This story of a woman falling in love with the son of her husband from a previous marriage is an updating of an ancient story from Greek mythology to contemporary times. The premise is certainly worthy to be the basis for great tragedy, but this attempt falls a bit short.
I first saw this movie in the early 1960s when I was in college and it made quite an impression on me. The fact that I remember the story and some scenes (particularly the love scene, which seems tame by modern standards) speaks well for it. But on seeing it again recently after almost fifty years its impact was much less. Maybe I originally identified with the young Alexis (Anthony Perkins) and envied his life of luxury and opportunity, but on second viewing I saw Perkins as miscast, being rather weak and ineffectual. I found that, as Phaedra, Melina Mercouri had not lost her smoldering sexiness for me. Could such a woman, used to moving among the rich and powerful in the Greek shipping industry, really fall so obsessively in love with such a callow youth of twenty-four? Alexis admitted that his affair with Phaedra was his first love affair--would such a sexually inexperienced young man be able to satisfy the worldly Phaedra? Could you picture Perkins taking over his father's shipping empire and doing all the necessary wheeling and dealing to make of go of that? I just could not buy Perkins in this role.
Having said that, there are some great scenes. Both Phaedra and Alexis recognized the danger of their being together after their passionate lovemaking during Phaedra's trip to London. Both recognized the wisdom of having Alexis staying London and Phaedra in Greece. But Phaedra's husband Thanos (Raf Vallone in a good performance) wanted his estranged son to come to Greece and learn the business and he put serious pressure on Phaedra to coax him to come. A pivotal and intense scene has the conflicted Phaedra on the phone pleading with Alexis to come to Greece, knowing full well that she was inviting tragedy.
The film quality on the DVD is quite good. The black and white photography is effective and occasionally striking. For example, the scene that has the crowd of women in their black cowls with their white faces starting at the camera while Phaedra barges through dressed in all white is inspired.
As might be expected the score by Mikis Theodorakis adds much to the atmosphere.
I first saw this movie in the early 1960s when I was in college and it made quite an impression on me. The fact that I remember the story and some scenes (particularly the love scene, which seems tame by modern standards) speaks well for it. But on seeing it again recently after almost fifty years its impact was much less. Maybe I originally identified with the young Alexis (Anthony Perkins) and envied his life of luxury and opportunity, but on second viewing I saw Perkins as miscast, being rather weak and ineffectual. I found that, as Phaedra, Melina Mercouri had not lost her smoldering sexiness for me. Could such a woman, used to moving among the rich and powerful in the Greek shipping industry, really fall so obsessively in love with such a callow youth of twenty-four? Alexis admitted that his affair with Phaedra was his first love affair--would such a sexually inexperienced young man be able to satisfy the worldly Phaedra? Could you picture Perkins taking over his father's shipping empire and doing all the necessary wheeling and dealing to make of go of that? I just could not buy Perkins in this role.
Having said that, there are some great scenes. Both Phaedra and Alexis recognized the danger of their being together after their passionate lovemaking during Phaedra's trip to London. Both recognized the wisdom of having Alexis staying London and Phaedra in Greece. But Phaedra's husband Thanos (Raf Vallone in a good performance) wanted his estranged son to come to Greece and learn the business and he put serious pressure on Phaedra to coax him to come. A pivotal and intense scene has the conflicted Phaedra on the phone pleading with Alexis to come to Greece, knowing full well that she was inviting tragedy.
The film quality on the DVD is quite good. The black and white photography is effective and occasionally striking. For example, the scene that has the crowd of women in their black cowls with their white faces starting at the camera while Phaedra barges through dressed in all white is inspired.
As might be expected the score by Mikis Theodorakis adds much to the atmosphere.