Le roi Oedipe

'Oedipus Rex', the first of Sophocles' Theban trilogy, is rightly regarded as one of the masterworks of the human mind in terms of its construction and well-drawn characters.

Bringing Greek drama to the screen is fraught with difficulties not least of which is whether one makes it declamatory thereby alienating a modern audience or keeping it conversational and risking the loss of its grandeur. In this regard I think this version has achieved the perfect balance. The other problem is how to employ the Greek chorus and here alas director Philip Saville has been found wanting. The chorus of Theban elders has been dubbed by English thesps which is totally incongruous and the spectacle of Donald Sutherland speaking with the voice of Patrick Allen is utterly absurd.

There is no faulting the performances of the principals however. Ironically Christopher Plummer had recently worked with Saville on a television film of Hamlet, a character whose behaviour has often been linked to his having an 'Oedipus complex'. The role of Oedipus is extremely demanding and Plummer is splendid as a seemingly confident, self-satisfied ruler whose life begins to unravel when a prophecy made years before by a drunken guest becomes a horrifying reality. His physique and delivery puts one in mind of a younger Olivier. The part of Jocasta is difficult to cast as she has to look young enough to have borne Oedipus two young children but old enough to be his mother! Lili Palmer, still looking great in her late fifties, is ideal in every respect. Incest should definitely be kept in the family! Richard Johnson never disappoints and is excellent as Creon who assumes kingship following Oedipus' fall from grace. In the third play of the trilogy Creon's proud, implacable nature will bring him into conflict with Oedipus' rebellious daughter Antigone. Further gravitas is supplied by Orson Welles who does his thing as Tiresias the blind prophet and Cyril Cusack quietly steals his scenes as the Messenger who brings tidings which aren't altogether welcome. Nice to see Roger Livesey in one of his last film roles as the Shepherd.

The cinematography is by Walter Lassally, certainly no stranger to Greek terrain as he had previously shot 'Electra' and 'Zorba' for Michael Cacoyannis. One cannot but wonder how Cacoyannis himself would have handled this material. Mr. Saville's direction is capable but not particularly inspired and as mentioned earlier, the misjudged use of the chorus is not only aggravating but weakens the film immeasurably.

05/02/2021: Farewell Christopher Plummer. May flights of Angels sing thee to thy rest."

Understandably they wanted big names but movie actors aren't necessarily able to play ancient drama. Plummer and Palmer are struggling here, Welles on the other hand is surprisingly good.

Christopher Plummer is Oedipus in this English-language version of Sophocles' play about fate fate and the cruelty of the Gods.

Plummer gives an intense performance as the man who murdered his father in what may be the earliest recorded instance of road rage, then married his mother unawares and thus became king of Thebes, carrying out willy-nilly the prophecy made at his birth. For more than two millennia this has been considered the greatest tragedy ever written, and under the direction of Philip Savile, with a cast that includes Lili Palmer, Cyril Cusack, Orson Welles, Roger Livesey, and Donald Sutherland, it remains a warning that we cannot evade our fate. DP Walter Lassally photographs Epirus as the plague-stricken city with a slow camera speed that bleaches the landscape near the limits of endurance.

Some critics of this movie denigrated the stylised performances and ancient setting, but the producers were trying to faithfully portray a play which is 2,500 years old. It is an important movie and I think the correct decision was made not to modernise it for contemporary audiences. I thought that Christopher Plummer did a superb job of portraying the doomed hero. His big dramatic acting style perfectly fitted the setting. We use the phrase "it's not a Greek tragedy" when someone is overdoing a drama in real life. We use that expression for a reason, Greek tragedies were epic stories of Gods and men not everyday episodes in a domestic soap opera. Therefore the acting style has to be appropriate to the subject. The entire cast were mostly excellent in their parts; Cyril Cussak, Orson Welles and Lilli Palmer were outstanding. As others have commented, why did they overdub Donald Sutherland's voice with Patrick Allen's? It was a distraction.

Sophocles on cinema is a delight; but with a dream cast that includes the lovely, talented Lili Palmer, the great Orson Welles, the charming Cyril Cusack, the arresting Donald Sutherland in a most unusual role, and of course stalwarts Christopher Plummer and Richard Johnson, the effect can be heady.

I recommend the film to anyone who cares for drama and acting. I am amused that the film has not been marketed intelligently by the studios and remains unseen by many who would have loved to see the film.

The scenes where Oedipus unknowingly kills his own father is captured on film in a truly remarkable way, suggesting the fleeting moment where recognition between father and son is totally implausible.

Jocasta's (Lili Palmer) performance is top notch--probably her best role ever. Cyril Cusack, Orson Welles, and Donald Sutherland add additional flavour to this remarkable effort.

I have always wondered why the famous cinematographer Walter Lassally did not choose to film the movie in the letterbox or cinemascope format, which would have given the subject an epic sweep it deserved. The format used by Lassally restricted the film to the level of a play on film rather than cinema capturing the great play on celluloid. Even with this fault, the film will remain one of my favourites. I commend Phillip Saville for his casting--bringing together great actors on both sides of the Atlantic.

I doubt if the ancient Greeks could have enjoyed the play any better than on a technicolor screen with special effects.