Tag Archive | Euripides

Irène Papas for Remembrance

Dec2

Everyone in your life will have a last day with you and you don’t even know when it will be…

In 1973, Irène Papas acted in the Biblical TV miniseries Moses the Lawgiver (Moses, 1974). A co-production of Sir Lew Grade’s British ATV-ITC consortium and Italy’s RAI (Radiotelevisione Italiana) Television, it was made at a cost of about $6 million.

This episodic biopic of the Old Testament Hebrew prophet and lawgiver Moses (Hebrew: Môsheh – c. 12th century BC) (1), well-written by British novelist Anthony Burgess (A Clockwork Orange) along with Vittorio Bonicelli and its director Gianfranco de Bosio, starts with the rescue of infant Moses while afloat on the Nile, by Princess Bithia (meaning: daughter of God), one of Pharaoh’s daughters.

The familiar story then chronicles the period Moses was brought up in the corrupt brilliance of the Pharaoh’s Court; his eventual encounter with the voice of the Lord in the Burning Bush; the Exodus when Moses led the people of Israel from slavery to freedom out of Egypt by way of Sinai; the iconic event when Moses received the tablets of the Ten Commandments from Yahweh (Jehovah) on Mount Sinai; and Moses’ death after setting his eyes on the Promised Land.

Zipporah (Sephora, meaning little bird), Irène’s character in this Teleplay series, is one of seven daughters of Jethro (Raguel/Reuel), a priest of the Midianite tribes, that Moses married and adapted to a quiet life of a shepherd. As I write this, I could particularly recall that scene when Moses bids goodbye to wife Zipporah and his son, before he returned to lead his people from bondage in Egypt.

Fifty-nine year old Burt Lancaster dominates the role of the title character with supporting turns by Anthony Quayle (Aaron), Ingrid Thulin (Miriam), Marina Berti (Eliseba), Mariangela Melato (The Princess Bithia), Laurent Terzieff (Pharaoh Mernefta), etc. Burt’s son by Norma Anderson, 25 year old William “Bill” Lancaster was tasked with the role of young Moses. Under director Gianfranco De Bosio, the filming which started in August 1973 at Rome’s Cinecittà Studio went on to continue on location in Israel which was briefly interrupted by the outbreak of Yom Kippur War, the 1973 Arab-Israeli War fought from 06 to 25 October and ended in an Israeli victory. After the war, some of the cast and crew returned to Israel from Rome and the shooting resumed.

It took a total of six months for entire filming to complete and the theatrical version of Moses the Lawgivercame out in March 1976. As part of the production crew was Mario Bava, a visionary always worth watching, who provided the special effects. The music was composed and orchestrated by Ennio Morricone with additional music, songs and dances by Dov Seltzer.

The two movies of director Moustapha Akkad in which Irène Papas starred are epics in scale, set in highly traditional cultures. Irène took on the role of Hind bint Utbah, wife of Abou Sufyan in The Message (Mohammad, Messenger of God/Al Risalah, 1976). Take note of Irène’s introductory scene in which she walks in the market with a gypsy swing of her hips.

Shot in Panavision on location in Morocco and Libya by Jack Hildyard, the spectacular film about the birth of the Muslim religion was filmed devoutly and with sensitivity by Syrian-American film producer/director Moustapha Akkad. The screenplay by H.A.L. Craig written from the point of view of Mohammed’s uncle Hamza, imparted more emphasis to action than religious angles. Anthony Quinn turns in a powerful, screen-filling performance as Hamza struggling to win religious freedom for Mohammad.

According to title credits, the film’s accuracy and fidelity have been approved by scholars and historians of Islam. In addition, as per Islamic tradition, the impersonation of the Prophet offends against the spirituality of Mohammad’s message, hence, the person of Mohammed is never shown although the audience see the world through his eyes as he sits high in the saddle of his camel as it strides into Mecca. The holiest shrine, Kaaba, was recreated for the film.

The Message was made in two versions with almost separate casts: one in English with well-known actors (3); and the other version in Arabic with actors of the same rank in the Egyptian/Syrian film world. Michael Ansara, Johnny Sekka, Michael Forest co-starred in the English version. Music was composed and conducted by Maurice Jarre.

