Oedipus the King (1968 film)

Oedipus the King is a 1967 film directed by Philip Saville based on the Athenian tragedy Oedipus Rex by Sophocles. The film boasts an all-star cast, including Christopher Plummer as Oedipus, Lilli Palmer as Jocasta, Orson Welles as Tiresias, Richard Johnson as Creon, Roger Livesey as the Shepherd and Donald Sutherland as the leading member of the Chorus.[1][2] Sutherland's voice, however, was dubbed by other actors, British actor Valentine Dyall and British actor Patrick Allen, though Allen's voice was uncredited.

Oedipus the King
Directed byPhilip Saville
Produced byTimothy Burrill
Michael Luke
Written bySophocles
Michael Luke
Philip Saville
StarringChristopher Plummer
Lilli Palmer
Orson Welles
Richard Johnson
Music byYiannis Hristou (as Jani Christou)
CinematographyWalter Lassally
Production
company
Crossroads World Film Services, Universal Pictures
Distributed byRank Film Distributors
Release date
1967
Running time
97 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

The screenplay was originally based on Paul Roche's translation directly from the Greek published in the early 1950s. Saville's first theatrical effort, the film remained theatrical in nature, and is known for its intensive dialogue typical of an ancient play.[3][4] However, the film went a step further than the play, by actually showing, in flashback, the murder of Laius (Friedrich Ledebur). It also showed Oedipus and Jocasta in bed together, making love.

Cast

Production

Filmed in Greece at a ruined Greek theatre in Dodoni,[5] it was not seen in Europe and the U.S. until the 1970s and '80s after legal release and distribution rights were granted to video and TV and was considered a rare film.

Reception
Amphitheatre in Dodoni, filming location of the film

Despite its calibre of actors, the film was not universally well received. New York Magazine described it as "almost comical" in a September 1968 review;[6] a 1972 review said "An elaborate production, overly academic and without much force or cinematic merit."[5] However, in 1968 the Illustrated London News praised its "cinematic fluidity"[7] and Jon Solomon in 2001 said that the film was "distinguished by intensity and fine acting", with Plummer's Oedipus boasting "an arrogant, strong-willed title character". However, Solomon also remarked that the film "would never have won first prize at an ancient Athenian contest.[8] Leonard Maltin in 2006 said that the "film version of Sophocles play is OK for students who have a test on it the next day, but others won't appreciate this version."[9]

References
  1. Gillespie, Sheena; Fonseca, Terezinha (8 November 2001). Literature Across Cultures. Addison-Wesley Longman, Limited. p. 38. ISBN 978-0-205-32698-3. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
  2. MacKinnon, Kenneth (1986). Greek Tragedy Into Film. Croom Helm. p. 66. ISBN 978-0-7099-4625-0. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
  3. University of Southern California. Division of Cinema; American Film Institute; Center for Understanding Media (1968). Filmfacts. pp. 372–3. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
  4. Lazar, Moshe; Yaari, Nurit (2000). On interpretation in the arts: interdisciplinary studies in honor of Moshe Lazar. The Yolanda and David Katz Faculty of the Arts, Tel Aviv University. pp. 157–8. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
  5. Sadoul, Georges (1 September 1972). Dictionary of Films. University of California Press. p. 256. ISBN 978-0-520-02152-5. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
  6. New York Magazine. New York Media, LLC. 30 September 1968. p. 55. ISSN 0028-7369. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
  7. The Illustrated London news. The Illustrated London News & Sketch Ltd. 1968. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
  8. Solomon, Jon (8 February 2001). The Ancient World in the Cinema: Revised and Expanded Edition. Yale University Press. p. 261. ISBN 978-0-300-08337-8. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
  9. Maltin, Leonard (1998). Leonard Maltin's movie and video guide. Plume. p. 976. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
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