Overview, Cast, and Plot
The film was directed by Philip Saville in 1968. The plot was founded on the Athenian Misfortune Oedipus the King which was composed by Sophocles in the year 429 BC. One of the most appealing details about the movie is that the cast comprised of well-established individuals in the industry such as Christopher Plummer who plays Oedipus, Palmer Lilli as Jocasta, Orson Welles plays Tiresias, and Sutherland Donald as a Member of the Chorus, among other figures. It has been found that Sutherland’s voice was mimicked by some other character in the actual making of the movie. The filming location of the film was at the Ruined Greek Theatre in Greece which is easily recognizable by some audience. Despite the use of notable characters, the movie did not enter the American and European markets up until the 70s and 80s after acquiring the necessary distribution rights.
This movie was the initial theoretical effort by Saville, and it maintained tis status since it exhibited rigorous discourse which is emblematic of any ancient play. Nonetheless, there is a twist that makes the movie more than just a theatrical work. It contains scenes where Laius, played by Friedrich Ledebur, is murdered and also another scene where Jocasta and Oedipus make love. The latter is arguably the most significant moments in the movie since Jocasta is the mother to Oedipus who had just murdered his father, Laius, so as to marry his mother.
As cited earlier, the movie is founded on a Greek mythology and this in every respect justifies the reason behind the filming of the movie in Greece, and even more notably, at the Ruined Greek Theatre. It was aimed to bring an atmosphere of the olden days. Many consider the work as a tragic film or myth because of some occurrences. One of such occurrences is where Oedipus kills his father, and then goes ahead to marry his mother.
Impression and its Success
The film is deemed as a flop by many in terms of success since it used very notable figures in the industry but did not do well in the market. There are some sensible reasons for such views. Firstly, the movie is based on a dated Greek myth, and is also filmed in Greece with no or little effort to make it penetrate into the global market. To add to this, the movie was not licensed for sale in either the U.S or European markets, who are the largest markets for such films.
However, the film can be evaluated on a different scale. It is very informative since it teaches on the past that significantly influences out present and future. The fact that it is based on a play written centuries ago may also have played a part in making it a flop since many would not associate with it.