Iphigenia (Ifigeneia, 1977), a stunning film interpretation of Iphigenia in Aulis by Euripides produced by Greek Film Center recounts the Greek legend of Agamemnon’s attempt to sacrifice his young first-born daughter Iphigenia on the altar of Artemis to obtain a fair wind for one thousand ships and also as atonement for having offended Artemis by killing her favourite stag. As Agamemnon prepares to sacrifice his daughter, Artemis at the last moment snatched her from the altar and carried her to heaven.

Billed as Eirini Papa in Iphigenia, Irène chewed the scenery as Clytemnestra, the faithless wife of Agamemnon and wounded mother. Directed by Michael Cacoyannis with eye-popping visuals by Giorgos Arvanitis, Irène’s principal scene-partners in Iphigenia included: Kostas Kazakos as Agamemnon, leader of the Greeks at the siege of Troy; young Tatiana Papamoskou/Papamoschou in an impressive performance as Iphigenia, daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra; and Panos Mihalopoulos as Achilles, the hero of the Iliad, who, in this movie, is to be a match for Iphigenia. The film featured powerful music score by Mikis Theodorakis.

Iphigenia played at Cannes and Chicago International Film Festivals in 1977, and it won Best Film and Best Actress (Tatiana Papamoschou) awards at 1977 Thessaloniki Film Festival. Nothing was too great or too small to escape Cacoyannîs’ attention.

In an interview, Cacoyannîs once commented about Irène’s portrayal of Clytemnestra – that he “had identified Clytemnestra with her (Irène) before I made the film. She wasn’t really cast, she was part of the decision to make the him. I’d had no other image of Clytemnestra in my head. It’s that extraordinary physique of hers, and the power that goes with it. When Irène cracks, it’s like a stone that cracks. There is no sentimental self-pity. Her cries are not hysterical; they are defiant cries against the order of things….”

Although Iphigenia (Greece) was nominated for Oscar for the Best Foreign Language Film in the 50th Academy Awards 1978, it lost out to Israeli film director Moshé Mizrahi’s Madame Rosa (La vie devant soi, 1977, France) starring Simone Signoret and Samy Ben-Youb. At that time Irène was in the middle of a lawsuit initiated by her against the producers of The Greek Tycoon (1978) which starred Anthony Quinn and Jacqueline Bisset, and directed by J. Lee Thompson of The Guns of Navarone.

As per reports, initially, Irène was cast in The Greek Tycoon for a fee of US$55,000/- and she had kept herself free for its filming while the preproduction period stretched to a year during which her name was extensively used to attract investors to the movie. But when the production finally started rolling in the summer of 1977, another actress took over and portrayed the role meant for Irène. A book relates that her lawsuit for the contract amount was settled out of court. During this time, the dark-haired beautiful Irène was seeing Greek actor Nikos Verlekis, her young boyfriend.

Irène Papas was cast as Simonetta Palazzi in American writer Sidney Sheldon’s Bloodline (1979). With Terence Young of James Bond movies holding its directorial reins, this thriller told the story of Heiress Elizabeth Roffe (Audrey Hepburn). Neither daft bairn nor a silly-headed lassie, the protagonist Elizabeth was the smart head of the large Zurich-based Roffe & Sons Pharmaceuticals conglomerate who, mind now, finds her life endangered after inheriting the firm. Rated for graphic sex scenes, the movie is a tossed salad of international talent viz. Ben Gazzara, James Mason, Omar Sharif, Romy Schneider, Michelle Phillips, Claudia Mori, Beatrice Straight, Gert Fröbe, Wolfgang Preiss, etc. Music was by Ennio Morricone.

Irène took the role of Mabrouka in the historical epic, Lion of the Desert (El león del desierto, 1981) which recounts the last years of the real-life Omar Mukhtar (Anthony Quinn), the leader of Libyan rebels who resisted Italian rule and Mussolini’s forays into Libya between 1911 and 1931 to create a new Roman Empire.

A Libyan-British production directed by Moustapha Akkad (who began his cinema career as director Sam Peckinpah’s production assistant), and filmed by Cinematographer Jack Hildyard in Libya, it was funded by the assassinated Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi (1942-2011).

