Electra (1962)

I reckon it is fair to say that win or lose after the Trojan War, those who did survive were never looked up very favourably by the Olympians. This rather bleaky adapts Euripides' interpretation of the betrayal of Agamemnon, and of the consequent struggles of his daughter Elektra (Irene Papas) and her younger brother Orestes (Gianni Fertis). Their father had barely set down his armour when he was killed in his bath by his wife Klytamnestra (Aleka Katselli) and her ambitious lover Aegisthus (Fivos Razi). Luckily, the young lad was spirited away by his tutor (Manos Katrakis) but his sister was left to be neglected until she was married off to a lowly arable farmer (Notis Peryalis). As it happens, he is quite a decent man who makes few demands of a lady he knows had no choice in their betrothal, and though now devoid of all rank and status, she makes the best of things. Now in his later teens, her brother has consulted an oracle that has told him he must avenge his father by killing his killers. To that end, he decides he should try to find Elektra and see what she can suggest - obviously neither of them can get near the palace. Aided by his fiend Pylades (Takis Emmanuel) they set about removing the lover - definitely the easier task psychologically, before returning their attentions to the task they find themselves much more conflicted about. The monochrome photography, the sparse dialogue and the simplicity of the location all tee up an impressive performance from a Papas whom I've only ever seen in supporting roles before, and from the engaging Fertis. The costumes and the considered pacing also contribute strongly as the tale traverses the whole gamut of human emotions from grief and rage, to cunning and revenge. The questions it asks are just as potent as those it answers, and in traditional Greek theatrical style we see no violence on screen. What is also striking here is the use of her fellow village women as a sort of conscience-cum-chorus for a woman determined on their course of action, but with her own ethics which didn't sit comfortably with matricide. Ultimately, it asks us whether revenge offers us closure, or whether is just starts off another spiral and this whole film presents an haunting depiction of just how humanity faces up to it's demons.