Here is a true work of art, a lost film depicting the Greek Tragedy of Agamemnon, murdered by his wife Clitemnestra and her lover Aegisthus in the Kingdom of Mycenae. The film opens with Agamemnon's ritual sacrifice, a dizzying quick cut spectacle of painted, writhing bodies and blood ritual, set to a primitive drum beat. Soon after, Orestes, Son of Agamemnon arrives in Mycenae to avenge his Father's death. But Orestes, having an acute aversion to violence and bloodshed, finds the task difficult. In fact, with the Warmongering Agamemnon gone, the Kingdom has fallen to ruin, without a Leader to rally the soldiers to seek out conquests of other Lands, and the people of Mycenae face a Winter of possible starvation. The Matriarch Clitemnestra becomes increasingly furious at the docile Orestes, whose hatred for violence prevents him from organizing the troops for a Mission. As the Greek Tragedy unfolds, tensions build to an expected violent and bloody climax.
The date listed on this site, 1997, is completely incorrect, as "Orestes" is a Greek production from 1969. I believe 1997 is the year when a badly damaged print of the film was unearthed. And "damaged" is an understatement. The surviving film has degraded extremely. Much of the film has turned a bright, blood soaked red. The first half hour, including the Death Ritual and the Funeral, is this intense red color, which considering the content and mood, is strangely suitable. The scenes filmed in the bright daytime sun fare much better, and in these scenes the true beauty of the film and the actors can be appreciated. The character Orestes is portrayed by actor Hiram Keller, who is possibly one of the most aesthetically beautiful men to have ever existed; he truly does resemble a Greek God with his squared chin and full, sensuous mouth. Orestes' friend and traveling companion. Pyladus, blond actor David Elan Peterson is equally beautiful. The film possesses a mesmerizing and haunting quality, the drama offset by a simple yet hypnotic electronic score. The feel and style of the production is very similar to Derek Jarman's "Sebastian," in it's primitive and sparse filming style. And like the Biblical character Saint Sebastian, Orestes also despises War and bloodshed. In fact, at it's core, "Orestes" seems to be an anti war film, with quick flashes of modern day warfare, like missiles, marching Nazi soldiers and mushroom clouds edited into the Ancient scenery, very effectively too. Though the original film negative of this masterful, poetic film, is tragically lost, I still treasure the rough copy that I have managed to find through a collector. Highly recommended for film historians and Greek History enthusiasts to seek out. Also recommended is the Epic, made for Italian tv Masterpiece, "Odissea" from 1968, with actor Bekim Fehmiu in the role of Ulysses...both films are unforgettable works of art.
