The Cannes Film Festival officially kicks off today with the latest from Quentin Dupieux, but Francis Ford Coppola has decided to truly begin the festivities with a bang. After a brief, enticing tease earlier this month, he’s now debuted the epic first trailer for Megalopolis, chock full of jaw-dropping images that has us counting down the hours until Thursday’s world premiere. “Our new film Megalopolis is the best work I’ve ever had the privilege to preside over,” notes Coppola with the trailer.
Along with French distribution from Le Pacte, the film was also picked up by Constantin Film for Germany and all German-speaking territories, including Switzerland and Austria; Eagle Pictures for Italy; Tripictures for Spain; and Entertainment Film Distributors Limited for the U.K., per Deadline. A U.S. deal has yet to be announced, but here’s hoping it comes during the festival.
“My first goal...
Along with French distribution from Le Pacte, the film was also picked up by Constantin Film for Germany and all German-speaking territories, including Switzerland and Austria; Eagle Pictures for Italy; Tripictures for Spain; and Entertainment Film Distributors Limited for the U.K., per Deadline. A U.S. deal has yet to be announced, but here’s hoping it comes during the festival.
“My first goal...
- 5/14/2024
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
I’ve predicted Megalopolis, anticipated as it is, will have a clear dividing point: the cultural commentariat hoping to see “another film by the director of The Godfather” and those who appreciate “something that looks and sounds like a Star Wars prequel.” I am very firmly in the latter, was duly excited by the first image, and can only be pleased with the time-stopping debut teaser, arriving today via Le Pacte.
It comes with a sad addenedum. Coppola, sharing the teaser on Instagram, noted:
Megalopolis has always been a film dedicated to my dear wife Eleanor. I really had hoped to celebrate her birthday together this May 4th. But sadly that was not to be, so let me share with everyone a gift on her behalf.
As Coppola recently told Vanity Fair, “I wouldn’t have been able to make it without standing as I do on the shoulders of G.B. Shaw,...
It comes with a sad addenedum. Coppola, sharing the teaser on Instagram, noted:
Megalopolis has always been a film dedicated to my dear wife Eleanor. I really had hoped to celebrate her birthday together this May 4th. But sadly that was not to be, so let me share with everyone a gift on her behalf.
As Coppola recently told Vanity Fair, “I wouldn’t have been able to make it without standing as I do on the shoulders of G.B. Shaw,...
- 5/4/2024
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
Now that Francis Ford Coppola has unveiled his long-in-the-works epic Megalopolis to buyers and the industry, we’re just a few weeks away from its official premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. As he hopefully secures U.S. distribution soon, the first look has finally arrived.
Featuring Adam Driver and Nathalie Emmanuel towering above the metropolis, the first image comes courtesy from Vanity Fair, who also share a few new quotes from Coppola himself. “My first goal always is to make a film with all my heart, so I began to realize it would be about love and loyalty in every aspect of human life,” said the director. “Megalopolis echoed these sentiments, in which love was expressed in almost crystalline complexity, our planet in danger and our human family almost in an act of suicide, until becoming a very optimistic film that has faith in the human being to possess...
Featuring Adam Driver and Nathalie Emmanuel towering above the metropolis, the first image comes courtesy from Vanity Fair, who also share a few new quotes from Coppola himself. “My first goal always is to make a film with all my heart, so I began to realize it would be about love and loyalty in every aspect of human life,” said the director. “Megalopolis echoed these sentiments, in which love was expressed in almost crystalline complexity, our planet in danger and our human family almost in an act of suicide, until becoming a very optimistic film that has faith in the human being to possess...
- 4/30/2024
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
As a Greek, it is always both weird and interesting to watch works that draw from the Classics in Asian cinema, but this exact thing happened once more, this time in a stage play, with “Medea and her Double”, a Korean rendition of Euripides’s tragedy “Medea”, being performed in Poland.
“Medea and her Double” is screening at InlanDimensions
Limb Hyoung-taek’s rendition actually starts a bit before the original, showing Medea running away with her lover Jason after a period of flirting, and eventually giving birth to his two children. However, eventually Jason leaves and marries Glauce, the daughter of Creon, to further his quest for riches and power. Burning with anger and feeling a sense of intense injustice, Medea draws a plan to take revenge on everyone that wronged her, but eventually she decides to go even further.
Limb directs a play that combines a number of different...
“Medea and her Double” is screening at InlanDimensions
Limb Hyoung-taek’s rendition actually starts a bit before the original, showing Medea running away with her lover Jason after a period of flirting, and eventually giving birth to his two children. However, eventually Jason leaves and marries Glauce, the daughter of Creon, to further his quest for riches and power. Burning with anger and feeling a sense of intense injustice, Medea draws a plan to take revenge on everyone that wronged her, but eventually she decides to go even further.
Limb directs a play that combines a number of different...
- 10/1/2023
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
This post contains spoilers for the second episode of "Yellowjackets" season 2.
Well, it finally happened. After a full season spent alluding to potential acts of cannibalism that took place during the Yellowjackets' time in the wilderness, the second season of the hit Showtime series dove right in with a dark feast featuring long-dead Jackie (Ella Purnell) as the main course.
After Shauna's (Sophie Nélisse) ear snack last week, "Yellowjackets" finally broached the topic of cannibalism at the end of the new season's second episode, in a scene that makes the desperate measure seem at once disgusting, divine, and eerily understandable. It's a nearly wordless scene that begins when a strong smell wakes up the girls inside the cabin. They attempted to cremate Jackie's body, and the smell of her charred flesh hits their nostrils like the aroma of a backyard barbecue. "She wants us to," hungry, pregnant Shauna says...
Well, it finally happened. After a full season spent alluding to potential acts of cannibalism that took place during the Yellowjackets' time in the wilderness, the second season of the hit Showtime series dove right in with a dark feast featuring long-dead Jackie (Ella Purnell) as the main course.
After Shauna's (Sophie Nélisse) ear snack last week, "Yellowjackets" finally broached the topic of cannibalism at the end of the new season's second episode, in a scene that makes the desperate measure seem at once disgusting, divine, and eerily understandable. It's a nearly wordless scene that begins when a strong smell wakes up the girls inside the cabin. They attempted to cremate Jackie's body, and the smell of her charred flesh hits their nostrils like the aroma of a backyard barbecue. "She wants us to," hungry, pregnant Shauna says...
- 3/31/2023
- by Valerie Ettenhofer
- Slash Film
Content Warning: This article contains spoilers for House of the Dragon season 1 and discussion of birth trauma and stillbirth.
The childbirth scenes in House of the Dragon have been a talking point among fans online since the horrifying Cesarean section depicted in the first episode. Some of what we’re seeing on the show represents things we’ve seen before – screaming mothers, pacing fathers, crying infants. But there are aspects of childbirth presented on House of the Dragon that we hardly ever see on mainstream television, and that’s really exciting.
Mainstream TV dramas have been showing more and more of the gory details of childbirth over the years and some shows have given us memorable birth-and-labor sequences. We’ve seen a couple having sex in an attempt to help labor along in Outlander, the tragic death of a woman from undiagnosed eclampsia in Downton Abbey, and the exact same...
The childbirth scenes in House of the Dragon have been a talking point among fans online since the horrifying Cesarean section depicted in the first episode. Some of what we’re seeing on the show represents things we’ve seen before – screaming mothers, pacing fathers, crying infants. But there are aspects of childbirth presented on House of the Dragon that we hardly ever see on mainstream television, and that’s really exciting.
Mainstream TV dramas have been showing more and more of the gory details of childbirth over the years and some shows have given us memorable birth-and-labor sequences. We’ve seen a couple having sex in an attempt to help labor along in Outlander, the tragic death of a woman from undiagnosed eclampsia in Downton Abbey, and the exact same...
- 10/25/2022
- by Alec Bojalad
- Den of Geek
Fifteen years ago, the term “elevated” and “horror” rarely shared the same sentence, lest someone was talking about the setting of Snakes on a Plane; found footage was considered the spookiest new trend in terrifying audiences; and at least according to box office receipts, October signaled one thing: It was time for a new Saw movie.
So, yes, things have changed a lot in horror and the larger moviemaking landscape in the years since Den of Geek launched in 2007. And through it all, we’ve been there to cover how 21st century horror cinema seemed to come of age. After the 2000s were generally considered a low point in the art form of making audiences panic—although there are some notable exceptions, including more than a few below—the 2010s saw a renaissance in the genre. Whether they be “elevated” or entertaining crowdpleasers that know how to say boo, there...
So, yes, things have changed a lot in horror and the larger moviemaking landscape in the years since Den of Geek launched in 2007. And through it all, we’ve been there to cover how 21st century horror cinema seemed to come of age. After the 2000s were generally considered a low point in the art form of making audiences panic—although there are some notable exceptions, including more than a few below—the 2010s saw a renaissance in the genre. Whether they be “elevated” or entertaining crowdpleasers that know how to say boo, there...
- 10/14/2022
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
Despite being the third actor to play the role inside of six years, it’s no small thing to portray the Clown Prince of Crime. Indeed, as soon as The Batman opened in theaters last month, almost the entire internet chatter was about that cameo where out of seemingly nowhere, Barry Keoghan showed up under heavy prosthetics as an unnamed Arkham Asylum inmate. One who is obviously the Joker.
