Main Cast: Silvana Mangano, Franco Citti, Alida Valli, Julian Beck, Carmelo Bene
Release Year: 1967
Country: IT
Run Time: 110 minutes
Plot
This updated version of the Greek tragedy from Sophocles bears some slight resemblance to the original mythology. Edipo (Franco Citti) is abandoned by his father after the father receives an oracle telling him he will die at the hands of his own son. Raised by a childless couple, Edipo goes through a series of adventures before he marries his own mother. When they discover they are mother and son, Edipo blinds himself and his mother commits suicide. It's enough to give the audience a complex. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
Review
Pier Paolo Pasolini's adaptation of Oedipus Rex manages the difficult trick of being both fascinating and uninvolving. It's a frustrating film, one that many will find pretentious and/or boring and that others will find coldly beautiful. Whatever one's reaction, it is unlikely that many viewers will feel satisfied by Oedipus; even those who justifiably admire it for its sparsely stunning visuals and for the intensely personal stamp that Pasolini puts on it will likely feel that they are merely observers, distanced and kept on the outside of the emotional wall that surrounds the film. Certainly, Pasolini is being exceedingly true to his vision, but it's one that is so keenly tied to his own specific psyche that it defies the close participation of others. Yet there is something undeniably intriguing about watching an artist of his stamp working in this particular manner; it doesn't sustain one's interest in the piece, but it does make it a unique experience. Part of the "problem" with Oedipus is that Pasolini stages it in a deliberately detached manner, discouraging the viewer from getting caught up in the inherent drama of the piece but simultaneously challenging him to look at the piece as archetype and ritual and to search for the truth that lies at its roots. It's a noble aim, but definitely not to everyone's taste. Many will also feel that the dual time periods -- modern at the beginning and end, primitively ancient in the middle -- are confusing, although the director clearly is making an attempt at a statement involving contemporary life. In the title role, Franco Citti is amateurish, but that is precisely the effect Pasolini is looking for. Much better are Silvana Mangano and, all too briefly, Alida Valli. The stark desert settings, the inventive costumes and the insightful cinematography all create a distinctive milieu, which even Oedipus' detractors are likely to appreciate. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
A son is born to a young couple in pre-war Italy. The father, motivated by jealousy, takes the baby into the desert to be abandoned, at which point the film’s setting changes to the ancient world. The child is rescued, named Edipo by King Polybus (Ahmed Belhachmi) and Queen Merope (Alida Valli) of Corinth and raised as their own son. When Edipo (Franco Citti) learns of a prophesy foretelling that he will kill his father and marry his mother, he leaves Corinth believing that Polybus and Merope are his true parents.
On the road to Thebes, Edipo meets Laius (Luciano Bartoli), his biological father, and kills him after an argument. Later Edipo solves the riddle of the Sphinx. For freeing the kingdom of Thebes from the Sphinx's curse Edipo is rewarded with kingship and marriage to queen Jocasta (Silvana Mangano), who is his biological mother. When they discover what they have done, fulfilling the prophecy, Edipo blinds himself and Jocasta commits suicide.
