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Medea More at IMDbPro »
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| Index | 14 reviews in total |
16 out of 20 people found the following review useful:
Stunning - a schocking masterpiece, burns itself into your mind!, 14 November 1998
Author:
Henryk von Babenberg from Hamburg, Germany
Lars von Trier´s adaptation of the ancient Greek play (HIS tribute to Carl
Th. Dreyer, who originally wrote the manuscript but never got around to
filming it) is absolutely stunning.
The actors´ performances (above all Kirsten Olesen, incidentally one of
Denmark´s top actresses makes you gasp), the wide landscapes and carefully
selected sparse dialogue, but especially Lars von Trier´s direction makes
this film a shocking look into the disturbed mind of a woman who has been
scorned and left. Medea´s revenge is horrible but never unbelievable. She
does what every sane person would do, when deprived of all that she loves.
The film burns itself into your mind
and leaves you with a lasting impression of what human misery can be
like.
A veritable piece of art, belonging up there with most of von Trier´s works
- and above all up there with ALL of Dreyer´s works!
10 out of 11 people found the following review useful:
A very grim tale, 7 May 2005
Author:
Atavisten from Tellus
Wow, this is an inspired film. It takes the myth of Jason written by
Euripedes and a script by Carl Th. Dreyer, boths testimony has been
proved by the test of time and makes a fantastic low budget masterpiece
epic of it. Some people think that its production values spoils the
experience, but I would like to ask them this: would Claude Monets
paintings look better if they were polished? We see into the fabric of
film here and I think that only heightens the realism or it makes me
believe it the more as a film, if the focus was on making it look real
several other things would get lost.
How big the debt to Dreyers movies are I cant tell as I haven't seen
any of his work yet due to poor availability, but as huge it seems it
actually makes me a big fan of Dreyer himself, which von Trier also is
and don't try to hide.
Metaphors are a plenty here and somehow it works, experiments with
filming, post production and so on is evident and really made this a
wonderful testimony to an inspired mind. Respect to Lars! Especially
for the water scenes, the wind, the golden fleece ...
Art direction may not be 100% historically correct, but it looks very
good, Medea herself must have inspired 'Orbital' for their 'The Box'
music video some years later.
The revenge she gets are the most raw and brutal I have seen by the
way.
11 out of 13 people found the following review useful:
Great Film!, 4 August 2004
Author:
bscowler from Seattle, WA
"Medea" is a truly haunting film, but you have to be a true lover of
cinema to appreciate this gem.
The cinematography is ground-breaking, and at times it's hard to figure
out exactly how the images are being filmed. Sometimes it appears that
the film was shot, then filmed again off of a television screen. That's
not to say that the images aren't beautiful and breathtaking, just that
they're a little unorthodox.
I won't go into the storyline, as you can read the synopsis above, but
rest assured, if you're a film buff who truly appreciates a fluid film
that rewards the eyes, mind, ears, and heart, this film will leave you
very satisfied.
On the other hand, if you're a high school girl who is more interested
in checking the text messages on her cell phone than watching the
required film in class, then you'd better go down to the multi-plex
real quick.
13 out of 17 people found the following review useful:
Trier's Best Work, 23 June 2004
Author:
kethryes_amazon (kethryes_amazon@yahoo.gr) from Athens
It is a masterpiece, it is a perfect adaptation of the Greek tragedy
Medea from Euripides, a version where the Gods willing and intervations
are absent. Medea is the tragic character that after helping Jason in
the Voyage of the Argonauts (myth says that she has even sacrificed her
own brother for Jason's success), she gets from him only betrayal, as
he arranges to marry the King's of Corinth daughter. The king decides
to exile Medea, as she is a danger for his daughter happiness, but
Medea asks from him just a day… before she goes outside the borders.
That day Medea gets her revenge….. That day we see how Jason is
demystified, driven by his lust for a young princess becomes a tragic
character. Jason is a man driven by women's strength and willing, he
reached the levels of heroism because of a woman, he seeks to get more
strength with the help of another woman, who guides him with her sexual
power. We see the tragic abandoned woman, taking revenge sacrificing
her own children in the name of proving that she still has the power to
drive his husband emotions. Is it that also true in our societies? How
many times children are the mean for adults' revenge?
Medea's story shown through an epic atmosphere. It is a film perfectly
directed. Trier used so nicely light and nature in order to transfer to
us the whole atmosphere of tragedy. A tragedy that is created by humans
and not Gods…. A story that can be met in our civilized neighbourhood,
a story that has for sure heard in the news. As about the actors… a
fabulous cast makes this film a work of art. I am glad that I 've found
it in the store, I am glad I watched it.
6 out of 8 people found the following review useful:
one of the most schocking experience, 13 October 1998
Author:
nora rockenbauer from Hungary
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
Hardly ever a movie disturbed my emotions as much as Lars von Trier's Medea
did. When I left the cinema I was unable to do anything for more than an
hour but to think about the pictures I had seen and the tragic fate of Medea
and her family. And that was not because I hadn't known the story before the
screening but because of the paste and tone of the film as well as the
superb acting of Kristin Olsen. I wonder if I can ever forget the scene when
her older son gives her a robe to help her to complete her fatal task, or
when the same boy goes after the younger one and brings him back so that he
could be the object of their mother's revenge.