With his intensely disfigured facial scars and green hair he stands a long way from either Joaquin Phoenix’s Oscar winning Mistah J or the one portrayed by Jared Leto in Suicide Squad. He even has little in common with the last Joker to have a major appearance in a Batman movie, the unforgettable Heath Ledger. But that is unmistakably the Joker who consoles Paul Dano’s Riddler about his plan going sideways, just as it’s unmistakably Barry Keoghan giving...
With his intensely disfigured facial scars and green hair he stands a long way from either Joaquin Phoenix’s Oscar winning Mistah J or the one portrayed by Jared Leto in Suicide Squad. He even has little in common with the last Joker to have a major appearance in a Batman movie, the unforgettable Heath Ledger. But that is unmistakably the Joker who consoles Paul Dano’s Riddler about his plan going sideways, just as it’s unmistakably Barry Keoghan giving...
- 4/23/2022
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
American stage and screen actor who won an Oscar for her role in the 1987 film Moonstruck
After more than two decades of distinguished work in the US theatre as an actor, director and teacher, and appearances in a dozen or so films, Olympia Dukakis, who has died aged 89, became hugely famous overnight by winning the best supporting actress Oscar in 1988 for her performance as Cher’s mother in the romantic film Moonstruck (1987).
The course of her career suggests that her ambitions never lay in the direction of Hollywood. Her theatrical credits read like the canon of classic and modern plays: she had roles in plays by Euripides, Sophocles, Shakespeare, Chekhov, Ibsen, Lorca, Pirandello, Brecht, Eugene O’Neill and Tennessee Williams, on and off Broadway, as well as in various regional theatres across the country. In films, she took on several character roles, making an impression in scores of pictures for more than half a century.
After more than two decades of distinguished work in the US theatre as an actor, director and teacher, and appearances in a dozen or so films, Olympia Dukakis, who has died aged 89, became hugely famous overnight by winning the best supporting actress Oscar in 1988 for her performance as Cher’s mother in the romantic film Moonstruck (1987).
The course of her career suggests that her ambitions never lay in the direction of Hollywood. Her theatrical credits read like the canon of classic and modern plays: she had roles in plays by Euripides, Sophocles, Shakespeare, Chekhov, Ibsen, Lorca, Pirandello, Brecht, Eugene O’Neill and Tennessee Williams, on and off Broadway, as well as in various regional theatres across the country. In films, she took on several character roles, making an impression in scores of pictures for more than half a century.
- 5/2/2021
- by Ronald Bergan
- The Guardian - Film News
First of all, sorry if this bursts anyone’s bubble, but sadly Xena: Warrior Princess is not a ‘real’ character from Greek myth. Whereas Hercules and Iolaus from Hercules: The Legendary Journeys are both important characters from Greek mythology, the three most important characters in Xena: Warrior Princess – Xena, Gabrielle, and Callisto – are all original characters with entirely original stories.
Xena does have things in common with some characters from Greek myth. Most obviously, the Amazons are a ‘real’ Greek myth – not a real people, but a mythical tribe who appear in numerous stories from Greek mythology. They were described as a tribe of warrior women, who cut off one breast to make it easier to shoot arrows – oddly enough, the show left out that detail!
The closest non-Amazon character to Xena is probably Atalanta, a huntress who killed centaurs with arrows (with both breasts intact), won a wrestling...
Xena does have things in common with some characters from Greek myth. Most obviously, the Amazons are a ‘real’ Greek myth – not a real people, but a mythical tribe who appear in numerous stories from Greek mythology. They were described as a tribe of warrior women, who cut off one breast to make it easier to shoot arrows – oddly enough, the show left out that detail!
The closest non-Amazon character to Xena is probably Atalanta, a huntress who killed centaurs with arrows (with both breasts intact), won a wrestling...
- 11/4/2020
- by Louisa Mellor
- Den of Geek
Starring: Peter Breck, Constance Towers, Larry Tucker, Gene Evans, Hari Rhodes, James Best | Written and Directed by Samuel Fuller
The prolific Samuel Fuller carved a niche – or perhaps a gutter – in making exploitation shockers just outside the Hollywood studio system. His had an ability to elevate trash material to something approaching art. Writer and producer on most of his movies, he undoubtedly wielded enough control to be regarded as an auteur.
He also had high-minded ideas. Shock Corridor opens and closes with a quote from the controversial Greek tragedian Euripides: “Whom God wishes to destroy He first makes mad.” Sandwiched between is an absurd thriller, nonsensical and enjoyable and almost certainly allegorical.
Martin Scorsese’s Shutter Island saw a detective enter a mental asylum to solve a case. Here, the guy going deep is a Pulitzer-pursuing journalist named Johnny (Peter Breck), who’s there to solve the murder of a man named Sloan.
The prolific Samuel Fuller carved a niche – or perhaps a gutter – in making exploitation shockers just outside the Hollywood studio system. His had an ability to elevate trash material to something approaching art. Writer and producer on most of his movies, he undoubtedly wielded enough control to be regarded as an auteur.
He also had high-minded ideas. Shock Corridor opens and closes with a quote from the controversial Greek tragedian Euripides: “Whom God wishes to destroy He first makes mad.” Sandwiched between is an absurd thriller, nonsensical and enjoyable and almost certainly allegorical.
Martin Scorsese’s Shutter Island saw a detective enter a mental asylum to solve a case. Here, the guy going deep is a Pulitzer-pursuing journalist named Johnny (Peter Breck), who’s there to solve the murder of a man named Sloan.
- 9/2/2019
- by Rupert Harvey
- Nerdly
Rose Byrne, Bobby Cannavale Set For ‘Medea’ At New York’s Bam; Adaptation Taps True-Life Murder Case
Rose Byrne and Bobby Cannavale will star in Simon Stone’s contemporary rewrite of the Euripides’ tragedy Medea at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in January.
Originally staged in 2014 by Amsterdam’s International Theater Amsterdam (formerly Toneelgroep Amsterdam), Medea will pair real-life couple Byrne and Cannavale, with additional cast to be announced.
Stone’s adaptation of the Medea story uses the true-life crime case of American Debora Green, who poisoned her cheating husband and killed two of her three children in 1995. The adaptation played London’s Barbican in 2019, where it starred Marieke Heebink and Aus Greidanus Jr.
Byrne, whose performance on FX’s Damages earned her an Emmy nomination, is currently in production for FX’s limited series Mrs. America, the nine-episode drama in which she plays Gloria Steinem (set for a 2020 premiere). She’ll next be seen in comedy Hostile Makeover (formerly Limited Partners) opposite Tiffany Haddish and Salma Hayek...
Originally staged in 2014 by Amsterdam’s International Theater Amsterdam (formerly Toneelgroep Amsterdam), Medea will pair real-life couple Byrne and Cannavale, with additional cast to be announced.
Stone’s adaptation of the Medea story uses the true-life crime case of American Debora Green, who poisoned her cheating husband and killed two of her three children in 1995. The adaptation played London’s Barbican in 2019, where it starred Marieke Heebink and Aus Greidanus Jr.
Byrne, whose performance on FX’s Damages earned her an Emmy nomination, is currently in production for FX’s limited series Mrs. America, the nine-episode drama in which she plays Gloria Steinem (set for a 2020 premiere). She’ll next be seen in comedy Hostile Makeover (formerly Limited Partners) opposite Tiffany Haddish and Salma Hayek...
- 7/25/2019
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
“A Bread Factory,” written and directed by Patrick Wang, is a drama that tickles your spirit in a special, buoyant way. It’s set in the small town of Checkford, N.Y. (it was shot in the picturesque historical village of Hudson), and though Wang has conceived the film as an epic — it’s four hours long, and is being shown in two parts, each of which is presented as a movie unto itself — “A Bread Factory” revolves around something that may sound astonishingly minor: a community arts center, the sort of homespun place that presents plays, chamber-music concerts, and art shows and hosts the occasional visiting luminary and features after-school programs for children.
The center is called the Bread Factory (that’s because it’s situated in an old bread factory), and it’s been run for 40 years by its two founders, crusty WASPy Dorothea (Tyne Daly) and elegant...
The center is called the Bread Factory (that’s because it’s situated in an old bread factory), and it’s been run for 40 years by its two founders, crusty WASPy Dorothea (Tyne Daly) and elegant...
- 10/27/2018
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
There’s nothing else out there like Patrick Wang’s two-part, four-hour labor of love, “A Bread Factory,” and that’s wholly a good thing.
A lovably oddball, ticklish and moving tapestry about the struggle to save a beleaguered community arts center, its specialness derives not from a mercenary thirst to ignore convention, but rather a desire to refract humanity with passion and delight. Through bursts of comedy, poignancy, conflict, song, dance, and theatrical whimsy, what emerges is akin to a homespun symphony of soulfulness.
Seven years ago, Wang unveiled an astonishing debut, “In the Family,” itself an intimate opus (at three hours) of profound understanding, about a gay man’s fraught custody battle with his deceased partner’s prejudiced relatives. Embedded with moral clarity and carefully turned psychological tension, it came seemingly out of nowhere and heralded an emotionally astute new filmic talent. That it’s still little-seen seems wrong,...
