Oedipus the King (1968 film)

Cast

Reception

Despite its calibre of actors, the film was not universally well received. New York Magazine described it as "almost comical" in a September 1968 review; a 1972 review said "An elaborate production, overly academic and without much force or cinematic merit." However, in 1968 the Illustrated London News praised its "cinematic fluidity" and Jon Solomon in 2001 said that the film was "distinguished by intensity and fine acting", with Plummer's Oedipus boasting "an arrogant, strong-willed title character". However, Solomon also remarked that the film "would never have won first prize at an ancient Athenian contest. Leonard Maltin in 2006 said that the "film version of Sophocles play is OK for students who have a test on it the next day, but others won't appreciate this version." The script was originally based on Paul Roche's translation directly from the Greek done in the early 1950s. (Penguin USA OEDIPUS PLAYS/PAUL ROCHE). Torn between the dynamic theatricality of the Ancient Greek and modern realism the film loses what it might have had by lurching between. If Sophocles' words, through the poetic translation provided by Roche, had been given full voice, in the amphitheatre at Dodoni , without the pretence of the real, the film could have become a cult. Sadly Producer Luke and Director Saville never quite gelled their ideas and an interesting 1960s experiment foundered in the confusion.