Contrary to a previous reviewer's remark, you CAN see William Shatner in this film. During the brief introductory prologue, three of the actors are seen without their masks, and Shatner (looking very young) is one of them. Otherwise, he is in the chorus, masked. Another of the actors (playing the messenger) is Douglas Rain, who later provided the voice of HAL 9000 in 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY.
As for the movie, it is definitely a curiosity. The masks are extraordinary, and as a lifelong devotee of the Greek tragedies, I found this production well worth watching. Oedipus's story is not only a journey of psychological self-discovery, but it's also probably the first murder mystery ever written; Sophocles, like every modern mystery novelist, had to work out the precise order of cumulative details and revelations to bring the climax to a head. All the shocking revelations about the king come tumbling out precisely because he long ago committed murder and kept his crimes a secret.
As for the movie, it is definitely a curiosity. The masks are extraordinary, and as a lifelong devotee of the Greek tragedies, I found this production well worth watching. Oedipus's story is not only a journey of psychological self-discovery, but it's also probably the first murder mystery ever written; Sophocles, like every modern mystery novelist, had to work out the precise order of cumulative details and revelations to bring the climax to a head. All the shocking revelations about the king come tumbling out precisely because he long ago committed murder and kept his crimes a secret.