A lovably oddball, ticklish and moving tapestry about the struggle to save a beleaguered community arts center, its specialness derives not from a mercenary thirst to ignore convention, but rather a desire to refract humanity with passion and delight. Through bursts of comedy, poignancy, conflict, song, dance, and theatrical whimsy, what emerges is akin to a homespun symphony of soulfulness.
Seven years ago, Wang unveiled an astonishing debut, “In the Family,” itself an intimate opus (at three hours) of profound understanding, about a gay man’s fraught custody battle with his deceased partner’s prejudiced relatives. Embedded with moral clarity and carefully turned psychological tension, it came seemingly out of nowhere and heralded an emotionally astute new filmic talent. That it’s still little-seen seems wrong,...
- 10/25/2018
- by Robert Abele
- The Wrap
Fenella Fielding with sometime rival Kenneth Williams in Carry On Screaming
Fenella Fielding, the husky-voiced actress once dubbed 'England's first lay of the double entendre', has passed away at the age of 90 due to complications from a stroke. Much loved for her appearances in Carry On Screaming and Carry On Regardless, she also appeared in cult TV series The Avengers and Danger Man and lent her vocal talents to The Prisoner and Magic Roundabout spin-off film Dougal And The Blue Cat.
After surviving a brutal childhood, Fielding won a scholarship to Rada and made a name for herself by appearing in comedy revues. She went on to receive acclaim for her performances in the work of Shakespeare and Euripides. Though she struggled to find good film roles in her later years, she recently found a recurring role in TV hit Skins. Earlier this year she received an OBE. She suffered a stroke in August,...
Fenella Fielding, the husky-voiced actress once dubbed 'England's first lay of the double entendre', has passed away at the age of 90 due to complications from a stroke. Much loved for her appearances in Carry On Screaming and Carry On Regardless, she also appeared in cult TV series The Avengers and Danger Man and lent her vocal talents to The Prisoner and Magic Roundabout spin-off film Dougal And The Blue Cat.
After surviving a brutal childhood, Fielding won a scholarship to Rada and made a name for herself by appearing in comedy revues. She went on to receive acclaim for her performances in the work of Shakespeare and Euripides. Though she struggled to find good film roles in her later years, she recently found a recurring role in TV hit Skins. Earlier this year she received an OBE. She suffered a stroke in August,...
- 9/11/2018
- by Jennie Kermode
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
TollywoodThe film is expected to hit the silver screens later this year.Digital NativeOne of the biggest hits in Nayanthara’s career was the Malayalam film Elektra, which hit the silver screens in 2010. A psychological thriller directed by Shyamaprasad, the film starred Nayantara in the lead role with Manisha Koirala, P Sreekumar, Prakash Raj, Biju Menon and Skanda Ashok in the star cast. The latest news is that the Telugu version of the film will be out in theatres under the title Lady Tiger. The screenplay for the original had been penned by Shyamaprasad and Kiran Prabhakar. The technical crew of the film comprises Alphons Joseph for music, Sanu Varghese for cinematography and Vinod Sukumaran for editing. Elektra premiered at the International Film Festival of India in November 2010 and its international premiere happened at the 7th Dubai International Film Festival. The Telugu version is expected to hit the silver screens later this year. According to sources in the know, Elektra is based on the Greek mythological character Electra, but with tweaks in the plot to suit the taste of Indian audiences. The film’s story, set in an aristocratic family in Kerala, was deeply inspired by Electra by Sophocles, Electra by Euripides, Oresteia by Aeschylus and Mourning Becomes Electra by Eugene O’Neill. Nayanthara, also known as the Lady Superstar, is one of the most wanted heroines in the Tamil and Telugu film industries. She has a slew of films in various stages of production lined up for release this year and that includes Imaikka Nodigal, Kolaiyuthir Kaalam and Kolamaavu Kokila in Tamil and Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy in Telugu. The actor made her acting debut with the Sathiyan Anthikad directorial Manassinakkare in Mollywood in 2003 and since then has acted in numerous films in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada. She has shared screen space with almost all the top stars including Rajinikanth, Mammootty, Chiranjeevi, Balakrishna, Dhanush, Vijay, Vijay Sethupathi and others. Also read: Tamil films summer schedule: New release dates after Tfpc strike called off (Content provided by Digital Native)...
- 4/25/2018
- by Monalisa
- The News Minute
As the year comes to a close, there’s one group we’ve yet to hear from about the Best of 2017: the directors. IndieWire has reached out to a number of our favorite filmmakers to share with us their lists and thoughts on the best of the year. From Benny Safdie breaking down the brilliance of “Nathan For You” to Alma Har’el shining a light on a new Arab cinematic wave to Justin Simien admitting he was filled with envious rage watching “Get Out,” 42 directors responded and offered a totally different perspective on 2017.
Read More:The Best Films, TV Shows, and More of 2017, According to IndieWire
This Best of 2017 is dedicated to the spirit of Jonathan Demme, who last year took part in this poll and was an incredibly generous man, especially when it came to supporting his peers’ work.
The following appear in alphabetical order based on the director’s last name.
Read More:The Best Films, TV Shows, and More of 2017, According to IndieWire
This Best of 2017 is dedicated to the spirit of Jonathan Demme, who last year took part in this poll and was an incredibly generous man, especially when it came to supporting his peers’ work.
The following appear in alphabetical order based on the director’s last name.
- 12/29/2017
- by Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
Or, “Never on Sunday with Your Stepson.” Director Jules Dassin’s monument to his beloved Melina Mercouri transposes a Greek tragedy to a modern setting. The pampered wife of a shipping magnate is like a queen of old — she can fling a priceless gem into the Thames on just a whim, and she goes in whatever direction her heart takes her. When her attractive stepson Anthony Perkins enters the picture, there will be Hell to Pay.
Phaedra
Blu-ray
Olive Films
1962 / B&W / 1:66 widescreen / 116 min. / Street Date March 21, 2017 / available through the Olive Films website / 29.95
Starring: Melina Mercouri, Anthony Perkins, Raf Vallone, Elisabeth Ercy.
Cinematography: Jacquest Natteau
Film Editor: Roger Dwyre
Original Music: Mikis Theodorakis
Written by Jules Dassin, Margarita Lymberaki from the play Hippolytus by Euripides
Produced and Directed by Jules Dassin
Anyone into amour fou, the romantic notion of a love without limits, beyond the harsh constraints of reality?...
Phaedra
Blu-ray
Olive Films
1962 / B&W / 1:66 widescreen / 116 min. / Street Date March 21, 2017 / available through the Olive Films website / 29.95
Starring: Melina Mercouri, Anthony Perkins, Raf Vallone, Elisabeth Ercy.
Cinematography: Jacquest Natteau
Film Editor: Roger Dwyre
Original Music: Mikis Theodorakis
Written by Jules Dassin, Margarita Lymberaki from the play Hippolytus by Euripides
Produced and Directed by Jules Dassin
Anyone into amour fou, the romantic notion of a love without limits, beyond the harsh constraints of reality?...
- 3/21/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
The question “why horror?” has been answered again and again. Studies have shown that, for willing participants, the voluntary release of fear is a healthy thing. What I have to say will not apply to everyone, then, because not everyone wants to be frightened. Many of us have recently been frightened, in a new, giant, eclipsing way. Those of us who love horror, then, have a greater need for it now.
For centuries, horror has been used as a spurning, inspiring emotion in art. Euripides uses terrifying imagery and events in two landmark works: the Oresteia, an examination of how a democratic justice system can conquer chaos, and The Bacchae, a bleakly violent warning to Athens as it approached catastrophic war. Far before such issues were accepted in public discussions, Oscar Wilde wrote of the fear of sexual aberrance in The Picture of Dorian Gray. Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle...
For centuries, horror has been used as a spurning, inspiring emotion in art. Euripides uses terrifying imagery and events in two landmark works: the Oresteia, an examination of how a democratic justice system can conquer chaos, and The Bacchae, a bleakly violent warning to Athens as it approached catastrophic war. Far before such issues were accepted in public discussions, Oscar Wilde wrote of the fear of sexual aberrance in The Picture of Dorian Gray. Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle...
- 11/17/2016
- by Ben Larned
- DailyDead
Hannah Bonner May 11, 2019
Just in time for Mother's Day comes a list of the most twisted and deranged mamas to hit the big screen... with love.
It’s Mother’s Day weekend, and we’re celebrating our family matriarchs at Den of Geek. We came up with a list of the most demonic, cruel, and neurotic mothers from the past 70 years in film.
Mothers have always had a macabre tinge dating as far back as Euripides’ play Medea where the titular heroine kills her own children to punish her husband Jason. Then there are the Spartans, who would throw their children off of a cliff if they were deemed too weak to be warriors. Millennia later, Hamlet’s mother Gertrude connives after marrying her son’s uncle, and Madame Bovary would later forgo her daughter and husband’s well being in exchange for flirtations and nice fabrics. Literature and history...
Just in time for Mother's Day comes a list of the most twisted and deranged mamas to hit the big screen... with love.
It’s Mother’s Day weekend, and we’re celebrating our family matriarchs at Den of Geek. We came up with a list of the most demonic, cruel, and neurotic mothers from the past 70 years in film.
