Cri de femmes

Melina Mercouri and Ellen Burstyn as two sides of an unlikely coin: Mercouri as an actress preparing to play the lead in a Greek stage production of "Medea" (who spites her cheating husband by murdering their children) and Burstyn an American woman jailed in Greece after killing her kids. Rough-hewn production with some florid, off-putting acting and a less-than-rousing script by Jules Dassin, who also directed. Was Dassin attempting a match of wits between the ladies, or a Bergman-esque study in contrast? Either way, the film has no driving force beyond the footlights, and is marred by poor cinematography and color. Select audiences may be willing to go out on a limb with this material, and indeed portions of the picture are arresting or disturbing. *1/2 from ****

I saw this movie many years ago, and cannot forget it. It is one of the most powerful movie about women's lives ever made. Not too many women actually murder their children (thank G-d), but in my opinion that aspect of the story was secondary, it was a specific case used to tell a general, universal story about women's dependence on men, and what it takes for a woman to actually break free of that dependence. The juxtaposition of the starkly choreographed performance of Medea with the ordeal of the American murderess was positively haunting. The scenes of Melina the actress relaxing, bantering with the men in her life provided a mature perspective that lends balance to the whole, and gives the story a sense of permanence and worldliness.

Melina Mercouri plays Maya, a jet-setting Greek actress who returns to her homeland to undertake the role of Medea. Searching for inspiration and clues as to how a mother could kill the children she loves, Maya discovers Brenda (Ellen Burstyn), a bible-spouting American woman serving time in an Athens prison for that very crime. The actress's jail cell meetings with the murderess lead up to the movie's climax -- a gripping, parallel sequence of Maya in rehearsal/performance of the original text in Greek and Brenda's emotional reliving of the horrific night she murdered her babies. This film brings to life the woman-scorned essence and bloody passion at the heart of Medea, awaking a 2,500 year-old classic of dramatic literature.

Perhaps the best film Ellen Burstyn ever did. Mercouri, Dassin, etc., dazzle. The retelling of Medea is unbelievably powerful, astoundingly complex. A classic for the ages, but not a film for airheads. The scenery is breathtaking, particularly the part filmed in an old Greek theatre.

This film which I just saw in early February, 2009, 31 years following its original release has, obviously help up over time. It is an extremely powerful and emotional film ostensibly about the filming of the ancient Greek play of the same name by Euripides. However, there develop subplots which are alluded to earlier, then appear, adding considerable complexity to the story line. The powerful and emotional acting by Mercouri, Burstyn, and the smaller role by Katrakis, all contribute to the whole of this under appreciated film - it should be seen by everyone interested in serious film making. I look forward to seeing it again in the hope of finding even greater nuance in the unraveling of this compelling tale.