Besides the talents of Quinn and Irène, the film also featured an impressive star-cast of Oliver Reed, John Gielgud, Raf Vallone, with Rod Steiger as Benito Mussolini (2). Maurice Jarre (Doctor Zhivago; Jesus of Nazareth) wrote the music score. Out of the three costume designers who did noteworthy costumes for this movie, it was Orietta Nasalli-Rocca who costumed Anthony Quinn as Pope in English director Michael Anderson’s The Shoes of the Fisherman (1968) based on novel by Morris L. West.

Eréndira, released in 1983, featured a cruel fable involving a wealthy but tyrannical grandmother Amadis who loses everything owing to a fire accidently set by her sleepwalking granddaughter Eréndira, an innocent, obedient maiden. To recoup Amadis’ losses worth over $1 million, she forced Eréndira to sell her virginity to the highest bidder in Mexico. The casting is exemplary. Irène Papas surpasses herself as Grandmother Amadis and Cláudia Ohana as heroine Eréndira, while Michael Lonsdale, Oliver Wehe, co-starred in this disturbing black comedy directed by Ruy Guerra. The screenplay is by Colombian novelist Gabriel García Márquez (4) from two of his own stories.

In The Assisi Underground (1985), Irène is the courageous Madre Maria Giuseppina Biviglia (1897-1991), the Mother Abbess of Monastero di San Quirico (le Clarisse, the cloistered Poor Clares), Assisi. It is adapted from the 1978 book, The Assisi Underground: The Priests Who Rescued Jews as told by Padre Rufino Niccacci to Alexander Ramati who also directed the movie. The film depicts true events occurred in 1943-44 during WW2 when Catholics in Assisi, Italy, gave refuge to Italian Jews in the city’s Franciscan monastery/convent, from Nazi Anti-Semitism. This Menahem Golan/Yoram Globus-The Cannon Group production co-stars: Ben Cross, James Mason, Maximilian Schell, etc.  

The Assisi Underground is the second collaboration of Irène with director Alexander Ramati. Nearly two decades ago, Irène starred as Ajmi in the Spanish-American production, The Desperate Ones (1967). This chase melodrama was scripted and directed by Alexander Ramati based on his novel, Beyond the Mountains, the title by which The Desperate Ones is sometimes known.

As the story goes, two Polish brothers, imprisoned in a Siberian labour camp escape and heads for Uzbekistan in Asiatic Russia where they contact smugglers who will guide them over the mountainous border to Afghanistan. During their onward progress, their various encounters include the suspicious head (Theodore Bikel) of the local N.K.V.D; a stunning blonde beauty Marusia (Maria Perschy); their benefactor’s wife Ajmi (Irène Papas), etc. Maximilian Schell, Raf Vallone, Fernando Rey, etc, co-starred. Despite the film’s exotic settings, costumes of Asian Russia and the impressive line-up of stars, adverse elements such as faulty scripting, uninspired direction, and soporific editing, badly affected the film’s success.

Irène portrayed the role of Penelope in the romantic comedy, High Season (1987) about a talented British photographer named Katherine residing in Rhodes, Greece and her involvement with obnoxious tourists, a spy, smugglers, etc. The film, with brief nudity and adult themes, marked the directorial debut of Clare Peploe (once married to Italian filmmaker Bernardo Bertolucci) and starred Jacqueline Bisset, James Fox, Kenneth Branagh, among others.

The year 1990 marked the release of TV movie, Un Bambino di Nome Gesù (A Child Called Jesus), directed by Franco Rossi. This life of Jesus is an Act of Faith. It compels attention and interest as an attempt to figure out Jesus’ missing years from age 3 to 12. Besides Irène in the role of old Maria, the film centred on Matteo Bellina as Jesus, María del Carmen San Martin as Maria and Bekim Fehmiu as Joseph. Vittorio Bonicelli co-wrote the script of Un Bambino di Nome Gesù which was mainly filmed in Yugoslavia.

