Oedipus the King is a 1968 British film adaptation of the Sophoclean tragedy Oedipus Rex, directed and co-written by Philip Saville. It stars Christopher Plummer as the title character, Orson Welles as Tiresias, Lilli Palmer as Jocasta, Richard Johnson as Creon and Donald Sutherland as the leading member of the Chorus, though the latter's voice was dubbed by Valentine Dyall.[2][3] Saville's first theatrical film effort, the film remained highly theatrical in nature, and is known for its intensive dialogue typical of an ancient play.[4][5]
| Oedipus the King | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Philip Saville |
| Written by | Michael Luke Philip Saville Paul Roche |
| Based on | Oedipus Rex by Sophocles |
| Produced by | Michael Luke |
| Starring | Christopher Plummer Orson Welles Lilli Palmer Richard Johnson |
| Cinematography | Walter Lassally |
| Edited by | Paul Davies |
| Music by | Jani Christou |
Production companies | Crossroads World Film Services Universal Pictures |
| Distributed by | Rank Film Distributors |
Release date |
|
Running time | 97 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom[1] |
| Language | English |
Plot
editThe film is a largely faithful adaptation of the original text, with a screenplay based on Paul Roche's translation directly from the Greek published in the early 1950s. However, the film went a step further than the play, by actually showing, in flashback, the murder of King Laius. It also showed Oedipus and Jocasta in bed together, making love.
Cast
edit- Christopher Plummer as Oedipus
- Orson Welles as Tiresias
- Lilli Palmer as Jocasta
- Richard Johnson as Creon
- Cyril Cusack as the Messenger
- Roger Livesey as the Shepherd
- Donald Sutherland as Chorus Leader
- Valentine Dyall as the Chorus Leader's voice
- Friedrich von Ledebur as King Laius
- Dimos Starenios as the Priest
- Alexis Mann as the Palace Official
- Oenone Luke as Antigone
- Cressida Luke as Xemene
- Minos Argyrakis and Paul Roche as Members of the Chorus
Production
edit
Filming of Oedipus the King began in August 1967, on-location in Epirus, Greece, in the municipality of Ioannina. Much of the film was shot in an ancient amphitheater, since converted into an archeological site, at Dodoni.[6]
Many of the cast members were from the Royal Shakespeare Company.Theoni V. Aldredge (credited as 'Deni Vachlioti') was the costume designer.
Reception
editThe film was released in the United Kingdom in June 1968, by Rank Film Distributors. It was not seen in Europe and the U.S. until the 1970s and '80s, after legal release and distribution rights were granted to video and TV, and was considered a rare film.
Critical response
editDespite its calibre of actors, the film was not universally well received. New York Magazine described it as "almost comical" in a September 1968 review;[7] a 1972 review said "An elaborate production, overly academic and without much force or cinematic merit."[6] Leonard Maltin in 2006 said that the "film version of Sophocles play is OK for students who have a test on it the next day, but others won't appreciate this version."[8]
However, in 1968 the Illustrated London News praised its "cinematic fluidity"[9] and Jon Solomon in 2001 said that the film was "distinguished by intensity and fine acting", with Plummer's Oedipus boasting "an arrogant, strong-willed title character". However, Solomon also remarked that the film "would never have won first prize at an ancient Athenian contest.[10]
References
edit- ^ "Oedipus the King (1967)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 1 November 2017.
- ^ Gillespie, Sheena; Fonseca, Terezinha (8 November 2001). Literature Across Cultures. Addison-Wesley Longman, Limited. p. 38. ISBN 978-0-205-32698-3. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
- ^ MacKinnon, Kenneth (1986). Greek Tragedy Into Film. Croom Helm. p. 66. ISBN 978-0-7099-4625-0. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
- ^ University of Southern California. Division of Cinema; American Film Institute; Center for Understanding Media (1968). Filmfacts. pp. 372–3. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
- ^ Lazar, Moshe; Yaari, Nurit (2000). On interpretation in the arts: interdisciplinary studies in honor of Moshe Lazar. The Yolanda and David Katz Faculty of the Arts, Tel Aviv University. pp. 157–8. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
- ^ a b Sadoul, Georges (1 September 1972). Dictionary of Films. University of California Press. p. 256. ISBN 978-0-520-02152-5. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
- ^ "New York Magazine". Newyorkmetro.com. New York Media, LLC: 55. 30 September 1968. ISSN 0028-7369. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
- ^ Maltin, Leonard (1998). Leonard Maltin's movie and video guide. Plume. p. 976. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
- ^ The Illustrated London news. The Illustrated London News & Sketch Ltd. 1968. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
- ^ Solomon, Jon (8 February 2001). The Ancient World in the Cinema: Revised and Expanded Edition. Yale University Press. p. 261. ISBN 978-0-300-08337-8. Retrieved 5 October 2012.