A Dream of Passion (1978)

Melina Mercouri plays an actress who is attempting a comeback with a staging of the Greek tragedy "Medea" (about a woman who kills her children) in her native Greece. As a publicity stunt, ... See full summary »

Director:

Jules Dassin

Writers:

Jules Dassin, Euripides (play)

Stars:

Melina Mercouri, Ellen Burstyn, Andréas Voutsinas

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 3 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Melina Mercouri	...	Maya / Medea
Ellen Burstyn	...	Brenda Collins
Andréas Voutsinas	...	Kostas
Despo Diamantidou	...	Maria
Dimitris Papamichael	...	Dimitris / Jason
Giannis Voglis	...	Edward
Faidon Georgitsis	...	Ronny
Betty Valassi	...	Margaret
Andreas Filippides	...	Stathis
Irene Emirza	...	Diana
Panos Papaioannou	...	Manos
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Kostas Arzoglou	...	Bible Student
Savvas Axiotis	...	Soundman
Katerina Bourlou	...	Medea Chorus
Foteini Filosofou	...	Medea Chorus

Storyline

Melina Mercouri plays an actress who is attempting a comeback with a staging of the Greek tragedy "Medea" (about a woman who kills her children) in her native Greece. As a publicity stunt, she arranges a meeting with an American woman (Ellen Burstyn) who is serving a prison term for killing her own children. Features Mercouri performing "Medea" in the original, intercut with Burstyn narrating her crime.

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Plot Keywords:

women's prison | greek tragedy | greece | religious nut | chorus | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

Greece Switzerland USA

Language:

English Greek

Release Date:

August 1978 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Dream of Passion

Filming Locations:

Greece

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bren, Melina Film

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Did You Know?

Connections

Referenced in Saturday Night Live: Ellen Burstyn/Aretha Franklin/Keith Sykes (1980)

User Reviews

Extremely powerful film with complex plot, subplots, and with excellent acting.

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.