Product Description

Based on the classic Greek tragedy of Euripides. A talented cast provides an insightful interpretation of the ancient drama in which Agamemnon is forced to sacrifice his daughter Iphigenia after accidentally slaying a sacred deer. Music score by Mikis Theodorakis.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: FOREIGN/LATIN Rating: NR UPC: 027616082640 Manufacturer No: M108264

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #34520 in DVD
• Brand: TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENT
• Released on: 2007-07-24
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.66:1
• Formats: Color, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: Greek, Spanish
• Subtitled in: English, French, Spanish
• Dubbed in: Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 129 minutes

Amazon.com
A timeless classic of Greek tragedy is brought vividly to life in the Oscar-nominated Iphigenia, an engrossing and lavish adaptation of Euripides' play Iphigenia in Aulis. Director Michael Cacoyannis (Zorba the Greek) had previously adapted Euripides with his acclaimed 1962 version of Electra and 1972's The Trojan Women, but this 1977 production is widely regarded as the director's finest adaptation. In some respects the film is almost too ambitious; although generally well-received by critics and highly praised by literary scholars, its epic scale and larger-than-life performances threaten to diminish the story's emotional impact. For the most part, however, Cacoyannis succeeds in building palpable tension in retelling the gut-wrenching story of commander Agamemnon (played with theatrical grandiosity by Costa Kazakos), who is preparing to launch his legendary fleet of 1,000 army ships to retrieve the beautiful Helen of Troy. But the wind refuses to blow in the sails of the fleet, and Agamemnon is fatefully convinced that military victory can only be achieved if he sacrifices his daughter Iphigenia (Tatiana Papamoskou) to the gods. Faced with her husband's deception and betrayal, Clytemnestra (Irene Pappas) responds with vengeful wrath, and Iphigenia reaches a fever pitch of clashing agendas and devastating turmoil. Cacoyannis remains faithful to Euripides while making some smart decisions of adaptation; there's no need here for the theatrical tradition of a Greek chorus, and the play's tragic impact is greatly enhanced by epic-scale visuals and the fierce performance of Pappas in one of the best roles of her career. And while Iphigenia may lack the opulence of later epics like Troy and Kingdom of Heaven, it still ranks among the most impressive efforts to bring Greek tragedy to the screen. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews

I wanted something different and this delivered
I enjoyed the acting in this very interesting film. It was refreshing to view a film untainted by the worn out formula of graphic sex, violence, explosions and vulgarity. Good acting and lots of options with subtitles and dubbing. If you're not in the mood for this radical departure, you may not like it. But I was hungry for a change of pace and this delivered nicely. I got so absorbed in the acting I felt like I was in the presence of the actors. There are a couple very powerful moments in the film where the acting between the king and the queen is a real jaw-dropper. For me, just those well-acted scenes were worth the cost.

"To Wake Up The Winds" ~ What Cruelty The Gods Demand
Note: Greek & Spanish with English subtitles.

The '77 film `Iphigenia' begins slowly and I must admit uninterestingly. The first images that greet your eyes are nothing more than a lot of half naked, Greek men lounging around a beach on a hot, sweltering, windless afternoon. You notice scattered piles of armor and other tools of warfare here and there serving as an indication of the time period of the tale that is to follow.

The mood is restless, even angry and the soundtrack amplifies the mood with appropriately discordant music. The men are anxious to sent sail for Troy and reclaim the beautiful Helen but the Gods have withheld the wind from their sails until they have been appeased with the sacrifice of their own choosing. When commander Agamemnon learns that the Gods demand the life of his beloved daughter Iphigenia he is coherced into sending for her under the pretense that she is to marry the brave Achilles.

Iphigenia (Tatiana Papamoschou) happily arrives in camp with her Mother (Irene Papas) and female attendants under the delusion that her marriage is at hand (This is where the film comes alive and captures the audiences rapt attention). As the lies and pretenses of Iphigenia's reason for being summoned slowly fall away and her true purpose for being there is made known the viewer is caught up in this heart wrenching tale of familial love versus blind obedience to an unsympathetic Divinity.

Excellent adaptation of Greek tragedy captured on film. The only thing missing is the outdoor amphitheater and chorus.

Euripedes Without Equal
No other works of literature or art have the power of Euripedes' plays: in them we learn what it is to be human from a master who has no rivals, not even Shakespeare. He shows us that the ugly beast of war consumes and destroys everything in us that is noble and delicate, that religion is its instrument, politics its machinery, individual anguish and despair its food, and then, by some miraculous process, he leaves us elevated, not cast down. The human heart, though powerless, is yet triumphant. This film version of Euripedes' Iphigenia does not fail to bring the master's lessons home.