It is very sad that this Danish tv adaptation of this Greek play can hardly
ever be seen. So film lovers in Budapest are really lucky that this year's
Titanic Festival featured several films of Trier; including Breaking the
Waves as well as Epidemic and Europe which also must be
seen.
6 out of 9 people found the following review useful:
Dreyer Would be Pleased . . ., 15 March 1999
Author:
jacksflicks from Hollywood
. . . though he might have preferred black and white. But that's no criticism. This film evokes The Passion of Joan of Arc, with its stark intimacy; and Vampyr, with its trancelike movement and strange lighting. If ever there were a film that could capture tragic Greek myth, it's this one.
7 out of 11 people found the following review useful:
Medea by Lars Triers, 17 March 2006
Author:
sixwings from United States
Brilliant expose' and depiction of the classical Greek play. I never
had any feeling of sympathy for the character of Medea. I always found
her murderous rage against her husband reprehensible. No hatred or
anger can justify murdering one's own children. But for the first time,
I felt a sadness and compassion towards Medea. Lar Triers treatment and
subsequent rendition of Medea's plight made me think of her more than
just as a "woman scorned" and I finally understood what moved her to
this sacrilegious act of infanticide. Jason was her entire life and the
one that she should have killed. So in his absence, she slew his
progeny. She wanted to wipe any trace of him from the earth and from
her heart. So she destroyed everything at once including herself. There
would never be any chance of returning after this unforgivable act.
This is the definitive Medea. Lars Triers deserves praise for bringing
this tragedy into focus. For making Medea human instead of a monster he
deserves our gratitude.
2 out of 3 people found the following review useful:
When narcissism bleeds..., 29 January 2011
Author:
K night from Brazil
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
It's very clear that Lars von Trier has a penchant for digging his nails into the festering wounds of the human psyche, which is almost invariably grist for the psychopathological mill. An asset of this film is that, in disarming the legend of Medea of its fantastic/mythical qualities, and thus "reducing" it to a story about a rejected woman who seeks revenge for the slight committed against her, it resonate a lot more with everyday experience, allowing it to shape itself according to our notion of reality. This can be terrifying, especially with the subject matter at hand. Some authors have argues that there is an infanticidal urge in all mothers, whether conscious or not (usually the latter). Those who act on it are usually portrayed as demonic and/or insane. This is a massive denial of the murderous tendencies present in all living creatures, a denial which seems necessary since it allows people to have some semblance of control over their minds and actions. But, given the right circumstances, the illusion is shattered, and a new balance needs to be reached. In the case of Medea, her narcissistic wound is too great to bear, yet the perpetrator cannot be attacked directly (for whatever reason). Her sexuality is rejected, thus she proceeds to destroy any evidence of his. She murders his bride-to-be as well as some of her family members. The epitome of her acts is the killing of her 2 children, which happens in a very matter-of-fact manner. The "intruder complex" can be felt in the mind of the eldest son, who gladly assists in killing the younger brother, pulling him down as he hangs helplessly from the tree. He thus fulfills his own unconscious wish of destroying his uterine rival. Her "psychogenic sterility" is accomplished, and she can depart. Again, the more realistic tones to the film are a huge asset.. she sits on a ship, waiting for the tide to carry them away... had the golden chariot of Helios, pulled by winged dragons, flown her away holding her dead sons with her, perhaps the impact wouldn't have stuck... score one for the director.
2 out of 3 people found the following review useful:
Medea is an example of expressionism in film, a modern masterpiece., 7 April 2005
Author:
raysgalsabrina from United States
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
I greatly enjoyed this movie, though I must admit I at first had my doubts. One must remember the date of the film, and keep in mind that the format and visualizations are purposefully done. The grains and warm and cool tones are part of the portrait painted throughout this movie. Many scenes bring to mind what one may see standing in front of a masterpiece hung in a gallery. It is an emotional experience. True, it has moments where perhaps the viewer would like to skip through, such as a mundane shot of a marsh field or the bubbling of the water... but I must say that the scenes from the Queen's murder on (the last 15 minutes of the film) are worth seeing! Watching Medea hang her sons was heartbreaking, and portrayed in a very unique way for this story.
1 out of 2 people found the following review useful:
An organic catharsis, 20 October 2009
Author:
Helbodk from Denmark
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
Never before have I seen a movie, in which the link between human fate
and nature, is so profoundly explored. From start to end, this compact
and harrowing tragedy is enveloped in water, fog, wind and dirt. Every
utterance and emotion of the characters are tied to a series of
compelling naturalistic shots, conjured up by Trier's genius. The
fluidity, precision, imagination and nerve of the images, makes the
story resonate on a spiritual level. To me such beauty is beyond
rational comprehension. I can just say that my heart raced throughout,
and several scenes brought me to the brink of tears. Especially when
the poisoned horse tears free and feverishly runs to its demise, in
turn sealing Glauce's doom.
Medea will remain in my heart for the rest of my life. This truly is
immortal art.
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