Medea

Pier Paolo Pasolini directs opera diva Maria Callas in a non-singing role as the title character in this 1969 interpretation of the play by Euripides, a Greek tragedy based on a myth about barbarian queen and sorceress Medea and her Greek husband, Jason (of Golden Fleece fame, portrayed here by Guiseppe Gentile), whose betrayal leads her to commit infanticide. Shooting in Turkey, Syria, and Italy, Pasolini delivers stunning images, from the white hills and caves of Medea's village (where the rulers and religious figures wear elaborate tribal masks and outfits for the rituals) to the vast buildings and monuments of Jason's kingdom in Corinth. But the story itself isn't acted so much as performed—like a ritualized passion play for the pre-Christian pagan world. Stripped down to symbolic expressions of scenes and ideas, this Medea comes across as the cinematic equivalent of hieroglyphics, less of an interpretive work than a deconstructive commentary focused on power and politics (both social and sexual). Unfortunately, other than eliciting an intense performance from Callas (who is silent for the most part), Pasolini never quite makes the material come to life. DVD extras include a feature-length 1987 documentary on Callas made for the BBC by Tony Palmer. Optional. (S. Axmaker)