Elektra

From the first moment I saw the movie I rejoiced every bit of it : the crisp splendid black-and-white photography introducing an overwhelmingly barren landscape interacting with the drama we all know to come, the haunting "ancestral" score by Theodorakis, the impact of all sounds, the use of the choir with its laments and warnings and commentaries on everything and everybody, the tensions between good and evil mixed with love and hate, the unavoidable fate of the protagonists who cannot escape destiny as prescribed by bloodline and gods.

Besides being moved by too many unforgettable scenes enforced by splendid suggestive cutting (the actual murders, Electra's cutting her hair for the revenge to come, the confrontations between mother and daughter or brother and sister expressing their antagonistic emotions), the ultimate brilliance this masterpiece is Irene Papas outcry of grief and distress, the camera turning on itself as taking literally heaven and earth as her witness.

Appealing as strong to me as E. Munch's cry or Picasso's Guernica, I visited Mycene much later and still felt the movie's impact discovering this cursed place through Cacoyannis' lens.

Slow. Deliberate. Engaging. Mesmerizing. Poetic.

The real star of the show is the exterior shots. The acting, especially by Papas, is deservedly acclaimed. The music score is sumptuous. The minimal dialogue serves to heighten the film-watching experience. But what strikes me dumbfounded is the amazing blocking of the actors...most assuredly by the director...as it mimics true choreography.

One imdB reviewer labels this film a "snorefest". I can understand that opinion if you require something action-oriented. This film is purely cerebral, so don't expect something beyond that.

Oddly enough, my cable provider classifies this film as AO--Adults Only. That rating, also known as NC-17, is reserved for sexual content deemed too explicit to warrant an R rating. Be assured there's absolutely and assuredly nothing explicit about this film. No sex. All violence is implied.

Recommended for cinema junkies.

An extraordinary film from a visual and dramatic standpoint, _Elektra_ unfortunately too often plays like a _Cliff's Notes_ version of Euripedes' work (although, in all fairness, I must note that the film is only "based on" the classical play). The essential structure is there: Agamemnon's murder, the banishment of Orestes, Elektra's marriage, the reuniting of the grown children, the double murder. But by clipping away much of the Euripedean dialogue, much depth of characterization is lost. The principles become one-dimensional, with only hints of the complexity which makes the story so overwhelming. However, the stark cinematography and fine acting make this film eminently watchable, particularly at the climatic matricide sequence.

I accidentally came across this film while looking through used DVDs at a local store. Having a passing interest in Greek myth, I bought it sight unseen. Far, far better than recent American and British attempts to retell (read remake) these great stories, this marvelous film stays fairly close to the original, telling a tale of betrayal and revenge. I've always loved the story of Orestes: damned if he doesn't avenge his father's murder, damned if he kills the chief assassin-his own mother. Elektra's story is woeful as well-driven by her own desire for vengeance, a vengeance she believes will never come, only seeing her own doom and the triumph of her father's murderers.

Wonderfully acted by Irene Pappas. I'm recommending it to all my friends.

I have just seen this film again via DVD after first seeing it in a cinema 40 years ago, and it remains in my view a staggering masterpiece of world cinema. It is a film that should be compulsory viewing by all aspiring film-makers since it is, unlike so many of today's movies which really are over influenced by television, so cinematic it makes one positively nostalgic for concepts like film grammar and form. Cunningly, it is almost a silent movie with a wonderful soundtrack, and the acting, (outstanding by all concerned), shows the great value of body language, and how good film editing, the use of a superb musical score, and excellent black and white cinematography can convey such powerful and poignant emotions. The play on which it is based has of course the soundest of psychological under-pinnings; guilt is an emotion and state of mind that can ONLY be experienced once one has done something horrendous enough to make it possess you. It cannot be imagined or anticipated, and, even when "rational" thought seems to justify the act, as Elektra and Orestes find to their cost, this evaporates instantly once that rage has been quenched. The final sequence of this film, after the mother has been murdered, and when these realisations manifest themselves is so overwhelming and powerful that only the hardest of heart could not be profoundly moved. But, like all good psycho-therapy, it is ultimately sanctifying, even if at the same time it is heart-breaking and almost unbearably poignant. Certainly one of the best films I have ever seen in my life, and every department deserves the highest praise and congratulations. One of the very few films to which I have awarded a 10/10 vote.