"Dazzling! Bold! Triumphantly ambitious! Sensual and erotic, timeless and timely!" says the Los Angeles Times' Kevin Thomas in regards to Amy Greenfield's 1989 adaptation of Sophocles' 5th century B.C. finale (chronologically) in the Oedipus trilogy, and while I'm not without critical sin and therefore not in the habit of throwing the first stone, I am sincerely baffled by this glowing assessment from a man who clearly has the heart of a child and the patience of a saint. I, on the other hand, can be a rather nasty bitch, with the patience of the Soup Nazi, and I felt myself sorely tried by this quasi-dance/performance piece/play in which the characters stand around like human furniture (occasionally doing some step or wiggle apropos of not much at all) while whispery overlaid narration is used to communicate their thoughts. For the record, the dramatic action (presented here in relentlessly undramatic fashion) revolves around Oedipus's daughter Antigone's determination to bury her slain brother Polyneices despite King Creon's orders to the contrary. Antigone's dignified crusade proves that blood is thicker than petty tyranny, and that's the glory and tragedy of the play, but you won't gather that from watching this tiresome effort, of which one Amazon.com customer opined: in "states with no death penalty, I recommend that this movie be repeatedly forced upon prisoners convicted of heinous crimes." Not recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (R. Pitman)
Antigone: Rites of Passion
(1989) 85 min. VHS: $19.98, DVD: $24.98. Winstar TV & Video (avail. from most distributors). Color cover. ISBN: 0-7942-0003-6 (dvd). Vol. 16, Issue 3
Antigone: Rites of Passion
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