Iphigenia

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Marc Z @TKDLife 2 days ago This is a Greek Tragedy and a cinematic masterpiece. Irene Pappas is so compelling as the Agamemnon's wife and Queen in this Michael Cacoyannis film. This is the story of the charge that Agamememnon sacrifice his eldest daughter in order to be able to leave and rescue Helen in the Trojan War. This is done in movie fashion, but feels like a stage play. That is a good thing. It is great filmmaking. See more Huntin P @PaxVobiscum80 Sep 16, 2026 There are so many nude male bodies at the start of this movie, or nearly nude, that I worried I'd started the wrong movie. But then it settles into a groove and becomes more intense and more quietly devastating. The Greek armada is trapped, unable to progress towards Troy and the rescue of Helen. The seer tells them that in order to obtain fair winds, a sacrifice must be made. No ordinary sacrifice. A king's daughter. Agamemnon, the commander in chief, agrees to the summoning of his daughter, Iphigenia, under false pretences, but then becomes conscience stricken, caught between his love and his duty. And the imminent appearance of his formidable queen, Clytemnestra, won't make matters any easier. Thousands of war hungry Greek warriors await, oblivious to the anguished scenes unfolding in the palace. And what of the poor girl, the loving daughter, and the shock awaiting her? This movie, my goodness! It has a depth of feeling that explains the primacy of Greek tragedy in western art. See more Ben D @RT87620530 Apr 6, 2020 One of the lesser-known Greek tragedies, Iphigenia holds up to its genre with cheek-smacking confusion and what-the-fuckness. The Greek army is ready, has been ready, for a very long time now, to sail to Troy to kick some Trojan ass. But alas, there is no wind to fuel the ships — I suppose there wasn't the foresight of having oarsmen for the occasion. The oracle, as oracle's always do on the eves of battle, had a message from the gods that Agamemnon (Kostas Kozakos) must sacrifice his eldest daughter for the winds to blow. With the pressure from his brother, Menelaus (Costas Carras), whose sister, Helen, is the cause of all this to begin with, and the army growing impatient and more zealous as each day passes, Agamemnon must make the hardest decision any father could possibly be asked to make — for a Greek tragedy, that is, any sane father would take the non-sacrificial path. What I love about a film shot in 1977 are the practical effects: those are real boats lining the beautiful beach on the Aegean Sea, those are hundreds of real naked, bronzing Greek men lining the beautiful beach on the Aegean Sea. It is a film with a cast of recognizable characters — Agamemnon, Achilles (Panos Mihalopoulos, although black haired instead of the blond associated with Brad Pitt's iteration, is still incredibly handsome), Odysseus (Christos Tsagas), Paris and Helen, who we never actually see — they are not in their typical roles. There is not a single swordfight in the entire film, even at the end, where Achilles looks like he is about to take on the entire Greek army on his own. Irene Papas as Clytemnestra, Queen of Mycenae, who if you asked me to craft a dramatic Greek actress from clay, it would be Irene Papas, is fantastic from start to finish. Of course, can't forget about the titular Iphigenia (Tatiana Papamoschou), who didn't look a day over twelve and is ostensibly summoned to the coast to marry Achilles; Papamoschou was thirteen during filming. She was also delightful in her range of joy, fear, denial, and ultimate acceptance and control of her fate. Although the story is approximately 2,400 years old, I still won't spoil it, but remind you that a Greek tragedy is a Greek tragedy. See more Jan 25, 2020 The favorability of this rating rests primarily upon the brilliant source material, but the film is well acted and well paced to communicate the tension of the tragedy. See more Jan 5, 2019 At times I felt that the film is quite outdated but there are a lot of really good aspects in there. See more Jul 3, 2016 Excellent film depiction of a Greek Tragedy. Excellent acting especially by Irene Papas. The end-scene with Papas is hauntingly memorable. See more Read all reviews

Iphigenia

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