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| Phaedra | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Directed by | Jules Dassin |
| Written by | Jules Dassin Margarita Liberaki[1] |
| Based on | Hippolytus 428 B.C. play byEuripides[1] |
| Produced by | Jules Dassin[1] |
| Starring | Melina Mercouri Anthony Perkins |
| Cinematography | Jacques Natteau[1] |
| Edited by | Roger Dwyre[1] |
| Music by | Mikis Theodorakis[1] |
Production companies |
|
| Distributed by | Lopert Pictures Corporation[1] |
Release date |
|
Running time | 115 minutes[1] |
| Countries | United States France Greece[1] |
| Languages | English Greek |
| Budget | $900,000[2] |
Phaedra (Greek:Φαίδρα) is a 1962 American-Greekdrama film directed byJules Dassin as a vehicle for his partner (and future wife)Melina Mercouri, after her worldwide hitNever on Sunday.
The film was the fourth collaboration between Dassin and Mercouri, who took the title role. Greek writerMargarita Liberaki adaptedEuripides'Hippolytus into a melodrama concerning the rich society of ship owners and their families, but still containing some of the tragic elements of the ancient drama. The film is set in Paris, London, and the Greek island ofHydra.
Phaedra, second wife of shipping tycoon Thanos (Raf Vallone), falls in love with her husband's son from his first marriage, Alexis (Anthony Perkins). The love is doomed from the very beginning but they are unable to control their feelings.
Phaedra was filmed in Greece, France, and Great Britain.[1] The production company Jorilie Productions is only credited by the American copyright source and the films status as a French co-production is unconfirmed.[1]
The movie was released in 1962. It was a hit in Europe but abox-office failure in the USA. Although Mercouri and Perkins became friends during the filming, the magazines, and especiallyEsquire magazine, attacked the film, because of Perkins's vulnerability.Phaedra was one of several films that teamed Perkins with notable older female stars.[citation needed]
The music was composed byMikis Theodorakis. In the soundtrack, Melina Mercouri sang two songs. The first one was written byNikos Gatsos, a major Greek poet, and was sung by Mercouri and Perkins after their love scene in Paris. The other one was heard in the film as the main love theme. Both of the songs are popular in Greece and they have been performed by hundreds of singers and actors.
The toccata fromJohann Sebastian Bach'sToccata and Fugue for organ in F major, BWV 540 was used prominently in the film.
Phaedra was released to DVD by MGM Home Entertainment on June 6, 2011, as a Region 1 fullscreen DVD-on-demand disc via MGM's Limited Edition Collection available through Amazon.
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