Italian TV audiences may recall Yugoslavian actor Bekim Fehmiu (who flaunted shades of Porfirio Rubirosa in Harold Robbins’ The Adventurers) in the role of Ulysse (Ulysses/Odysseus), the wisest of the heroes, and Irène Papas as his faithful wife Pénélope (5) in Dino De Laurentiis production of the 1968 RAI TV Series, Odissea (L’Odyssée/Odyssey), based on Homer’s epic poem. This Teleplay featured an impressive array of popular beauties namely, Marina Berti (Arété), Marcella Valeri (Euryclée), Scilla Gabel (Hélène), Barbara Gregorini/Barbara Bach (Nausicaa), Juliette Mayniel (Circé), Kira (Kyra) Bester (Calypso), Michèle Breton (Athéna), Stefanella Giovannini (Cassandre), etc.

According to Messaggero Veneto, Irène’s last feature film was Portuguese director Manoel de Oliveira’s Um Filme Falado (A Talking Film) released in 2003. However, Ecuba, an Italian language film jointly directed by Giuliana Berlinguer and Irène Papas, was released subsequently in 2004.

Many lives progress in a more or less predictable path. Irène Papas’ journey has been different. Irène was never supposed to be what she became. Should her parents have succeeded to convince her to study architecture; her life would have been different. We all have our stories. The celebrity status of Irène Papas survives and prospers because the world still believes in the mystique of this austerely beautiful stage/movie/TV actress/singer for her talent and versatility. Theatregoers were equally impressed by her repertoire – by the wealth of her stage productions – adaptations and revivals. There really was something for everyone’s appetite. Like Irène, there were not many all-rounders who could sing, dance and act. She was one such trailblazer.

On 07 August 1998, Irène presented her first musical stage show as director of “Apocalipsis, voz de mujer” (Apocalypse, Woman’s Voice) at the International Music Festival at Castell de Peralada, Girona, Spain. Written by Greek author Yorgos Jimonás, the theme of this liturgical scenic act was reflection on the Mediterranean cultural tradition and the history of religions based on Apocalypse of St. John. The event was attended by Queen Sofía of Spain, her exiled brother Constantine II (1940-2023, former King of the Hellenes) and his Queen Anne-Marie of Denmark, Princess Irene (Queen Sofía’s younger sister), and other eminent dignitaries.

In 2018, there were media reports that Irène had been suffering from Alzheimer’s at least since 2013. For this reason she was not seen in public for some time. As her condition worsened with the passing of time, on one occasion, Constantine II, expressed his wish to visit Irène, who, I understand, was a close friend of the Royal family and also a board member of the Anna-Maria Foundation as of 2003. Such sociable visits had to be put on hold amidst fears that Irène might be unable to recognize visitors due to her illness.

Having been established herself securely in the popular imagination, and upon the strength of her national identity, Irène Papas was undoubtedly a source of admiration and inspiration to Greeks. The media wrote about her years in home care at her niece’s residence in Kifissia, a well-to-do green oasis in the northern shadow of Athens. Then again, nothing stays the same forever for there was sadness as the Alzheimer’s intensified towards the end of her life. Her last few years were spent in Chiliomodi, the place she always wanted everyone to remember she originated.

As the autumn of 2022 drifted into Greece and the nature gradually started to change the make-up, it was all suddenly over. Sadly, Irène Papas passed away on Wednesday, September 14, 2022 at the age of 93. Following a well-attended religious service at the Holy Church of Agios Georgios in Chiliomodi, Irène was buried in the village cemetery, next to her beloved parents. Death is emptiness. Antío, agápití mou Eiríni (6).        – All for now, Jo  

    Notes:

