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One of the most famous legends to come out of Ancient Greece, or perhaps infamous, is that of Oedipus Tyrannus (Oedipus Rex if you’re Roman), the story of a man who through the cruel machinations of fate murders his father and marries his mother, although most people seem to focus on that last bit. That play was written by Sophocles, one of Ancient Greece’s greatest dramatists (and not just because he’s one of the few with surviving works), and it was part of a loose trilogy now known as the Theban plays. You don’t hear much about Oedipus at Colonus these days but Antigone, centered around the daughter of the doomed King of Thebes, has since gained a legacy of its own, being adapted to stage and screen numerous times since then. I’ve never read or seen the play before so I thought it might be interesting to check it out, and since it’s originally a Greek play I thought it only appropriate that we see a Greek take on the tale. Also I think this might be the first Greek film I’ve reviewed on this blog, so cross that off the list.
Released in Greece in 1961, Antigone was written and directed by George Tzevallas and produced by James Paris through Alfa Studios, based on the play of the same name by Sophocles. After killing his father, marrying his mom and ascending to the kingship of Thebes, Oedipus had four children: his sons Etocles and Polyneices and his daughters Ismene (Maro Kodou) and Antigone (Irene Papas). Shortly before Oedipus’ death Etocles and Polyneices ended up feuding for the throne, ultimately leading to the two brothers killing each other in battle. Creon, brother of the former queen Jocasta then takes the throne and makes a decree: Etocles who held the crown at the time will be given a hero's burial while Polyneices, who was technically an invader at the time, will be left out to rot. Antigone ain’t having that though, and so she decides to go and bury her brother anyway. Creon, incensed at having anyone, especially a woman, sentences the unapologetic Antigone to death, despite everyone (including Haemon, Creon’s son and Antigone’s fiance) asking him to reconsider. The man who cannot rule his house cannot rule the state, Creon states, but as there laws of men and laws of the gods could it be that both can be right? What does fate have in store for Antigone, Haemon and all of Thebes if Creon continues down this path? Well it says ‘tragedy’ on the very first screen, so I’m going to assume it's not good.
The big selling point of this adaptation was that it was, according to the info I saw related to this film, filmed in a ‘realist’ style, attempting to have character dialogue and such rather than the chorus that typifies those plays. Attempt, because in practice the film still utilizes a Greek chorus, only in the form of a voiceover rather than a distinct group of people in the scene. Voiceover narration is quite a common thing in film, although seeing it in this film brings to mind that adaptation of The Tempest I reviewed a while ago.
You can also tell that Tzevallas was working on a light budget here. Lots of close-up shots so that you don’t see much of the surrounding area, and apparently all the elders coordinate their outfits before they go out in the morning because they all have the exact same staff and exact same beard. The city of Thebes ends up feeling smaller than your average Walmart. It looks fine though, Creon’s palace looks like a palace, the soldiers look like soldiers of the period. It might not be on the level of Saladin or The Fall of the Roman Empire but Tzevallas does enough to get you into the scene.
The acting is fine as well, although it feels like the only people who get a chance to shine are Antigone and Creon. I do like Irene Papas in the title role, she has this striking intensity that really fits the idea of this woman who stands up for what she believes is right, even during her more vulnerable moments it’s a very direct performance. Same with Manos Katrakis as Creon, his role is that of an obstinate king and he plays it exactly as you’d expect. Even when they’re having dialogue it sounds like they're doing a monologue, that’s the kind of performance in this film.
Running it back to The Tempest again, if there’s a problem with the film then it lies largely with the source material. You’d think with the film titled Antigone that she would be the central figure of the story, but she’s more a plot device? Really the protagonist is Creon, and the conflict centers around placing his feelings and his will above the consideration of others as well as natural/divine law. She is conceptually a symbol of resistance and a lot of Creon’s derisive remarks towards her and other people involve women, so I guess you could interpret it as Antigone being a martyr for female empowerment, but it’s more so a commentary on methods of governance and the state, which was the style at the time. Also the whole fight between Creon and Antigone is really the only thing going on here; If you were wondering what was going on with Ismene or some more stuff establishing Antigone and Haemon’s relationship, well keep wondering because you ain’t getting it. This movie is a shade over an hour long and it feels like 45 minutes.
Antigone gets the mild recommendation. I can’t comment on its quality as an adaptation, but as a film it’s okay. It didn’t grab me on a visceral level, it didn’t make me want to seek out Sophocles’ other plays, but I wasn’t zoned out watching it either. As I said, it was just okay. If you’re a theater buff or history teacher you might find this worth your while, but if you’re not then I can’t see this being much of a priority. Then again, some things are beyond the reckonings of mortal men, so maybe judge for yourself.
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