Overview: After mistakenly slaying a sacred deer, Agamemnon is ordered to atone for his sin by the gods. In order for them to guarantee safe passage for his armies to Troy, he must make the ultimate sacrifice: the death of his beloved daughter, Iphigenia. Torn between family and country, he attempts to keep the details of the impossible ultimatum from his wife, Clytemnestra (Irene Papas, Z), choosing to deceive her while he wrestles with the implications of his decision, while those around him wait tensely for his answer.

A masterpiece of epic Greek storytelling, Iphigenia is the third film from Michael Cacoyannis (Zorba the Greek, Elektra) to be adapted from a Euripidean tragedy, and one of the director’s most acclaimed and successful films, nominated for both the Palme d’Or and the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

Blu-ray Verdict: Simply put, the acting of the main three roles is extraordinary. Kostas Kazakos as Agamemnon gives us a terrifying look into the mind of the leader at the head of the achaean host. A man who becomes broken and distorted when he hears the bloody demand of the goddess Artemis, whom he insulted. And as powerful as he is he is shown here to be as much influenced by the army as the army is by him. The thousand-headed monster that I govern, as he says in one scene.

He knows that if the army finds out the knowledge that he holds, he will not be able to stop them from rebelling or sacrificing his daughter themselves. In the first half of the film he is plagued by indecision. Even fear and his eyes gradually change in the course of the film to a kind of drunkenness as he accepts the nature of the barbaric thing he must do. He is a brutal man.

A man of great anger and authority. But he is also shown as broken and weak. Clinging to control which is slipping from his hands. We see in him a father and a leader of men. And those two aspects of him intermingle on his face in a kind of perverted dance that marks him as one who is most dangerous. It is a thing to behold.

Irene Papas, who plays Clytemnestra (Agamemnon’s wife) is just as marvelous. With her movement and voice she conveys her regal status well but as she realizes the fate of her daughter she becomes a ghost of herself. She transitions from a queen to a broken mother - screaming and crying. Delivering heart wrenching dialogue which somehow convinces you that this is not acting but true grief and anger. And at the end she becomes a quiet fury. A woman possessed with unspeakable sadness and desire for vengeance. Her ravings are as potent as any ever seen on the big screen.

Then there is Tatiana Papamoschou who plays Iphigenia. Her youth, beauty and innocence mixed with her unusual wisdom makes her murder so much more barbaric. So much more unforgivable. And her dialogue with her father and mother is gut wrenching. As she transitions from happiness to doubt. From fear to anger and finally to trembling acceptance. Enough with the tears. Start singing to wake up the winds.

I also adore the silence in this film. Many scenes are made even more potent by the lack of music. Amplifying the feeling of waiting, of longing for something. Of a place where there are no winds and no birds. There is kind of tiredness in the air. It feels as if the barren landscape is already dead and a death of a young girl is as fitting to it as the waves are to the sea.

There are many shots of great crowd of soldiers which are conveyed really good. Their bodies marked with sweat but tired - longing for the wind which will send them to war. You see the crowd of soldiers in this film as its own entity. A moving mass which has a voice of its own. You can almost imagine them in battle against the trojans. Like a mass of bulls - full of energy, unlike their state in this film. Tired and bored, slowly becoming unruly and dangerous to those who command them.

Camera movement is utilized quite good as well. Lingering when there is tension or stagnation and other times moving - sometimes steady as the figure she covers or unruly and sharp as the action between characters happens.

That said, one thing that I didn’t like is the clothing. We know from archeological evidence (frescoes, pottery) that Greeks in the late bronze age wore tunics, belts, cloaks etc. Nobility preferred linen, but the lower classes wore cloths made from wool or goat hair. In this film the clothing is all over the place and the helmets and armor look funny. But, well, yes, I still like this film very much. [J.M.]

SPECIAL FEATURES:
High-definition digital transfer
Uncompressed mono PCM audio
New interview with Greek film expert Dimitris Papanikolaou on Michael Cacoyannis (2025)
Archival press conference interview with Michael Cacoyannis (1977)
Archival interview with director Michael Cacoyannis and actress Irene Papas (1977)
Newly improved English subtitle translation
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Time Tomorrow
Limited edition booklet featuring new writing by Vrasidas Karalis
Limited edition of 3000 copies, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings

Official Purchase Link

www.radiancefilms.co.uk