Phèdre

One more voice to be added to the many! Where, oh where is this movie and why isn't it on video or DVD??? When each of the stars, Mercouri and Perkins, passed away one hoped that at very least it might make it to TV in some kind of tribute. No such luck. Brilliant acting, extremely well directed by Dassin (who made the classic RIFIFI) this movie deserves a greater appreciation than it has received. Terrific performances by Mercouri as the love-obsessed stepmother and Perkins as the stepson who allows himself to be seduced by her. The critics were hostile and cynical when the movie first came out, possibly because of the very public antics of Onassis and Callas, but the movie itself deserved a much better reception. (One movie which this viewer has never been able to forget!) Classically elegant, this is a well made movie that Dassin's talents translated from ancient themes into modern with a true director's skill. This movie deserves to be seen again! Where is it?????

I saw this movie as a double feature with Black Orpheus in San Francisco in 1963. Anthony Perkins and Melina Mercouri provide brilliant performances. Perkins is excellent as a young sensitive, melancholy, neurotic who has a fatal relationship with an older very wealthy married Mercouri. She buys him a grey Italian sports car and begins a love affair with him. The double whammy effect of Black Orpheus' tragic love story on top of the potently impossible love story in Phaedra had me reeling for days. Wish it was available on video.

Glittering locales plus a decadent touch of Old Hollywood highlight this melodrama about a Greek shipping magnate who needs his estranged 24-year-old son's help in completing a business merger; he asks his second wife to fly out to England and talk sensibly to the boy, but instead a flirtation develops between stepmother and stepson. After a sequence of indescribably lusty lovemaking, the wife calls off the affair--but just as quickly changes her mind, spiraling into an obsessive love for the junior stud. The film's beautiful visuals are such a pleasure to take in, it's almost easy to overlook the movie's main flaw: that lazily-rich and chic Melina Mercouri would never turn away her powerful, handsome, adoring husband for this kid, a ne'er-do-well artist and economics school drop-out! That being said, Anthony Perkins does the stepson role justice; he keeps his mouth too tight (in a grimace) and his eyes are too busy, but Perkins has a charming ambiance here--especially in the early part of the picture--a boyish nervousness which suits the film well. As Mercouri's hairy-chested husband, Raf Vallone seems more Melina's speed, yet she turns away from him like a frigid housewife. It doesn't quite play; however, each actor handles the escalating tensions of the plot with surprising seriousness, leading to a tragic finale which really appears heartfelt. An emotional rollercoaster, "Phaedra" is gorgeously shot by Jacques Natteau, blissfully scored by Mikis Theodorakis, and soap fans should eat it up. *** from ****

I had seen Phaedra once when I was young many moons ago and just recently obtained a bootleg copy of the film on video. What can I say. It left a lasting impression with me once again. Powerhouse acting from Raf Vallone, Melina Mercouri and Tony Perkins. Superbly directed in the tragic tradition of Greek tale. From beginning to end it will capture your emotions in a whirlwind tale of forbidden love and the horrific consequences of its persuit. The dark ending charges me up every time I see it. If you can get your hands on this film-don't pass it up. You won't be dissapointed. As a matter of fact-this picture should be lobbied for release on home video. It's simply too good a film to be lost in the archives.

I first saw Phaedra almost 40 years ago and still check the Radio Times most

weeks in the hope that it will resurface! I too find it hard to understand why the film seems to have disappeared so completely. Does the critical response at the time of its first release still sour selectors minds?