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

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 Antigone (1965)

User Reviews

Socratic argument through Antigone

Antigone, written by Sophocles, is a characteristic Greek tragedy where the city's king, Creon, is faced with a moral dilemma that eventually hastens his fall from grace. Set in antiquity, the movie's plot is designed to question presupposed ideas of justice and wisdom as they were seen through the ancient Greek perspective.

In the movie, the protagonist, Antigone, is faced with a moral dilemma after her king, Creon, orders that her brother should be left unburied (a terrible punishment in ancient Greek culture since it would prevent his passage through the river Styx). Eventually, Despite the king's decree, Antigone decided that her brother's death with-out burial was unjust and challenged Creon's authority to prevent his burial by performing the ritual herself. After the discovery of her crime, Creon sentences Antigone to death – an act that created a great deal of unpopularity in the kingdom and incited lines of questioning very similar to contemporary Socratic arguments.

Creon's decision to sentence Antigone to death and her brother to a hellish afterlife were seen as unjust and despotic by the people of Thebes and caused his wisdom/authority to be questioned. Since ancient Greeks believed that the Sovereign set the morality of their city state, the act of questioning alone represents Socratic argument. Sophocles sets up questioning, in a manner very similar to Socratic arguments made through Euthyphro and Apology, by using Creon's own son and oracle to test Creon's judgment in an attempt to show that just being a king does not make someone wise or knowledgeable of justice.

The morality of Antigone eventually surfaces after Creon's fall from grace. At the end of the movie, Creon finally sees the error of his ways but Sophocles uses his downfall to express how even king's judgment can be governed through hubris instead of actual wisdom.

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