Mothers have always had a macabre tinge dating as far back as Euripides’ play Medea where the titular heroine kills her own children to punish her husband Jason. Then there are the Spartans, who would throw their children off of a cliff if they were deemed too weak to be warriors. Millennia later, Hamlet’s mother Gertrude connives after marrying her son’s uncle, and Madame Bovary would later forgo her daughter and husband’s well being in exchange for flirtations and nice fabrics. Literature and history...
- 5/4/2016
- Den of Geek
There are quite a few parallels between Gillian Flynn’s “Gone Girl” and Medea. No, not Tyler Perry’s Medea, but something kinda related to Perry all the same: Euripides’ Medea. Vimeo user Ivana Brehas argues the titular character in the 1431 text and the main character behind Flynn’s bestselling novel and award-winning screenplay, Amy Dunne (Rosamund Pike), are […]
The post 10-Minute Video Essay Details The Greek Tragedy Of David Fincher’s ‘Gone Girl’ appeared first on The Playlist.
The post 10-Minute Video Essay Details The Greek Tragedy Of David Fincher’s ‘Gone Girl’ appeared first on The Playlist.
- 5/3/2016
- by Will Ashton
- The Playlist
"I have a scream I have to let out – I want the world to hear it.” So says Suad, a young Syrian woman who fled her homeland for Jordan. It’s one of the most powerful moments in a new documentary, Queens of Syria, which follows a 2013 theatre project run with Syrian refugee women in the Jordanian capital, Amman, to stage a new version of Euripides’s tragedy, The Trojan Women.
- 7/11/2015
- The Independent - Film
On June 15th and 16th, The Other Mirror will present a staged reading of the new Gods amp Kings. A Theban king goes to pieces after snubbing the Greek god Dionysus and his pack of wild groupies in this alt-rock adaptation of Euripides's ripping tragedy, The Bacchae. It features music by Neil Douglas Reilly Clinton the Musical, Little Dancer, Rocky, a book by Austin Ruffer, and lyrics by Maggie Herskowitz The Edelweiss Pirates and Austin Ruffer. The reading is directed byKatherine M. CarterDrama League, Playwrights Horizons, Artistic Director of TheOther Mirror with music ProducerSupervision byJames DobinsonClinton the Musical.
- 6/11/2015
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
As critics and audiences rave about acclaimed Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos English-language debut "The Lobster," Los Angeles gets ready to received some of the best Greek films of the past year including an unprecedented programming move that will have the 2014 and 2015 winners of the Hellenic Film Academy Best Film Award bookend the ninth annual Los Angeles Greek Film Festival.
The almost decade-old festival opens Wednesday, June 3, with Pantelis Voulgaris’ award-winning period drama “Little England.” Panos H.Koutras’ wry and emotional road trip and this year’s Hellenic Film Academy Award winner “Xenia” will conclude the Festival’s five days of screenings, red carpet events, receptions and industry panels at the Closing Night Gala on Sunday June 7, at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood.
This year’s Lagff welcomes a record 35 features, documentaries and short films to the program, including three World premieres, 14 U.S premieres and 10 Los Angeles premieres. Alongside Greece, countries represented in this year’s festival include Australia, Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, France, Israel, Germany, Qatar, United Kingdom and the United States.
“Our program, more than ever before, is an exciting amalgamation of social, satirical and political statements from a rejuvenated Greek film industry”, states Festival topper Aristotle Katopodis. “While the economic and social crisis in Greece, and Southern European region, continues to hold Greece and the world markets in limbo, the Greek filmmakers are responding with what one could call “Through The Lens Darkly” to paraphrase the title of Philip K. Dick's novel. Neo- noir and classic noir films are taking hold as a favorite genre, we have at least four such offerings in this festival. The hope is there, but you need to work through layers of reflection, self-evaluation and breath-taking images. Remembering, contemplating, and creating take center stage.”
Winner of 2014 Hellenic Film Academy’s awards - Best Film, Best Cinematography, Best Scenography, Best Costume Design, Best Sound and Best Make-up, Pantelis Voulgaris’ drama “Little England ” is a turbulent tale of a secret love shared between two sisters and one man, set in the seafaring community of Andros, Greece, during the 1930's. Suppressed feelings are later rekindled and cruel games of fate reveal secrets, leading to devastation.
Red Carpet Opening Night Gala on Wednesday, June 3. The Opening Night event also includes an exquisite Greek wine tasting, a dinner reception, dj music and dancing outside under the stars.
Earth Friendly Products and G.P. Kolovos and Associates will co-present the Opening Night gala with West Coast Investors presenting the Opening Night after-party.
Hot off winning Best Film, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor, Best Screenplay, Best Editing and Best Costume Design at the 2015 Hellenic Film Academy Awards, Panos H. Koutras’ poignant drama “Xenia” will cap the Closing Night Gala on Sunday, June 7. “Xenia” takes up the story of two brothers after the death of their mother and follows their odyssey from Athens to Thessaloniki in search of the father they never met.
The Closing Night Gala includes the festival Orpheus Awards with special honors, as well as Jury and Audience Awards and dinner reception. Hostess Brands will present the Closing Night gala.
Lagff 2015 will offer more Premieres than ever before. Films making their American debuts include Athanasios Karanikolas melodramatic feature “At Home” (Sto Spiti), winner of the 2014 Berlin International Film Festival, Prize of the Ecumenical Jury – Forum. “Home” follows the decline of a domestic servant’s status within the family she works for as the economic crisis takes center stage in all their lives; Yorgos Avgeropoulos’ documentary “Agora," which contrasts the center of the city’s transformation from heart of democracy to modern day commercialism; Australian filmmakers Carol Gordon & Natalie Cunningham’s documentary “Following Shira’s Journey: A Greek Jewish Odyssey, “the untold story of the Greek Holocaust. History records an 87% loss of Greece’s Jewish population as a result of the Nazi atrocities of the Second World War, and yet the experiences of these once dynamic communities are not widely known; “Medea:Louder Than My Thoughts” (Medea: Kreisson Ton Emon Vouleumaton) - Nikos Grammatikos’ documentary exploring the mystical meaning within the pages of the Euripides play; Yannis Vamvakas documentary “Panayiotis Tetsis: Playing With Colors” explores the life and work of a patrician artist, Panagiotis Tetsis, who marked contemporary Greek painting of the 20th Century.
Alexis Alexiou‘s explosive neo-noir film, “Wednesday 04:45“ (Tetarti 04:45), is this year’s evening Centerpiece Premiere selection and will screen on Saturday, June 6. “Wednesday” follows 32 hours in the life of Stelios Dimitrakopoulos, a small time night-club owner in Athens, who struggles to salvage his bankrupt business from loan-sharks, while the city and the whole country go up in flames. The screening marks the film’s West Coast premiere.Alexiou and the film’s producer Thanassis Karathanos will be on hand after the screening for a Q&A.
Other Premieres include Canadian Filmmaker George Tsioutsioulas’ documentary "A Night in Athens.” starring world renowned funnyman Angelo Tsarouchas. Shot in Athens Greece before a sold-out audience “Athens” takes you on a hilarious ride as Tsarouchas shares many of the challenges he faced growing up Greek in the diaspora; U.S. writer/directors Andreas Ignatiou, Josh Maddox’s “Narcissa”, a short film offering a modern take on the Greek myth of Narcissus set in the fashion industry; and U.S. director Jon L. Milano’s drama “Straw Dolls” takes a look at the Armenian genocide through the lens of a father desperately trying to protect his daughter from the deportation being forced upon them by Turkish soldiers.
As the third annual International Project Discovery Forum (Ipdf) continues to strengthen its relationships with established institutions in the Us and Greece, such as the Sundance Institute and the Mfi Script2Film Workshop, it is pleased to announce its newest outreach collaborators in the Balkan Region – Sofia Meetings, Thessaloniki Iff’s Crossroads, Torino Script&Pitch.
“Ipdf received a record number of submissions this year from 7 different Balkan countries and the Us. The quality of the projects that we receive increases every year, making our selection process really difficult and really exciting! We can't wait to share their stories and introduce you to our bold, inspiring filmmakers. This year, Ipdf will also present a series of industry events that will be open to the public where seasoned professionals will share their insights on independent filmmaking, new platforms and international distribution. ”Ipdf’s director Araceli Lemos adds.
For a complete list of films, screening times and more about the Ipdf visit http://lagff.org
The Box Office for Lagff is now open for Gold Pass Membership purchases online at http://www.itsmyseat.com/Lagff.html through June 4.
The almost decade-old festival opens Wednesday, June 3, with Pantelis Voulgaris’ award-winning period drama “Little England.” Panos H.Koutras’ wry and emotional road trip and this year’s Hellenic Film Academy Award winner “Xenia” will conclude the Festival’s five days of screenings, red carpet events, receptions and industry panels at the Closing Night Gala on Sunday June 7, at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood.
This year’s Lagff welcomes a record 35 features, documentaries and short films to the program, including three World premieres, 14 U.S premieres and 10 Los Angeles premieres. Alongside Greece, countries represented in this year’s festival include Australia, Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, France, Israel, Germany, Qatar, United Kingdom and the United States.
