At the heart of this exceptional adaptation of the Medea story the self-immolating passion for which it is famous is bared. Medea ruptures the priestly sacrament with her goddess Hecate, abandons her homeland, and commits the gruesome act of dismembering her younger brother Absyrtus, all for the love of Jason. These profound acts of desecration, lead to catastrophic consequences when Jason ultimately spurns her votive act of love.
Although this story is well-known among knowledgeable audiences, what sets Pier Paolo Pasolini's vision apart is that he breathes new life into a corpus of work which has been diminished by bowdlerization. By immersing us in a world that is genetically similar yet utterly experientially different from our own, Pasolini brings a fresh perspective to a story that has been sanitized over time. Watching this work is not for the faint-hearted, as it speaks directly to our atavisms. Medea is not the Hollywood-ized work of a de Mille or a Don Chaffey, it is the work of a visionary artist.
Maria Callas is an inspired choice as Medea, a priestess who laments that wisdom speaks through her, not from her. As "La Divina", her ability to infuse emotional timbre into arias makes here a notable co-author of songs. Her soprano's insecurity, however unjustified, is something that would be within her to draw on, in her unusual outing as an actress.
Pasolini's use of animal bodies in the film is concerning and raises questions about the ethical treatment of other sentient beings. The inclusion of dead rodents hung on religious ornamentation, and bloody organs on display is questionable. Respect for other sensing and feeling creatures is an essential component of a humble existence.
The film's general roughness can be considered wildness and are critical to its flow and beauty. The repeated scene of Glauce's key moment is not a carelessly inserted retake, but a consummation following an imagining or envisioning that contributes to the film's overall effect.
Early on in the film Chiron speaks words that set the tone for Pasolini's task as a film poet: "...in the ancient world, myths and rituals are living reality. Part of man's everyday life. For him reality is such a perfect entity that the emotion he experiences at the sight of a tranquil sky equals the most profound personal experience of modern man." Pasolini successfully achieves the viscerality that these words call for.
Although this story is well-known among knowledgeable audiences, what sets Pier Paolo Pasolini's vision apart is that he breathes new life into a corpus of work which has been diminished by bowdlerization. By immersing us in a world that is genetically similar yet utterly experientially different from our own, Pasolini brings a fresh perspective to a story that has been sanitized over time. Watching this work is not for the faint-hearted, as it speaks directly to our atavisms. Medea is not the Hollywood-ized work of a de Mille or a Don Chaffey, it is the work of a visionary artist.
Maria Callas is an inspired choice as Medea, a priestess who laments that wisdom speaks through her, not from her. As "La Divina", her ability to infuse emotional timbre into arias makes here a notable co-author of songs. Her soprano's insecurity, however unjustified, is something that would be within her to draw on, in her unusual outing as an actress.
Pasolini's use of animal bodies in the film is concerning and raises questions about the ethical treatment of other sentient beings. The inclusion of dead rodents hung on religious ornamentation, and bloody organs on display is questionable. Respect for other sensing and feeling creatures is an essential component of a humble existence.
The film's general roughness can be considered wildness and are critical to its flow and beauty. The repeated scene of Glauce's key moment is not a carelessly inserted retake, but a consummation following an imagining or envisioning that contributes to the film's overall effect.
Early on in the film Chiron speaks words that set the tone for Pasolini's task as a film poet: "...in the ancient world, myths and rituals are living reality. Part of man's everyday life. For him reality is such a perfect entity that the emotion he experiences at the sight of a tranquil sky equals the most profound personal experience of modern man." Pasolini successfully achieves the viscerality that these words call for.