are used to seeing Hollywood adaptations of Greek mythology, with the characters speaking English (and many of them having English accents). That makes it all the more refreshing to see Michael Cacoyannis's "Ilektra" ("Electra" in English), the first Greek movie ever nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards. Euripides's tragedy, a timeless tale of treachery and deceit, gets the full treatment here.
Probably the key thing to note about this movie is the subtlety. It contains limited dialogue, with most of the emphasis on the acting. People's eyes do a lot of the acting here. Obviously we don't know exactly what the performers did in Greece 2,500 years ago. What I can say is that this movie manages to be intense without being shocking. It'll probably make more sense to you if you know ancient Greek works (I took a course on them in college). Whether or not you know them, you can't deny that Irene Papas puts on one of the finest performances of all time; she conveys so much without even talking throughout much of the movie. Definitely see it.
Probably the key thing to note about this movie is the subtlety. It contains limited dialogue, with most of the emphasis on the acting. People's eyes do a lot of the acting here. Obviously we don't know exactly what the performers did in Greece 2,500 years ago. What I can say is that this movie manages to be intense without being shocking. It'll probably make more sense to you if you know ancient Greek works (I took a course on them in college). Whether or not you know them, you can't deny that Irene Papas puts on one of the finest performances of all time; she conveys so much without even talking throughout much of the movie. Definitely see it.