I was subjected to this cacophony of sight and sound as part of a literature course in ancient civilizations, and will most probably never recover. At the risk of dwelling too long upon a terrible event of my life, I will attempt to get straight to the point. The play of Antigone is rewritten. Incorrect people die, some people never enter into the play, some who do enter the play show up so late that their impact is entirely marginalized, Oedipus dies and then comes back with his eyes in tact for no reason, and a prehumous promise is made to Polynices to bury him should be die.
Visually, the sets are immediately obvious to anyone who has lived in the Northeast United States, simply put - not Greece. Colors and clarity start off in the forest scenes as nearly unwatchable, but do become bearable later on, despite being VHS. Music is presented as layered noise, and I use the word noise in as denigrating a way as possible. The most embarrassing, self-indulgent wailing, banging, slamming and scratching illustrates the tensions of each scene so oppressively overt that any critical thinking on the part of the viewer can safely be stored away - the horrific sounds will tell you who is good, bad - and what they are feeling.
The acting is mostly intolerable, with laughable costuming. Early on Polynices appears in rags, despite being an heir to the throne of Thebes. Later, Creon appears wearing a bizarre modern outfit of pure black with a huge upturned collar and cheap black cowboy boots. And just in case you can't figure out he is irredeemably evil in this particular presentation (because Greek Tragedies just love one dimensional characters... /sarcasm) the noises that play while he is on screen are, basically, a low and sinister growling. This is a perfect illustration of what role sound plays in this film - to be as obvious as possible.
From early in the film to the end, you will see men and women caress, fondle, and rub each other in what appears to be a super soft-core porn - no nudity beyond dangerously low male pant-lines yet strangely just as uncomfortable as watching a sex scene in a movie with your preteen daughter in the room. The overall effect is unnerving and uncomfortable in the worst way but then add on the soundtrack which can only be described as 'pure and horrible discordance'.
If you should purchase this video, I recommend a gallon of bleach as well. Trust me, your eyes and ears will need it.
Visually, the sets are immediately obvious to anyone who has lived in the Northeast United States, simply put - not Greece. Colors and clarity start off in the forest scenes as nearly unwatchable, but do become bearable later on, despite being VHS. Music is presented as layered noise, and I use the word noise in as denigrating a way as possible. The most embarrassing, self-indulgent wailing, banging, slamming and scratching illustrates the tensions of each scene so oppressively overt that any critical thinking on the part of the viewer can safely be stored away - the horrific sounds will tell you who is good, bad - and what they are feeling.
The acting is mostly intolerable, with laughable costuming. Early on Polynices appears in rags, despite being an heir to the throne of Thebes. Later, Creon appears wearing a bizarre modern outfit of pure black with a huge upturned collar and cheap black cowboy boots. And just in case you can't figure out he is irredeemably evil in this particular presentation (because Greek Tragedies just love one dimensional characters... /sarcasm) the noises that play while he is on screen are, basically, a low and sinister growling. This is a perfect illustration of what role sound plays in this film - to be as obvious as possible.
From early in the film to the end, you will see men and women caress, fondle, and rub each other in what appears to be a super soft-core porn - no nudity beyond dangerously low male pant-lines yet strangely just as uncomfortable as watching a sex scene in a movie with your preteen daughter in the room. The overall effect is unnerving and uncomfortable in the worst way but then add on the soundtrack which can only be described as 'pure and horrible discordance'.
If you should purchase this video, I recommend a gallon of bleach as well. Trust me, your eyes and ears will need it.