Electra movie storyline. Agamemnon returns victorious to Mycenae after the end of the costly Trojan War, only to die at the hands of his conniving, unfaithful wife, Clytemnestra, and her lover, Aegisthus. As Agamemnon’s son, Orestes, is secretly sent away by his mentor, the king’s beautiful daughter, Electra, stays in Mycenae only to witness her mother’s wedding to Aegisthus. More and more, fierce hatred and the thirst for retribution replace her innocence, forcing her to weave an elaborate scheme.
As a result, when Orestes returns home, the determined siblings summon up the courage to murder duplicitous Aegisthus, making sure that their adulterous mother, too, shares the same fate with him. Now, shocked by the double homicide, the people of Mycenae demand justice, banishing Electra and Orestis forever from Argos. Can they find atonement after matricide?
Electra (Greek: Ηλέκτρα Ilektra) is a 1962 Greek film based on the play Electra, written by Euripides. It was directed by Michael Cacoyannis, as the first installment of his “Greek tragedy” trilogy, followed by The Trojan Women in 1971 and Iphigenia in 1977. It starred Irene Papas in the lead role as Elektra, and Giannis Fertis as Orestis.
The film was entered into the 1962 Cannes Film Festival where it won the award of Best Cinematic Transposition. The film was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. The film also won three awards in Thessaloniki Film Festival, for best film and best director (Michalis Cacoyannis) and best actress (Irene Papas).
Electra (1962)
Directed by: Michael Cacoyannis
Starring: rene Papas, Giannis Fertis, Aleka Katselli, Manos Katrakis, Notis Peryalis, Fivos Razi, Takis Emmanuel, Theano Ioannidou, Malaina Anousaki, Theodoros Dimitriou, Elsie Pittas
Screenplay by: Michael Cacoyannis
Cinematography by: Walter Lassally
Film Editing by: Leonidas Antonakis
Costume Design by: Spyros Vasileiou
Art Direction by: Spyros Vasileiou
Makeup Department: Nikos Varveris
Music by: Mikis Theodorakis
MPAA Rating: None.
Distributed by: Lopert Pictures Corporation (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
Release Date: December 17, 1962 (New York City)
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