“Our program, more than ever before, is an exciting amalgamation of social, satirical and political statements from a rejuvenated Greek film industry”, states Festival topper Aristotle Katopodis. “While the economic and social crisis in Greece, and Southern European region, continues to hold Greece and the world markets in limbo, the Greek filmmakers are responding with what one could call “Through The Lens Darkly” to paraphrase the title of Philip K. Dick's novel. Neo- noir and classic noir films are taking hold as a favorite genre, we have at least four such offerings in this festival. The hope is there, but you need to work through layers of reflection, self-evaluation and breath-taking images. Remembering, contemplating, and creating take center stage.”
Winner of 2014 Hellenic Film Academy’s awards - Best Film, Best Cinematography, Best Scenography, Best Costume Design, Best Sound and Best Make-up, Pantelis Voulgaris’ drama “Little England ” is a turbulent tale of a secret love shared between two sisters and one man, set in the seafaring community of Andros, Greece, during the 1930's. Suppressed feelings are later rekindled and cruel games of fate reveal secrets, leading to devastation.
Red Carpet Opening Night Gala on Wednesday, June 3. The Opening Night event also includes an exquisite Greek wine tasting, a dinner reception, dj music and dancing outside under the stars.
Earth Friendly Products and G.P. Kolovos and Associates will co-present the Opening Night gala with West Coast Investors presenting the Opening Night after-party.
Hot off winning Best Film, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor, Best Screenplay, Best Editing and Best Costume Design at the 2015 Hellenic Film Academy Awards, Panos H. Koutras’ poignant drama “Xenia” will cap the Closing Night Gala on Sunday, June 7. “Xenia” takes up the story of two brothers after the death of their mother and follows their odyssey from Athens to Thessaloniki in search of the father they never met.
The Closing Night Gala includes the festival Orpheus Awards with special honors, as well as Jury and Audience Awards and dinner reception. Hostess Brands will present the Closing Night gala.
Lagff 2015 will offer more Premieres than ever before. Films making their American debuts include Athanasios Karanikolas melodramatic feature “At Home” (Sto Spiti), winner of the 2014 Berlin International Film Festival, Prize of the Ecumenical Jury – Forum. “Home” follows the decline of a domestic servant’s status within the family she works for as the economic crisis takes center stage in all their lives; Yorgos Avgeropoulos’ documentary “Agora," which contrasts the center of the city’s transformation from heart of democracy to modern day commercialism; Australian filmmakers Carol Gordon & Natalie Cunningham’s documentary “Following Shira’s Journey: A Greek Jewish Odyssey, “the untold story of the Greek Holocaust. History records an 87% loss of Greece’s Jewish population as a result of the Nazi atrocities of the Second World War, and yet the experiences of these once dynamic communities are not widely known; “Medea:Louder Than My Thoughts” (Medea: Kreisson Ton Emon Vouleumaton) - Nikos Grammatikos’ documentary exploring the mystical meaning within the pages of the Euripides play; Yannis Vamvakas documentary “Panayiotis Tetsis: Playing With Colors” explores the life and work of a patrician artist, Panagiotis Tetsis, who marked contemporary Greek painting of the 20th Century.
Alexis Alexiou‘s explosive neo-noir film, “Wednesday 04:45“ (Tetarti 04:45), is this year’s evening Centerpiece Premiere selection and will screen on Saturday, June 6. “Wednesday” follows 32 hours in the life of Stelios Dimitrakopoulos, a small time night-club owner in Athens, who struggles to salvage his bankrupt business from loan-sharks, while the city and the whole country go up in flames. The screening marks the film’s West Coast premiere.Alexiou and the film’s producer Thanassis Karathanos will be on hand after the screening for a Q&A.
Other Premieres include Canadian Filmmaker George Tsioutsioulas’ documentary "A Night in Athens.” starring world renowned funnyman Angelo Tsarouchas. Shot in Athens Greece before a sold-out audience “Athens” takes you on a hilarious ride as Tsarouchas shares many of the challenges he faced growing up Greek in the diaspora; U.S. writer/directors Andreas Ignatiou, Josh Maddox’s “Narcissa”, a short film offering a modern take on the Greek myth of Narcissus set in the fashion industry; and U.S. director Jon L. Milano’s drama “Straw Dolls” takes a look at the Armenian genocide through the lens of a father desperately trying to protect his daughter from the deportation being forced upon them by Turkish soldiers.
As the third annual International Project Discovery Forum (Ipdf) continues to strengthen its relationships with established institutions in the Us and Greece, such as the Sundance Institute and the Mfi Script2Film Workshop, it is pleased to announce its newest outreach collaborators in the Balkan Region – Sofia Meetings, Thessaloniki Iff’s Crossroads, Torino Script&Pitch.
“Ipdf received a record number of submissions this year from 7 different Balkan countries and the Us. The quality of the projects that we receive increases every year, making our selection process really difficult and really exciting! We can't wait to share their stories and introduce you to our bold, inspiring filmmakers. This year, Ipdf will also present a series of industry events that will be open to the public where seasoned professionals will share their insights on independent filmmaking, new platforms and international distribution. ”Ipdf’s director Araceli Lemos adds.
For a complete list of films, screening times and more about the Ipdf visit http://lagff.org
The Box Office for Lagff is now open for Gold Pass Membership purchases online at http://www.itsmyseat.com/Lagff.html through June 4.
- 5/18/2015
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Sydney's Buzz
Ex MacHina A24/ Universal Pictures Reviewed by: Harvey Karten for Shockya. Databased on Rotten Tomatoes. Grade: A- Director: Alex Garland Screenwriter: Alex Garland Cast: Alicia Vikander, Oscar Isaac, Domhnall Gleeson, Sonoya Mizuno, Claire Selby, Symara A. Templeman Screened at: Regal Union Square, NYC, 5/9/15 Opens: April 24, 2015 If you’re into theater, you’ll know that a deus ex machine is “a god from the machine,” and is a plot device uses when a writer is painted into a corner and does not know how to end the play. The writer then uses a contrived solution, such as Euripides used in Medea, when the title character, about to be caught for [ Read More ]
The post Ex Machina Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post Ex Machina Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 5/14/2015
- by Harvey Karten
- ShockYa
Meryl Streep is no slouch when it comes to transformative performances, but the latest legend she's set to play will make Anna Wintour look like a pushover. Streep has signed on to star as Maria Callas in an HBO adaptation of "Master Class," an award-winning Broadway play by Terrence McNally that takes place in 1971 at Julliard. In the story, the unforgettable diva is teaching a class while contemplating her astonishing career and dramatic life, which includes a torrid affair with Aristotle Onassis that ends when he leaves her for none other than Jackie O.
"Master Class" will reunite Streep with Mike Nichols, who worked with her on "Angels in America," "Postcards From the Edge," "Heartburn," and "Silkwood." The movie will start filming in January after Streep finishes an entirely different sort of musical performance in Jonathan Demme's "Ricky and the Flash." Streep, who stars as an aging rocker, has...
"Master Class" will reunite Streep with Mike Nichols, who worked with her on "Angels in America," "Postcards From the Edge," "Heartburn," and "Silkwood." The movie will start filming in January after Streep finishes an entirely different sort of musical performance in Jonathan Demme's "Ricky and the Flash." Streep, who stars as an aging rocker, has...
- 6/18/2014
- by Jenni Miller
- Moviefone
Euripides wasn’t much of a yock-meister, but his Medea is getting most of the laughs in Nicky Silver’s new supposed-to-be-a-comedy, Too Much Sun. Now at the Vineyard in a grim production directed by Mark Brokaw, it stars the resourceful Linda Lavin as Audrey Langham, a theatuh actress of a certain age and (self-)regard, who, after a life spent playing “Miss Hannigan in January, Mother Courage in the spring,” finally loses it during tech rehearsals in Chicago for her turn as the filicidal princess. Medea’s rage is as nothing compared to Audrey’s; she turns on the director (“Every idea that comes out of your head is crap!”), the costume designer (“What the hell am I wearing!? Am I waiting for the Mardi Gras parade to pass?”), and finally herself for having wasted years “saying words that aren’t mine in imaginary rooms.” Off she storms, leaving...
- 5/19/2014
- by Jesse Green
- Vulture
News Louisa Mellor 4 Apr 2014 - 06:55
Amy Manson and Vincent Regan will respectively play Medea and Dion in Atlantis series 2...
Now filming is series 2 of BBC Saturday night adventure series, Atlantis, due a return to our screens this autumn.
With new episodes come new legends and new characters to enact them. One of those new characters has been confirmed by the BBC as Medea, the woman who - according to Euripides at least - murdered her children as revenge for being left by her husband. We're not sure that the family-friendly Atlantis will tackle that part of her story...
Playing Medea is Amy Manson (below, Being Human, Outcasts), whom you may remember as the actress who reportedly made it to the final stages of The CW's Wonder Woman casting before the project was killed.
Joining Manson will be 300's Vincent Regan (below) in the role of Dion, whose precognitive daughters...
Amy Manson and Vincent Regan will respectively play Medea and Dion in Atlantis series 2...
Now filming is series 2 of BBC Saturday night adventure series, Atlantis, due a return to our screens this autumn.
