Antigone (1961)

Antigone defies her uncle's decree that her traitorous brother should go unburied and therefore find no rest in the afterlife; however, her actions have tragic consequences.

Director:

Yorgos Tzavellas (as George Tzavellas)

Writers:

Sophocles (play), Yorgos Tzavellas (screenplay) (as George Tzavellas)

Stars:

Irene Papas, Manos Katrakis, Maro Kodou

3 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Irene Papas	...	Antigone
Manos Katrakis	...	Creon
Maro Kodou	...	Ismene
Nikos Kazis	...	Haemon
Ilia Livykou	...	Eurydice
Giannis Argyris	...	A Sentry
Byron Pallis	...	A Messenger
Tzavalas Karousos	...	Tieresias
Thodoros Moridis	...	First Elder of Thebes
Giorgos Vlahopoulos	...	Elder of Thebes
Yorgos Karetas	...	Elder of Thebes
Thanasis Kefalopoulos	...	Elder of Thebes
H. Bourgatzas	...	Elder of Thebes
I. Garifalidis	...	Elder of Thebes
A. Kakoulidis	...	Elder of Thebes

Storyline

In the Ancient Greek city of Thebes, King Oedipus killed his father and married his mother Jocasta, having two sons - Eteocles and Polynieces - and two daughters - Ismene and Antigone. King Oedipus died a beggar in the exile after gouging out his own eyes, and Eteocles agreed to reign in Thebes in alternating years with Polynieces. However, Eteocles refuses to resign after the first year and Polynieces is exiled. Polynieces raises an army and attacks Thebes, and the two brothers kill each other. Crean, the new ruler of Thebes Creon decrees that Eteocles should have an honorable burial while the body of the traitor Polynieces should be left on the battlefield to be eaten by jackals and vultures. However, Antigone, who was betrothed to Creon's surviving son Haemon, defies Creon's orders and buries her brother. When Creon is reported of the attitude of Antigone, he sentences her to be sealed in a tomb alive. Antigone hangs herself in the tomb and Haemon tries to kill his father first and...

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Plot Keywords:

greek mythology | reference to sophocles' antigone | reference to antigone | female protagonist | character name as title | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Greece

Language:

Greek

Release Date:

22 January 1962 (Greece)

Also Known As:

Rites for the Dead

Filming Locations:

Alfa Studios, Athens, Greece

Company Credits

Production Co:

Norma Film Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The movie was screened during 1961-1962 and sold 43,705 tickets. It came 12th out of 68 movies.

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Connections

Version of Gran teatro: Antigona (1961)

User Reviews

A Greek Tragedy of Sophocles

In Thebes in ancient Greece, King Oedipus kills his father and marries his mother Jocasta, having two sons – Eteocles and Polyneices – and two daughters – Ismene and Antigone. King Oedipus dies a beggar in the exile after gouging out his own eye, and Eteocle agrees to reign in Thebes in alternating years with Polynices. However, he refuses to resign after the first year and Polynieces raises an army and attacks Thebes, and they kill each other.

The ruler of Thebes Creon (Manos Katrakis) decrees that Eleocles should have an honorable burial while the body of the traitor Polyneices should be left on the battlefield to be eaten by the jackals and vultures. However, Antigone (Irene Papas), who was betrothed to Creon's surviving son Haemon (Nikos Kazis), defies Creon's orders and buries her brother. When Creon is reported of the attitude of Antigone, he sentences her to be placed in a tomb alive. Antigone hangs herself in the tomb and Haemon tries to kill his father first and then he kills himself with his sword. When Creon's wife Eurydice (Ilia Livykou) is informed of the death of her son, she also commits suicide, leaving Creon alone.

The theatrical "Antigoni" is a nice feature about the famous Greek tragedy of Sophocles focused in Antigone, the incestuous daughter of Oedipus and therefore also his half-sister and Jocasta's granddaughter. The movie begins with an important big picture of Thebes and the major characters of that period, and is extremely well acted. This is the first time that I watch this movie and I saw it in an American VHS. I only regret the quality of the subtitles that are visibly too much summarized since there are long speeches of characters that are translated in two or three words in English. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): Not Available