Kravgi gynaikon (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:

greek tragedy | greece | religious nut | chorus | reference to ingmar bergman | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

Greece Switzerland

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

Features Persona (1966)

User Reviews

To prepare for the role of Medea,,an actress interviews an American woman imprisoned for a crime like Medea's: the murder of her own children.

I saw this movie many years ago, and cannot forget it. It is one of the most powerful movie about women's lives ever made. Not too many women actually murder their children (thank G-d), but in my opinion that aspect of the story was secondary, it was a specific case used to tell a general, universal story about women's dependence on men, and what it takes for a woman to actually break free of that dependence. The juxtaposition of the starkly choreographed performance of Medea with the ordeal of the American murderess was positively haunting. The scenes of Melina the actress relaxing, bantering with the men in her life provided a mature perspective that lends balance to the whole, and gives the story a sense of permanence and worldliness.