With new episodes come new legends and new characters to enact them. One of those new characters has been confirmed by the BBC as Medea, the woman who - according to Euripides at least - murdered her children as revenge for being left by her husband. We're not sure that the family-friendly Atlantis will tackle that part of her story...
Playing Medea is Amy Manson (below, Being Human, Outcasts), whom you may remember as the actress who reportedly made it to the final stages of The CW's Wonder Woman casting before the project was killed.
Joining Manson will be 300's Vincent Regan (below) in the role of Dion, whose precognitive daughters...
- 4/4/2014
- by louisamellor
- Den of Geek
National Theatre Live has announced an international broadcast of the National Theatre of Great Britain's production of Euripides' Greek tragedy Medea, in a new version by Ben Power, directed by Carrie Cracknell and starring Helen McCrory in the title role. The production will be broadcast live from the National's Olivier Theatre on Thursday September 4 2014, with varying dates internationally and encore screenings to follow.
- 4/3/2014
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
Feature Juliette Harrisson 24 Sep 2013 - 07:00
A beginner's guide to the myths behind new adventure show, Atlantis, starting this Saturday on BBC One...
If there’s one thing we know about BBC One’s forthcoming Saturday night drama Atlantis, it’s that the characters we see week to week on the show won’t necessarily bear a lot of resemblance to their mythological Greek forebears. We can only assume that they will, nevertheless, have one or two things in common; we can at least confirm that Medusa will still end up with snakes for hair. And so, to whet your appetite for all things Atlantean, cast your eyes over our quick idiots’ guide to Atlantis’ main characters and their mythological counterparts.
The first rule of Greek mythology is that there are dozens of different versions of every story and numerous different tales attached to every hero or heroine, with no...
A beginner's guide to the myths behind new adventure show, Atlantis, starting this Saturday on BBC One...
If there’s one thing we know about BBC One’s forthcoming Saturday night drama Atlantis, it’s that the characters we see week to week on the show won’t necessarily bear a lot of resemblance to their mythological Greek forebears. We can only assume that they will, nevertheless, have one or two things in common; we can at least confirm that Medusa will still end up with snakes for hair. And so, to whet your appetite for all things Atlantean, cast your eyes over our quick idiots’ guide to Atlantis’ main characters and their mythological counterparts.
The first rule of Greek mythology is that there are dozens of different versions of every story and numerous different tales attached to every hero or heroine, with no...
- 9/23/2013
- by louisamellor
- Den of Geek
Sam Mendes on making Bond, coming home and turning Charlie And The Chocolate Factory into a musical
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory has taken five years to become a stage musical, for reasons logistical – Sam Mendes, the director, was out for three of them doing Skyfall – and practical: the book is a tricky one to adapt. There are the kids; the old folks in bed; the pyrotechnics of the chocolate factory. There is the ambiguous character of Willy Wonka himself. And there is the question that hangs over the entire production: what on earth to do about the Oompa-Loompas. "It's big," Mendes says of the task before him. "Christ, it's so big."
We are in a rehearsal space in south London, where the company is going through its paces before moving to Drury Lane. Anticipation for the show is feverish, thanks to the success of Matilda, another Dahl adaptation, and Mendes's post-Bond nuclear glow.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory has taken five years to become a stage musical, for reasons logistical – Sam Mendes, the director, was out for three of them doing Skyfall – and practical: the book is a tricky one to adapt. There are the kids; the old folks in bed; the pyrotechnics of the chocolate factory. There is the ambiguous character of Willy Wonka himself. And there is the question that hangs over the entire production: what on earth to do about the Oompa-Loompas. "It's big," Mendes says of the task before him. "Christ, it's so big."
We are in a rehearsal space in south London, where the company is going through its paces before moving to Drury Lane. Anticipation for the show is feverish, thanks to the success of Matilda, another Dahl adaptation, and Mendes's post-Bond nuclear glow.
- 4/19/2013
- by Emma Brockes
- The Guardian - Film News
Prospect Theater Company, one of Americas leading producers of new musical theater, will kick off its 2012-2013 season with a one-night-only concert presentation of The Rockae, a hard rock musical based on Euripides The Bacchae featuring music and lyrics by Kleban and Fred Ebb, Award-winning writer Peter Mills, and a book by Mills and Cara Reichel Illyria, Golden Boy of the Blue Ridge, upcoming Death For Five Voices. The performance will take place at New York's Le Poisson Rouge on Sunday, October 7th.
- 9/27/2012
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
Medea, Glasgow
It's been a good year for playwright and director Mike Bartlett. Love, Love, Love played at the Royal Court and his adaptation of Chariots Of Fire is currently at the Gielgud Theatre in the West End (to 10 Nov). This latest play, which he also directs, is something very different: Euripides's tale of a woman scorned who takes her revenge on her ex-husband in the most appalling way is one of the greatest and most enduring of Greek tragedies. Now it's reinvented for the modern age in Bartlett's new version about a 21st-century woman who is unhinged by grief when her husband, for whom she has given up everything, leaves her for another woman. The excellent Rachael Stirling is in the title role in a production for Headlong, which will be touring to major venues across the UK until December.
Citizens, Thu to 13 Oct
Lyn Gardner
Kanjoos: The Miser,...
It's been a good year for playwright and director Mike Bartlett. Love, Love, Love played at the Royal Court and his adaptation of Chariots Of Fire is currently at the Gielgud Theatre in the West End (to 10 Nov). This latest play, which he also directs, is something very different: Euripides's tale of a woman scorned who takes her revenge on her ex-husband in the most appalling way is one of the greatest and most enduring of Greek tragedies. Now it's reinvented for the modern age in Bartlett's new version about a 21st-century woman who is unhinged by grief when her husband, for whom she has given up everything, leaves her for another woman. The excellent Rachael Stirling is in the title role in a production for Headlong, which will be touring to major venues across the UK until December.
Citizens, Thu to 13 Oct
Lyn Gardner
Kanjoos: The Miser,...
- 9/21/2012
- by Judith Mackrell, Mark Cook, Lyn Gardner
- The Guardian - Film News
Prospect Theater Company, one of Americas leading producers of new musical theater, will kick off its 2012-2013 season with a one-night-only concert presentation of The Rockae, a hard rock musical based on Euripides The Bacchae featuring music and lyrics by Kleban and Fred Ebb Award-winning writer Peter Mills and a book by Mills and Cara Reichel Illyria, Golden Boy of the Blue Ridge, upcoming Death For Five Voices.
- 9/19/2012
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
On June 15 The National Theatre of Scotland production of Macbeth starring the Tony Award-winning Alan Cumming opened at the Tramway Theatre in Glasgow, and the show just transferred to the Lincoln Center Festival on July 3. John Tiffany and Alan Cumming who made his stage debut as Malcolm in Macbeth in 1985 originally worked together on The National Theatre of Scotlands production of Euripides The Bacchae which took the Edinburgh International Festival by storm in 2007 and subsequently toured in 2008 to Aberdeen, Inverness and Lincoln Center Festival.Let's see what the critics had to say about it...
- 7/9/2012
- by Review Roundups
- BroadwayWorld.com
From Lorca and Euripides in a festival of chaos to breathtaking circus in a cathedral, our critics pick the best theatrical experiences of the spring
A Marvellous Year for Plums
Long before Iraq, Britain's 1956 invasion of Suez divided the nation and destroyed the reputation of the Pm. In those days it was Sir Anthony Eden, described by a colleague as "half mad baronet and half beautiful woman" and now played by Anthony Andrews in a new piece by Hugh Whitemore. Mb Chichester Festival theatre (01243 781 312), 11 May to 2 June. cft.org.uk
Posh
Time should have given new traction to Laura Wade's play about an elite Oxford dining club filled with arrogant young toffs who presume they are born to rule. First seen at the Royal Court shortly before the last election, it was thought by some to offer an exaggerated portrait of upper-class swagger. Now Lyndsey Turner's production, with many of the original cast,...
A Marvellous Year for Plums
Long before Iraq, Britain's 1956 invasion of Suez divided the nation and destroyed the reputation of the Pm. In those days it was Sir Anthony Eden, described by a colleague as "half mad baronet and half beautiful woman" and now played by Anthony Andrews in a new piece by Hugh Whitemore. Mb Chichester Festival theatre (01243 781 312), 11 May to 2 June. cft.org.uk
Posh
Time should have given new traction to Laura Wade's play about an elite Oxford dining club filled with arrogant young toffs who presume they are born to rule. First seen at the Royal Court shortly before the last election, it was thought by some to offer an exaggerated portrait of upper-class swagger. Now Lyndsey Turner's production, with many of the original cast,...
- 4/9/2012
- by Michael Billington, Lyn Gardner
- The Guardian - Film News
Second #3149, 52:29
1. After leaving Dorothy’s apartment, Jeffrey walks home in the dark, in one of Blue Velvet’s furiously abstracted montage sequences, where sound and image come together to convey a doomsday atmosphere so totalizing and intent on destruction (the destruction of innocence) that to try to convey it in anything less than one long sentence would be a betrayal, not only of the fact of black in this frame, but of the blackness of Jeffrey’s heart and his realization of this blackness in his face, in that askance look, as if he was the one ravaged instead of Dorothy, or as if the ringing in his head were the words of Hecuba in Euripides’s The Trojan Women—“evil vies for evil in the struggle to be first”—which perhaps he read in college just weeks ago, before being called home, and whose lines turn over and over in his mind,...
