Oedipus Rex
(1967)
|
|
| 0Share... |
Oedipus Rex
(1967)
|
|
| 0Share... |
| Cast overview: | |||
| Silvana Mangano | ... | ||
| Franco Citti | ... | ||
| Alida Valli | ... |
Merope
|
|
|
|
Carmelo Bene | ... | |
| Julian Beck | ... | ||
|
|
Luciano Bartoli | ... | |
|
|
Francesco Leonetti | ... |
Laius' Servant
|
|
|
Ahmed Belhachmi | ... |
Polybus
|
|
|
Giovanni Ivan Scratuglia | ... |
Priest
(as Ivan Scratuglia)
|
|
|
Giandomenico Davoli | ... |
Shepherd
|
|
|
Ninetto Davoli | ... |
Angelo the Messenger
|
In pre-war Italy, a young couple have a baby boy. The father, however, is jealous of his son - and the scene moves to antiquity, where the baby is taken into the desert to be killed. He is rescued, given the name Edipo (Oedipus), and brought up by the King and Queen of Corinth as their son. One day an oracle informs Edipo that he is destined to kill his father and marry his mother. Horrified, he flees Corinth and his supposed parents - only to get into a fight and kill an older man on the road... Written by David Levene <D.S.Levene@durham.ac.uk>
Oedipus Rex: Oedipus Rex is a haunting experience. The final scene on the city streets is enchanting. The scene in which Oedipus kills three Roman guards is one of the finest tapestries of tension and viscera in cinema. The acting isn't worth mentioning; this film is Pasolini's triumph. It is mainly a triumph of striking and occasionally nauseating imagery. The shifts in time periods are rather tacky and simplistic in retrospect; they are done so gracefully though. The conclusion is pulled together with beautifully written dialogue that only Paolo Pasolini could deliver. The film is not one that is easily forgotten and is sure to be remembered for a long time.