I watched this film last night for the second time in my life. Being someone who grew up in the 60s and 70s, I'm used to - and rather fond of - the films of that time. And I like Dassin. I enjoyed Topkapi and I ADORE Rififi. But I found this film did not age very well. The acting is unnatural and over the top, which turns the film into a melodrama rather than a tragedy.
They made a lot of fuss about Mercuri in those days. She was considered to be one of those "not beautiful, but fascinating" women. Maybe she was, but I always thought her a rather alarming female, with her decidedly masculine face, the nearly demented intensity of her eyes, her guttural voice and her strident laugh. Then again, I am a woman myself, so maybe it's just that her 'je ne sais quoi' is lost on me.
I would not have chosen Perkins to play Alexis, as I never considered his type to be the sort that ignites an overwhelming passion in a woman's heart. But that might be just my personal taste. I liked the way Dassin did the love scene between Alexis and Phaedra. Truly beautiful and erotic, without all the biology text-book, clinical details they inflict on us these days. And Theodorakis' soundtrack is spot on (he is Greek, after all).
All in all, this is the sort of film that I watch more for nostalgic reasons than anything else. But I would not put anything on hold for it.
They made a lot of fuss about Mercuri in those days. She was considered to be one of those "not beautiful, but fascinating" women. Maybe she was, but I always thought her a rather alarming female, with her decidedly masculine face, the nearly demented intensity of her eyes, her guttural voice and her strident laugh. Then again, I am a woman myself, so maybe it's just that her 'je ne sais quoi' is lost on me.
I would not have chosen Perkins to play Alexis, as I never considered his type to be the sort that ignites an overwhelming passion in a woman's heart. But that might be just my personal taste. I liked the way Dassin did the love scene between Alexis and Phaedra. Truly beautiful and erotic, without all the biology text-book, clinical details they inflict on us these days. And Theodorakis' soundtrack is spot on (he is Greek, after all).
All in all, this is the sort of film that I watch more for nostalgic reasons than anything else. But I would not put anything on hold for it.