1. After leaving Dorothy’s apartment, Jeffrey walks home in the dark, in one of Blue Velvet’s furiously abstracted montage sequences, where sound and image come together to convey a doomsday atmosphere so totalizing and intent on destruction (the destruction of innocence) that to try to convey it in anything less than one long sentence would be a betrayal, not only of the fact of black in this frame, but of the blackness of Jeffrey’s heart and his realization of this blackness in his face, in that askance look, as if he was the one ravaged instead of Dorothy, or as if the ringing in his head were the words of Hecuba in Euripides’s The Trojan Women—“evil vies for evil in the struggle to be first”—which perhaps he read in college just weeks ago, before being called home, and whose lines turn over and over in his mind,...
- 1/16/2012
- by Nicholas Rombes
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
(Pier Paolo Pasolini, 1969, BFI, 12)
A companion piece to his Oedipus Rex (1967) and far removed from his realistic early movies, Pier Paolo Pasolini's Medea draws on Euripides's play after first relating the story of Jason and the Argonauts' voyage to steal the Golden Fleece from primitive Colchis and bringing it back to Greece along with the king's daughter Medea. The second part concerns her terrible revenge when Jason deserts her and their children. This wilfully complex film, which some find baffling and infuriating (the DVD set is accompanied by an explanatory booklet), is a Freudian-Marxist-Christian take on the myth, buttressed by Pasolini's cranky ideas about capitalism and mysticism versus modernity. Shot on locations as different as the beautiful Campo at Pisa and the Göreme region of Turkey, it's visually astonishing, and at its centre is Maria Callas in her only film role, a commanding presence with her large brown eyes.
A companion piece to his Oedipus Rex (1967) and far removed from his realistic early movies, Pier Paolo Pasolini's Medea draws on Euripides's play after first relating the story of Jason and the Argonauts' voyage to steal the Golden Fleece from primitive Colchis and bringing it back to Greece along with the king's daughter Medea. The second part concerns her terrible revenge when Jason deserts her and their children. This wilfully complex film, which some find baffling and infuriating (the DVD set is accompanied by an explanatory booklet), is a Freudian-Marxist-Christian take on the myth, buttressed by Pasolini's cranky ideas about capitalism and mysticism versus modernity. Shot on locations as different as the beautiful Campo at Pisa and the Göreme region of Turkey, it's visually astonishing, and at its centre is Maria Callas in her only film role, a commanding presence with her large brown eyes.
- 1/1/2012
- by Philip French
- The Guardian - Film News
DVD Playhouse—December 2011
By Allen Gardner
The Rules Of The Game (Criterion) Jean Renoir’s classic from 1939 was met with a riot at its premiere and was severely cut by its distributor, available only in truncated form for two decades until it was restored to the grandeur for which it is celebrated today. A biting comedy of manners set in the upstairs and downstairs of a French country estate, the film bitterly vivisects the bourgeoisie with a gentle ferocity that will tickle the laughter in your throat. Renoir co-stars as Octave. Also available on Blu-ray disc. Bonuses: Introduction to the film by Renoir; Commentary written by scholar Alexander Sesonske and read by Peter Bogdanovich; Comparison of the film’s two endings; Selected scene analysis by Renoir scholar Chris Faulkner; Featurettes and vintage film clips; Part one of David Thomson’s “Jean Renoir” BBC documentary; Video essay; Interviews with Renoir, crew members,...
By Allen Gardner
The Rules Of The Game (Criterion) Jean Renoir’s classic from 1939 was met with a riot at its premiere and was severely cut by its distributor, available only in truncated form for two decades until it was restored to the grandeur for which it is celebrated today. A biting comedy of manners set in the upstairs and downstairs of a French country estate, the film bitterly vivisects the bourgeoisie with a gentle ferocity that will tickle the laughter in your throat. Renoir co-stars as Octave. Also available on Blu-ray disc. Bonuses: Introduction to the film by Renoir; Commentary written by scholar Alexander Sesonske and read by Peter Bogdanovich; Comparison of the film’s two endings; Selected scene analysis by Renoir scholar Chris Faulkner; Featurettes and vintage film clips; Part one of David Thomson’s “Jean Renoir” BBC documentary; Video essay; Interviews with Renoir, crew members,...
- 12/12/2011
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
Lyric Hammersmith, London; Theatre Royal Bath
People go to Saved thinking they know what they will see. They've been told often enough. A baby is stoned to death in a park by a group of youths; a middle-aged woman has her stocking provocatively darned (she's inside it: 'You watch where yer pokin') by her daughter's young admirer. These are the scenes that caused Edward Bond's play to be banned by the Lord Chamberlain in 1965; these are the scenes that have made it famous.
Yet in Sean Holmes's superb production, the play looks less simply confrontational and rebarbative than the stoning suggests. It is intricate, far-reaching and believable. Intervening history – the killing of James Bulger, the Baby P case – may have added to its credibility, but its real force isn't adventitious. The horror begins to look inevitable.
The action uncurls with a series of terrible small blows. A young mother...
People go to Saved thinking they know what they will see. They've been told often enough. A baby is stoned to death in a park by a group of youths; a middle-aged woman has her stocking provocatively darned (she's inside it: 'You watch where yer pokin') by her daughter's young admirer. These are the scenes that caused Edward Bond's play to be banned by the Lord Chamberlain in 1965; these are the scenes that have made it famous.
Yet in Sean Holmes's superb production, the play looks less simply confrontational and rebarbative than the stoning suggests. It is intricate, far-reaching and believable. Intervening history – the killing of James Bulger, the Baby P case – may have added to its credibility, but its real force isn't adventitious. The horror begins to look inevitable.
The action uncurls with a series of terrible small blows. A young mother...
- 10/14/2011
- by Susannah Clapp
- The Guardian - Film News
HollywoodNews.com: Alan Cumming, Garret Dillahunt, and Frances Fisher star in the poignant period drama Any Day Now, written, produced and directed by filmmaker Travis Fine (The Space Between). The film recently completed principal photography in Los Angeles and is currently in post-production. Produced by Kristine Hostetter Fine (The Space Between) and Chip Hourihan (Frozen River), the film is executive produced by Anne O’Shea (The Kids Are Alright) and Maxine Makover (The Space Between.
Set in the 1970s and inspired by a true story, the film chronicles a gay couple who take in a teenage boy with Down Syndrome who has been abandoned by his drug addicted mother. As the teen discovers the strong bonds of family for the first time in his life, disapproving authorities step in to tear the boy from the only stable environment he has ever known. As the gay men fight to adopt this extraordinary special needs child,...
Set in the 1970s and inspired by a true story, the film chronicles a gay couple who take in a teenage boy with Down Syndrome who has been abandoned by his drug addicted mother. As the teen discovers the strong bonds of family for the first time in his life, disapproving authorities step in to tear the boy from the only stable environment he has ever known. As the gay men fight to adopt this extraordinary special needs child,...
- 9/21/2011
- by Josh Abraham
- Hollywoodnews.com
Director best known for the visually splendid and energetic Zorba the Greek
Although the first Greek films appeared in 1912, long periods of war and instability crippled any attempts at forming a national film industry. This meant that few features were produced until the 1950s, when the director Michael Cacoyannis, who has died aged 90, became the embodiment of Greek cinema, giving it an international reputation which reached a peak of popularity with his Zorba the Greek (1964).
Based on Nikos Kazantzakis's novel, the film burst on to the screen with extraordinary energy and visual splendour. It brilliantly combined the rhythmic music of Mikis Theodorakis and the Oscar-winning black-and-white cinematography of Walter Lassally with indelible performances by Anthony Quinn, Alan Bates, Irene Papas and Lila Kedrova (who won the Oscar for best supporting actress).
The film celebrated joie de vivre, yet there was an underlying pessimism and an echo of Greek tragedy...
Although the first Greek films appeared in 1912, long periods of war and instability crippled any attempts at forming a national film industry. This meant that few features were produced until the 1950s, when the director Michael Cacoyannis, who has died aged 90, became the embodiment of Greek cinema, giving it an international reputation which reached a peak of popularity with his Zorba the Greek (1964).
Based on Nikos Kazantzakis's novel, the film burst on to the screen with extraordinary energy and visual splendour. It brilliantly combined the rhythmic music of Mikis Theodorakis and the Oscar-winning black-and-white cinematography of Walter Lassally with indelible performances by Anthony Quinn, Alan Bates, Irene Papas and Lila Kedrova (who won the Oscar for best supporting actress).
The film celebrated joie de vivre, yet there was an underlying pessimism and an echo of Greek tragedy...
- 7/25/2011
- by Ronald Bergan
- The Guardian - Film News
Michael Cacoyannis, best known for the 1964 Oscar-nominated drama Zorba the Greek, died of complications from a heart attack and chronic respiratory problems early Monday at an Athens hospital. He was either 89 or 90, depending on the source. Born in Limassol, Cyprus, on June 11, 1921 or 1922, the young Cacoyannis (Mihalis Kakogiannis in Greek) was sent to London to study Law, but later turned to the theater, studying Drama at the Old Vic and playing various roles on the British stage, including the lead in Albert Camus' Caligula. Unable to find work in the British film industry, he eventually moved to Athens. Cacoyannis' directorial debut took place in the early '50s, with the breezy comedy Windfall in Athens (1955), whose production lasted two years. International acclaim followed the release of Stella (1955), which was screened in competition at the Cannes Film Festival. This drama about a free-spirited young woman (Melina Mercouri) torn by her...