  1. The story of the Hebrew patriarch starring Charlton Heston as Moses is told in The Ten Commandments, the 1956 remake of director Cecil B. DeMille’s 1923 silent version of the story of Exodus. Read the book: Moses The Lawgiver by Thomas Keneally;
  2. This is the second time Rod Steiger portrayed Benito Mussolini. The first appearance was in the Italian war film, The Last Four Days (Mussolini Ultimo Atto/Last Days of Mussolini (1977)) co-starring Franco Nero and Irish-Italian beauty Lisa Gastoni;
  3. In March 1977, showings of this film were cancelled when a Muslim sect took nearly 150 people hostage in Washington, D.C. For more details on this hostage crisis: American Caliph by Shahan Mufti;  
  4. Gabriel García Márquez (1927-2014) was awarded the Noble Prize for Literature in 1982. Erendira was remade as Erendira Ikikunari (2008)
  5. Iliad, the epic poem attributed to Greek poet Homer, that master of energy of expression and fertility of invention, who lived in 8th century BC, recount the fall of Troy. Odysseus/Ulysses is a mythical king of Ithaca and one of the leading chieftains of the Greeks. He is the hero of Homer’s epic poem, Odyssey and therein he is depicted as wise, eloquent, and full of artifices. Penelope, the daughter of Icarius and Periboea of Sparta, is, according to Homer, the chaste and faithful wife of Odysseus, a model of all the domestic virtues. Some writers allege her being the reverse.
  6. Goodbye, my dear Irène.
  7. Due to constraints of space, the data compiled had to be chopped to keep the full text at a manageable size. I regret what has been left out and mean no disrespect to the subject of this 6-part episodic tribute. Irène Papas appeared in over 85 movies. The summary of movies stated herein relate only to those movies which are part of my collection;
  8. Up to now, the sources of reference for this concluding part of the tribute to Irène Papas are archives of the past including printed publications and visual media. DVD/Blu-ray of most of the movies mentioned in this write-up is available with some leading dealers.
  9. DVD sleeves/images shown here are only for promotional purpose. Source: Wikipedia, amazon.com, imdb, and from DVD sleeves.
  10. This illustrated article is an affectionate nosegay to the actress and movies referred above. Please refer to “About” of my webpage for more details.

 (© Joseph Sébastine/Manningtree Archive)

Irène Papas – A Diamond Forever

Nov18

Since we cannot change reality, let us change the eyes which see reality – Nikos Kazantzakis

Produced, scripted and directed by Michael Cacoyannis, Zorba the Greek (1964) featured Irène Papas as an unapproachable widow. Anthony Quinn starred in the title role of Alexis Zorba – a wise, sensual, compassionate man in a tiny Greek village on the island of Crete. The film carried forward along his relationship with a too-intellectualized young English writer (Alan Bates).

This B&W film was based on the best-selling novel by Nikos Kazantzakis which Alan Bates later admitted that he hadn’t read the book before he filmed it. One of the highlights of the film is the scene where Anthony Quinn danced the syrtaki shoulder to shoulder with Alan Bates at the beach (near the village of Stavros).

Originally prepped as a United Artists project, the production of Zorba the Greek was taken over by 20th Fox which was a bit surprising at that time since director Cacoyannis had done his acclaimed Electra for UA couple of years ago and was preparing for his second outing for them. The two factors that was attributed as cause for this move could be that UA was well stocked on current and upcoming product; and secondly, with Anthony Quinn’s stop date clause to start 20th Fox’s period drama, A High Wind in Jamaica (1965, Dir: Alexander Mackendrick (1)) in June, 1964, UA may have deemed it ideal to allow 20th to take over Zorba the Greek to safeguard their side in case Zorba’s production went over schedule.

 In due course, the film initiated seven Oscar nominations at the 37th Annual Academy Awards (1965) including Best Leading Actor nomination for Anthony Quinn. Russian actress Lila Kedrova received the Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her poignant role as the dying prostitute Mme. Hortense, uplifting her reputation as the first actress of Russian origin to win an Oscar.

Besides Best Art Direction-Interior Decoration (Black-and-White) for Vassilis Photopoulos, Berlin/German-born Walter Lassally won the Best Cinematographer (Black-and-White). Later Lassally commented as having thought earlier that his work in this film was “easier to do” than some of the other films he shot for director Michael Cacoyannis.

Earlier, in April 1964, the media reported that French actress Simone Signoret amicably took her exit from the cast of Zorba for which she had gone over to the isle of Crete and did tests for the small English-speaking role of the rather frilly, oldish, leftover French courtesan in Greece. Several actresses were brought to Crete for tests to fill the role vacated by Signoret while she joined the production unit of director Stanley Kramer’s Ship of Fools (1965) (2) to portray the role of La Condesa. As a result, Signoret was honoured with nominations for: Academy Award 1966 for Best Actress; BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Actress and Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama.

