Sophocles' immortal tragedy Antigone receives a definitive cinematic interpretation in this 1961 film. Irene Papas (Z, The Trojan Women, The Guns Of Navarone) heads a cast of over 500 actors of the Greek stage and screen, joined by soldiers and horsemen of the Greek Royal Guard. Performing in the original Greek, Papas and, in particular, Manos Katrakis as the tyrannical Theban King Creon, embody Sophocles' timeless themes with earthy conviction and irresistible passion. In the aftermath of a bloody civil war that fatally pitted both her brothers against each other, Antigone (Papas), daughter of Oedipus, picks through the carnage outside the gates of Thebes in search of her fallen siblings' bodies. Vowing to bury both men, Antigone defies a direct edict from Thebes ' King Creon that Antigone's rebel brother remain unsanctioned for having led the insurrection. Antigone's defiance of Creon and devotion to her shattered family divides the city of Thebes, threatens her sister's betrothal to Creon's son and invokes the wrath of a king willing to defy the gods themselves to satisfy his selfish vengeance. But by condemning Antigone, Creon unwittingly doomed himself to a sentence far crueler than any punishment he could inflict on his enemies. While remaining faithful to the original text, director Georges Tzavellas interprets Antigone as an intimate black and white epic that recalls Orsen Welles' Macbeth and Laurence Oliver's filmed Hamlet. As relevant now as it was in the fourth century BC, Antigone's riche tapestry, love and fate comes vividly to life in this superior film adaption.

ANTIGONE (DVD MOVIE)

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Following the ending of "Oedipus the King," Oedipus was exiled from Thebes, blind and a beggar. We also learn from "Oedipus at Colonus" that his sons, Eteocles and Polyneices engaged in a civil war for the throne of Thebes. The two brothers kill each other and Creon (Manos Katrakis), brother of Jocasta, becomes king. He orders that Eteocles, who nobly defended his city, shall receive an honorable burial, but that Polyneices, for leading the Argive invaders, shall be left unburied. This leads Antigone (Pappas), sister to both of the slain brothers, to have to choose between obeying the rule of the state, the dictates of familial binds, and the will of the gods.

It is too easy to see the issues of this play, first performed in the 5th century B.C., as being reflected in a host of more contemporary concerns, where the conscience of the individual conflicts with the dictates of the state. The conflict in "Antigone" is not so clear cut: Creon has the right to punish a traitor and to expect loyal citizens to obey. Ismene (Maro Kodou), Antigone's sister, chooses to obey, but Antigone takes a different path. The fact that the "burial" of her brother consists of the token gesture of throwing dirt upon his face, only serves to underscore the ambiguity of the situation Sophocles is developing. Even though the playwright strips Creon of his son, Haemon (Nikos Kazis) and wife, Eurydice (Ilia Livykou) by the end of the drama, it is not a fatal verdict rendered against the king's judgment, but rather the playing out of the tragedy to its grim conclusion.

The more you know about the conventions of the Greek theater, the more you will enjoy this filmed performances. The cast manages to maintain the formalities of the ancient drama while infusing the performances with more modern, naturalistic techniques of acting. Pappas is at the center of the performance just as her character is at the heart of the play. I have seen her in a few roles where she has performed in English, but they only hinted at the legendary passions she displays in this film. This is the one for which you will remember Irene Pappas as an actress.

42 of 44 found the following review helpful:

Good film, but DVD suffers from poor transfer qualitySep 22, 2004
By Ludix
Irene Pappas is terrific as Antigone, and Manos Katrakis very impressive as Creon (with occasional moments of overacting). Despite the presence of hundreds of extras, the costumes and settings look a bit cheesy by today's standards. But with a story this great, and acting to match, it seems nit-picky to complain.

Unfortunately, the DVD was made from a dirty print. No restoration appears to have been attempted, and the video compression quality is very poor. Even so, this disc is a must-see for lovers of classic Greek drama and fans of Irene Pappas.

18 of 18 found the following review helpful:

Wow!!Oct 31, 2002
By Margaret Dybala "too many books, too little time"
Irene Pappas was the greatest!! I loved this Antigone. I imagine that everyone who would order this knows the story, so no need to go into it. The passion and range of Ms. Pappas is incredible. This is an extremely high quality presentation. Every lover of Greek theater should have this!

3 of 3 found the following review helpful:

Needs viewing thriceMay 20, 2004
By bernie "webviator"
It is true the more knowledge of the play by Sophocles and of Greek plays in general the more you can appreciate this rendition. However the interesting thing about this presentation is you can start from ground zero and come away with everything the tragedy is about. Even though the story is well know I will not go through it incase this is your first time.

There is an introduction to bring you up to date from Oedipus through his descendents and history to today where you meet Antigone and her sister Ismene. Their decisions partially ordained and those of the new king Creon decide the outcome. You may find yourself quoting this play as you would Shakespeare's plays.

The reason for watching it multiple times is the first time around you may be busy reading the subtitles of which some flash and are gone. The second time around you may keep an eye on the acting. The third you will get used to the Greek and even if you do not speak it you will find much filled in that was not sub titled. By now you will be hooked and have to watch it periodically.

Electra ~ Irene Papas

2 of 2 found the following review helpful:

Sophocles' CreonApr 14, 2010
By F. S. L'hoir
I would rate this DVD three-and-one-half stars. As ever, Irene Papas is excellent as the protagonist, but unfortunately she is on the screen for so short a time that the film does not do her justice. Instead the tragedy focuses on the dead Jocasta's brother, Creon, who has become King of Thebes after the exile and death of Oedipus. One of the most interesting sections of the film is seeing the stychomythia--the fast exchange of single lines that heighten the emotional impact--between Creon and his son Haemon. The chorus has been reduced to a voice-over, with curly grey-bearded elders standing about only suggesting a chorus.

I found the production rather old-fashioned and heavy-handed in a Hollywoodish sort of way (if one can say that about a Greek production) in that there is an ongoing soundtrack that features blaring horns and reedy instruments that only detract from the drama. I'm afraid that "Antigone" simply does not compare to Cocoyannis' "Electra" in which Irene Papas is given the entire film to display her remarkable abilities as an actress of the first magnitude.

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