- 7/25/2011
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Is this your first Satyr play? You're probably not alone. Euripides' "Cyclops" is apparently the only surviving example of this most raucous and bawdy style of Greek comedy. And if "Cyclops: A Rock Opera" isn't exactly what you expected from a modern adaptation, well, who knows what that old tragedian Euripides might say? Psittacus Productions gives us a fast-and-furious rock 'n' roll take on an almost forgotten form in which style trumps substance. Who needs story when you've got a live band on stage composed of horny half-men, half-goats and a chorus of frenzied maidens in lingerie?Louis Butelli, Chas LiBretto, and Robert Richmond share credit for directing and "freely" adapting "Cyclops: A Rock Opera," which is constructed around a one-night-only performance of a band called "The Satyrs." An energized Butelli is the lead singer, clad—as are all the band's members—in marvelously furry chaps and given to bleating and stamping his hoof,...
- 2/10/2011
- backstage.com
This week: Does it matter if negative portrayals of gay people are created by gay people themselves? Plus, is Bugs Bunny bisexual?
Have a question about gay male entertainment? Contact me here (and be sure and include your city and state and/or country!
Q: What do you think is the worst portrayal of gay folks by a gay artist? – Milo, Indianapolis, Indiana
A: Oh, man, that is one serious can-o-worms! But I also think it’s an absolutely fascinating question, because of how the idea of social or “gay” responsibility clashes with the notion that artists have a personal responsibility to tell the truth as they see it. After all, it’s not the job of any artist to create propaganda or “sanitize” the truth.
But what if I think a project by a gay or bisexual artist portrays gay people in an inaccurate, stereotypical, or offensive way? If we’re both gay,...
Have a question about gay male entertainment? Contact me here (and be sure and include your city and state and/or country!
Q: What do you think is the worst portrayal of gay folks by a gay artist? – Milo, Indianapolis, Indiana
A: Oh, man, that is one serious can-o-worms! But I also think it’s an absolutely fascinating question, because of how the idea of social or “gay” responsibility clashes with the notion that artists have a personal responsibility to tell the truth as they see it. After all, it’s not the job of any artist to create propaganda or “sanitize” the truth.
But what if I think a project by a gay or bisexual artist portrays gay people in an inaccurate, stereotypical, or offensive way? If we’re both gay,...
- 1/3/2011
- by Brent Hartinger
- The Backlot
Above: Larry Cohen on the set of It's Alive (1973).
Question everything. Learn something. Answer nothing.
—Euripides
From Euripides to Larry Cohen may seem like a considerable jump, but the more one looks into the careers of the seminal Greek dramatist (480-406 BC), author of Andromache, The Trojan Women and The Bacchae, and the exploitation-savvy New York-born writer/director (b. 1941) responsible for Q - The Winged Serpent, The Stuff and Black Caesar, the more certain parallels start to insistently emerge.
Both men revitalised existing genre "tropes" via the use of audaciously sharp satire—often aimed at authority-figures and/or conventional society's idea of "heroes"—alongside unexpected psychological depth in terms of characterisation (for both male and female roles).
And, just as in his lifetime Euripides lagged in terms of awards and critical acclaim behind the other two main tragedians of classical Athens—Aeschylus and Sophocles—likewise Cohen has often been overlooked...
Question everything. Learn something. Answer nothing.
—Euripides
From Euripides to Larry Cohen may seem like a considerable jump, but the more one looks into the careers of the seminal Greek dramatist (480-406 BC), author of Andromache, The Trojan Women and The Bacchae, and the exploitation-savvy New York-born writer/director (b. 1941) responsible for Q - The Winged Serpent, The Stuff and Black Caesar, the more certain parallels start to insistently emerge.
Both men revitalised existing genre "tropes" via the use of audaciously sharp satire—often aimed at authority-figures and/or conventional society's idea of "heroes"—alongside unexpected psychological depth in terms of characterisation (for both male and female roles).
And, just as in his lifetime Euripides lagged in terms of awards and critical acclaim behind the other two main tragedians of classical Athens—Aeschylus and Sophocles—likewise Cohen has often been overlooked...
- 11/13/2010
- MUBI
Missed out on this year's Frigid New York Festival? You still have a chance to catch a selection of shows with Frigid Hangover. Frigid New York is the fastest growing celebration of fringe theater in the Lower East Side. Now in its fourth year, the wintertime festival featured 30 edgy productions that are selected in part as first-come, first-serve, and in part by lottery. All shows run less than sixty minutes. One hundred percent of the box office goes to the participating company. The festival this year ran from February 24th to March 7th, 2010 in three East Village venues: The Kraine Theater, The Red Room, and Under St. Marks. A selection of the top shows have been chosen to participate in Frigid Hangover, which offers theater mavens one last chance to catch these shows. Hangover runs from March 9 to 13, 2010. Shows include: "Kill the Band," "The Bike Trip," "Four Quarters," "Ramblings of a Gentleman Scumbag,...
- 3/9/2010
- backstage.com
Following a tad slowly on the heels of "Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief" and the upcoming "Clash of the Titans" remake is another blockbuster involving Greek mythology: "War of the Gods" (aka "Dawn of War"), a sword-and-sandals epic being helmed by visionary filmmaker Tarsem ("The Fall") that will tell the story of Athens founder and legendary Minotaur-killer Theseus. Henry Cavill (Showtime's "The Tudors") will star as the hero, and now joining him, according to Variety, is Indian actress Freida Pinto ("Slumdog Millionaire").
Pinto will play Phaedra, "an oracle priestess" and (future?) wife of Theseus, who joins him in the quest to stop the titular war -- pitting the younger Olympian gods against the elder Titan gods -- from beginning. The character has been portrayed many times on screen, mainly in adaptations of plays by Euripides and Jean Racine, the most recent of which starred Helen Mirren in the part.
Pinto will play Phaedra, "an oracle priestess" and (future?) wife of Theseus, who joins him in the quest to stop the titular war -- pitting the younger Olympian gods against the elder Titan gods -- from beginning. The character has been portrayed many times on screen, mainly in adaptations of plays by Euripides and Jean Racine, the most recent of which starred Helen Mirren in the part.
- 2/24/2010
- by Christopher Campbell
- MTV Movies Blog
Stage West presents Liz Lochhead's wry and funny Good Things.
49-year-old Susan is going through what is generally described as a bit of a rough patch. Her husband has left her for a much younger woman, she has lost her job, her father is slipping into senility, and her teenage daughter is behaving like-well-a teenager.
Now she's volunteering in a resale shop, and maintaining a (mostly) cheerful determination not to fall into victimhood, in Liz Lochhead's comedy Good Things, beginning Thursday, October 29 at Stage West's Vickery playhouse.
Susan's co-workers, the nurturing and possibly gay Frazer, and the micro-managing Marjorie, are eager to see Susan's life sorted out in appropriately fairy-tale fashion. They've encouraged her attempts at online and speed-dating, though she herself is less than enthusiastic. It hasn't worked out very well so far; she's currently having to dodge the attentions of one particularly creepy match-up. And then into the shop comes David,...
49-year-old Susan is going through what is generally described as a bit of a rough patch. Her husband has left her for a much younger woman, she has lost her job, her father is slipping into senility, and her teenage daughter is behaving like-well-a teenager.
Now she's volunteering in a resale shop, and maintaining a (mostly) cheerful determination not to fall into victimhood, in Liz Lochhead's comedy Good Things, beginning Thursday, October 29 at Stage West's Vickery playhouse.
Susan's co-workers, the nurturing and possibly gay Frazer, and the micro-managing Marjorie, are eager to see Susan's life sorted out in appropriately fairy-tale fashion. They've encouraged her attempts at online and speed-dating, though she herself is less than enthusiastic. It hasn't worked out very well so far; she's currently having to dodge the attentions of one particularly creepy match-up. And then into the shop comes David,...
- 10/17/2009
- BroadwayWorld.com
Lars von Trier may be a self-confessed depressive, but 'schizophrenic' is the epithet which first springs to mind when trying to describe his films. So luckily for me - not a big Lars von Trier fan per se - there seems to be no such thing as a typical Lars von Trier film: from the brutal emotionality of Breaking the Waves (1996) to the bemused distaste left by The Idiots (1998) to the "when-will-it-be-over" of Medea (1988), each von Trier film seems to elicit from the viewer (i.e. me) a radically different reaction. Even the trilogies, supposedly held loosely together by a unifying central character type, come in styles as varied as the Dogme 95-abiding, ultra-realist The Idiots and the highly stylized magic realism of Dancer in the Dark (2000). It would thus seem an absurd enterprise to review the entiretyof von Trier's oeuvre as a monolithic whole bearing a trademark von Trier stamp.
- 10/8/2009
- by Zornitsa
- SoundOnSight
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