By the end of 1963, Irène Papas was back in the Isle of Crete for location shoot for Walt Disney’s production of The Moon-Spinners (1964). The location shoots in different parts of Europe was not unusual for Irène’s movies since many of her American films were European co-productions. Upon wrap at the location at Crete, the film unit moved to Pinewood Studios in England for the final eight weeks of production. Complimenting Irène’s performance as villager Sophia in The Moon-Spinners were co-stars Hayley Mills, Eli Wallach, Pola Negri, Peter McEnery and Joan Greenwood. Composer Mikis Theodorakis, from Electra, provided the music.

It was during the production of Zorba, the Greek when Irène Papas first associated with her Greek co-star Yorgo Voyagis (billed in Zorba as George Voyadjis). Cinema audiences may recall Voyagis as El Lobo in Harold Robbins’ The Adventurers (1970); as Joseph in Franco Zeffirelli’s Jesus of Nazareth (1977); as the kidnapper in Roman Polanski’s Frantic (1988), etc. On an intimate note, in consonance with a report in Diario Crónica, their relationship advanced to a brief period of closeness with each other.

Director Franco Zeffirelli initially intended to cast Irène Papas in the role of elderly Virgin Mary in his TV movie, Jesus of Nazareth (1977), Indeed, Zeffirelli had even launched a campaign and auditioned dozens of young girls in Athens, Greece to find a girl who would have all the features of Irene Papas at fifteen years. However, that cast slot finally fell on Buenos Aires-born actress Olivia Hussey who was finalised over Irène.

As for Irène’s stage appearances, besides performances with the Greek Popular Theatre in Athens, she did career outings as a singer and a dancer in variety shows in Greece, she performed her Broadway debut in 1967 in That Summer, That Fall; followed by Inherit the Wind; Iphigenia in Aulis; Journey’s End; title role in Medea (January-May 1973); The Bacchae (1980); Orpheus Descending (1984), etc.

After Zorba the Greek for which Irène made for only $10,000/-, she didn’t work for a year and a half. In A Dream of Kings (1969) which showcased a powerful performance by Anthony Quinn as Matsoukas and Inger Stevens (3) as the young widow Anna he has an affair with, Irène appeared as Matsoukas’ Greek wife Caliope.

Directed by Daniel Mann, and based on the best-selling novel by Greek-American Harry Mark Petrakis, the film’s protagonist was Greek immigrant Matsoukas who has a passion for gambling but trying to raise money to send his dying son to Greece.

Then Irène’s threw herself into the job of portraying Katherine of Aragon (1485-1536), the Queen of England and first wife of Tudor King Henry VIII (1491-1547) for 24 years. Being the daughter of King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella of Castile, Katherine of Aragon was also the mother of Queen Mary I (1553-8) who brought Roman Catholicism back to England. Katherine was lauded for her piety, dignity, and strength of character whose marriage with future Henry VIII in 1509 aligned England with Spain, France’s enemy.

A well-acted historical but often inaccurate drama of English history, Anne of the Thousand Days (1969) (4) starred Richard Burton as Henry VIII of England and Geneviève Bujold in a well-balanced performance as the beautiful Anne Boleyn, lusty Henry VIII’s second wife he married in 1533 and mother of Queen Elizabeth I.

The film explored the life and times of Henry VIII and his pursuit and conquest of the beautiful Anne Boleyn that changed the course of English history. A big-budget Hal Wallis production largely shot in period interiors re-created at Shepperton Studios, it was directed by Charles Jarrott and co-starred Anthony Quayle, John Colicos and Michael Hordern. Look for the beautifully designed costumes by Margaret Furse who won the Academy Award for Best Costume Design 1970 for her brilliant talent.

Irène’s portrayal of Katherine was appropriate as a queen lovely in person and in mind – truly gentle and feminine in her manners as Katherine of Aragon is reputed for. So captivating was Irène’s image as Katherine that it prompted some wisecracks to remark that her head belonged on a Roman coin;

Irène Papas played as Hélène (representing: Roula, bereaved widow of slain Grigoris Lambrakis) in Z released in 1969. A Franco-Algerian thriller by director Constantine Costa-Gavras, with some violence and coarse language is based on the 1966 political novel by Greek author Vassilis Vassilikos – a thinly fictionalized account of the May 1963 political assassination in Thessaloniki, Salonika of Grigoris Lambrakis, a Greek socialist legislator whose extreme popularity and advocacy of peace shook the stability of the government in power.

