Electra (1962 film)
Electra (Greek: Ηλέκτρα Ilektra) is a 1962 Greek film based on the play Electra, written by Euripides. It was directed by Michael Cacoyannis, as the first installment of his "Greek tragedy" trilogy, followed by The Trojan Women in 1971 and Iphigenia in 1977. It starred Irene Papas in the lead role as Elektra, and Giannis Fertis as Orestis.
| Electra | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Michael Cacoyannis |
| Produced by | Michael Cacoyannis |
| Written by | Michael Cacoyannis |
| Starring | Irene Papas Giannis Fertis Aleka Katselli Manos Katrakis Notis Peryalis Fivos Razi Takis Emmanuel Theano Ioannidou Malaina Anousaki Theodoros Dimitriou Theodore Demetriou Elsie Pittas Petros Ampelas Kitty Arseni Thodoros Exarhos Elli Fotiou Afroditi Grigoriadou Kostas Kazakos |
| Music by | Mikis Theodorakis |
| Cinematography | Walter Lassally |
| Edited by | Leonidas Antonakis |
Release date |
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Running time | 110 minutes |
| Country | Greece |
| Language | Greek |
Plot
King Agamemnon is murdered by his wife Clytemnestra and her lover and Agememnon's cousin and childhood playmate Aegisthus. Of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra's children, Orestes goes into exile and safety while Electra is confined to the palace for some years and then forced to marry a peasant to disgrace her and any children.
Some years later, Electra seeks revenge with the help of her brother Orestes and their cousin Pylades. Orestes and Pylades go to a festival to Bacchus hosted by Aegisthus and, when Aegisthes challenges Orestes to a mock knife fight, Orestes uses the opportunity to kill him. Electra invites Clytemnestra to her house on a pretext where, despite Clytemnestra explaining to Electra her reasons for killing her husband and apologising for her actions towards Electra, Electra enables Orestes to stab her to death as well. At the end, the siblings feel remorseful and realise that they will be social outcasts for their action. They depart in different directions.
Cast
- Irene Papas as Elektra
- Giannis Fertis as Orestes
- Aleka Katselli as Klytaemnistra
- Manos Katrakis as the tutor
- Notis Peryalis as Elektra's husband
- Fivos Razi as Aegisthus
- Takis Emmanuel as Pylades
- Theano Ioannidou as chorus leader
- Theodoros Dimitriou (Theodore Demetriou) as Agamemnon
- Elsie Pittas as young Elektra
- Petros Ampelas as young Orestes
Awards
The film was entered into the 1962 Cannes Film Festival where it won the award of Best Cinematic Transposition.[1] The film was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.[2] The film also won three awards in Thessaloniki Film Festival, for best film and best director (Michalis Cacoyannis) and best actress (Irene Papas).[3]
See also
- List of historical drama films
- Greek mythology in popular culture
- List of submissions to the 35th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film
- List of Greek submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
References
- "Festival de Cannes: Electra". festival-cannes.com. Archived from the original on 2012-01-18. Retrieved 2009-02-22.
- "The 35th Academy Awards (1963) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved 2011-11-01.
- "awards 1962". Thessaloniki Film Festival. Retrieved 20 August 2015.