Yep, it’s the Euripides classic play given a film treatment by the notorious Pier Paolo Pasolini. His treatment is vastly different from Lars Von Trier’s approach. Paolini reaches for archetypal patterns pointing to energies dormant in most of us, but horrifyingly present once he begins to unleash his succession of images.
This is not mystification on Pasolini’s (or my) part. In re-dramatizing the ancient rituals and sacrifices of ancient Greece, Paolini illuminates specific images which point back to old patterns of human behavior. Because these potentials of behavior are not under conscious control contemporary man tends to fear them and deny their existence through repression. It’s why the early scenes are as compelling as they are disturbing. The initial sequences attack any jaded or dulled disposition toward the classic story and transports you to a world of passionate and choice-less action.
Pasolini shows how Medea has always made decisions based on her passions, something we rarely see in women of contemporary culture. You don’t merely sympathize with the powerfully striking Maria Callas as Medea, but become a part of her vengence. If you can manage to remain present until the Euripides story begins in earnest, you’ll become utterly involved (unlike the Von Trier film, where the artifice keeps you slightly removed). Unforgettable.
by Marlin Tyree | Source: Vanguard Cinema DVD
02 May 2007 5:54 PM | Submit Comment