Z plainly points its finger at the Colonels’ regime in Greece. This 42nd Academy Award winner for Best Foreign Language Film and for Best Film Editing; and nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay was filmed in Algeria and France with Yves Montand (The Deputy) and Jean-Louis Trintignant (The Examining Magistrate). The film roles of Montand and Trintignant hinge on Grigoris Lambrakis and Christos Sartzetakis, respectively;

In the Greek-American film The Trojan Women (Les Troyennes, 1971) Irène Papas interpreted the part of the beautiful Helen of Troy, the daughter of Zeus and Leda, and wife of Menelaus (King of Sparta) who eloped with Paris and thus brought about the siege and destruction of Troy. For this role, Irène was honoured with the Best Actress Award from the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures in the USA. Besides Irène, the principal actresses in The Trojan Women included Katharine Hepburn (as Hecuba, second wife of Priam and mother of 19 children, including Hector, and Queen of Troy); Vanessa Redgrave (as Andromache, wife of Hector); and Geneviève Bujold (as Cassandra, daughter of Priam and Hebuca. She was the Trojan prophetess who was never believed).

Adapted and directed by Michael Cacoyannîs and filmed in Spain in mid-1970 with very high-minded notions, in the central core of this film is the Euripides tragedy concerning the defeat of the Tory army and the resultant plight of its women. For the English version, the text was masterly translated by Edith Hamilton. In an interview published in the Australian Women’s Weekly, Katharine Hepburn spoke of Euripides: “In the sense that what counts in Euripides is the text – the naked, cold word. Euripides doesn’t describe, he states, specifies, informs. The complete opposite of Shakespeare. Euripides makes one think of the great primitives. Euripides writes the text, the rest is done by the audience…”

The year 1971 also saw the release of Italian director Umberto Lenzi’s trippy sexploitation thriller, Oasis of Fear (aka. Un posto ideale per uccidere / Dirty Pictures) in which Irène Papas played middle-aged Barbara Slater. Produced by Carlo Ponti, the cast of this psycho killer movie included Ray (Raymond) Lovelock, Ornella Muti and Salvatore “Sal” Borgese.

British man Richard “Dick” Butler (Lovelock) and Dutch girl Ingrid Sjoman (Muti) are young sexually free hippie couple. While touring Italy, they land themselves in trouble over illegal sale of naked pictures of Ingrid they used to finance their travels. On the run from the law for having been arrested and ordered to leave Italy, the free-spirited couple seek refuge in Barbara’s seemingly isolated large villa, but little did they know that Barbara has murdered her husband and they are drawn into a deadly scheme being framed as the guilty suspects. Set to a toe-tapping catchy pop score by Bruno Lauzi, this intriguingly sexy giallo race head-on into a suspense-ridden climax. Italian Umberto Lenzi was the writer/director of giallo movies such as Paranoia (1969); Knife of Ice (1972); Spasmo (1974), etc, featuring Carroll Baker, Colette Descombes, Ida Galli, Suzy Kendall, and such other appealing womankind of marquee value of that time.

In the role of Dona Aurelia Avallone, Irène Papas was part of the star-cast of Lucio Fulci’s Don’t Torture A Duckling (Non si servizia un paperino, 1972). Of the title, I have heard movies called many things, but not that. With Tomas Milian (as reporter Andrea Martelli), Barbara Bouchet (as hooker Patrizia) and Florinda Bolkan (as Maciara, a Gypsy witch), the movie is about young boys found mutilated and killed in Accendura, a Sicilian mountain village where many locals falls under suspicion.

Reputedly Fulci’s most favourite film shot in the suburbs and town of Monte Sant’Angelo in Southern Italy, it also features the song: Quei giorni insieme a te interpreted by Ornella Vanoni.

Tito: Sutjeska, The Fifth Offensive (Sutjeska/Battle of Sutjeska, 1973) recreates the 1943 mountain battle of the Sutjeska in WWII between Tito’s Partisans and German forces. While Richard Burton acts as Marshal Tito, (born Josip Broz, (1892-1980), President of Yugoslavia (1953-80)); Irène Papas portrayed Boro’s mother. The Embattled Mountain by Frederick William Dampier Deakin (1913-2005) is particularly suited for more information on this subject. The music score was by Mikis Theodorakis.   

