Iphigenia

Mostly slow and wandering for the first half hour or so, but soon it leads into some great and tense drama. Not bad, but a bit too uneven.

Epic Greek tragedy centered on the family of Agamemnon during the early part of the Trojan War. The King of Argos is torn between the love of his daughter, the will of the gods, and the mob mentality of his army. It's all talk and no action: there's lots of scenes of women weeping and hairy men exchanging stern looks, but the powerful (if stagey) acting performances from all of the leads leaves a lasting impression. Loved the scenes with masses of armed men singing their battle cries.

Looks a bit too 1970s (e.g., Achilles' hair), there's too much hysterical shouting where a calmer version of fury, outrage, grief and so on would have been more effective, and there's something lost by removing the chorus, specifically the tie between the psychic and collective planes. Nevertheless, offers a strong presentation of the clash of tendencies in Greek society, intensified when war gets mixed up with sexuality. Filmed in Aulis, and 12-year-old Papamoschou makes a beautiful Iphigenia.

The first part of the story seems to be All About Agamemnon and the poetic wrist-slap dealt to him. Watching him trade dialogue with the rest of his elite isn't especially compelling until the titular Iphigenia arrives and the moral & practical crises start piling up.