As featured in The Fifth Offensive, the National Liberation Army of Yugoslavia headed by the Supreme Commander Marshal Tito was creating a new, liberated territory. Convinced that the Allies would land right on the Balkans, Hitler ordered two of his generals, Alexander Löhr and Rudolf Lüters, to initiate a new offensive against the Yugoslav Partisans forces. To deal with the critical conditions on the fronts and to prepare the Forces for future battles in the Balkans and in Europe, it was necessary to immediately surround and destroy the main Yugoslav Partisans combat units and their leader Tito and once and for all eliminate the dangerous Balkan battlefield. Made in Yugoslavia on an expensive budget, and directed by Stipe Delić, this movie features that subject operation (15 May 1943 to 16 June 1943), codenamed “Schwarz” or “Case Black.”     Jo                                        

Notes:

  1. Director Alexander Mackendrick was replaced in The Guns of Navarone. A High Wind in Jamaica is interesting as a curio for its score composed by the famous harmonica virtuoso Larry Adler (1914-2001). The film marks the second outing of Russian actress Lila Kedrova with leading man Anthony Quinn after Zorba the Greek;
  2. Ship of Fools (1965) is based on the acclaimed 1962 novel by Pulitzer Prize-winning American writer Katherine Anne Porter. It is also the last film to feature British actress Vivien Leigh;
  3. A Dream of Kings marked the final appearance of Swedish-American actress Inger Stevens who committed suicide in April 1970 at the age of 35. 
  4. My review on Anne of the Thousand Days was posted on January 07, 2020 in this webpage;
  5. Up to now, the sources of reference for this 6-part tribute to Irène Papas are archives of the past including printed publications and visual media. DVD/Blu-ray of most of the movies mentioned in this write-up is available with some leading dealers.
  6. DVD sleeves/images shown here are only for promotional purpose. Source: Wikipedia, amazon.com, imdb, and from DVD sleeves.
  7. This illustrated article is an affectionate nosegay to the movies referred above. Please refer to “About” of my webpage for more details.

 (© Joseph Sébastine/Manningtree Archive)

Irène Papas – The Fabulous Greek

Nov11

My mind, sound by nature, was my teacher. I need no more.

I offered my husband a silent tongue and gentle looks.

I knew when to have my way and when to let him have his.

– Euripides The Women of Troy (642-651)

Irène Papas was finally placed under the direction of the Bristol-born filmmaker J. Lee Thompson (1914-2002) to play the role of Maria Pappadimos in The Guns of Navarone (1961). Her role is of a hardened Greek partisan fighter who develops a liking for fiery Andrea, a character played by Anthony Quinn in this film about a Nazi big-gun stronghold overlooking the Mediterranean.

American film producer and scriptwriter Carl Foreman’s The Guns of Navarone was a motion picture “event.” Being the first of Alistair MacLean’s pulsating novels to be turned into a movie, it’s a high-powered action movie by Highroad Films, an Anglo-American firm (1). Magnificently filmed in Cinemascope and Eastmancolor by Pathe, and set in 1943 during WW2, it dealt with Allied commandos and Greek resistance fighters assigned to destroy two huge newly-designed radar-controlled guns on the German-held Aegean Sea island of Navarone. These guns prevented the vital Aegean Sea channel from being used by the Allies in World War II.

Director J. Lee Thompson, who was a last minute replacement of Alexander “Sandy” Mackendrick (1912-1993), was by that time one of the most flamboyant writer-producer-directors, with Ice Cold in Alex (Desert Attack, 1958), North West Frontier (Flame Over India) and Tiger Bay (both in 1959) to his credit to which, he would later on add a string of noteworthy movies such as Cape Fear, Taras Bulba (both in 1962), Kings of the Sun (1963), Mackenna’s Gold (1969), etc.

Irène was to be part of an impressive stellar cast who have carved a prominent niche for themselves in the motion-picture world: Gregory Peck, David Niven, Anthony Quinn, Stanley Baker, Anthony Quayle, James Robertson Justice, Richard Harris, Bryan Forbes, etc. For the required amount of feminine appeal, besides Irène, Gia Scala portrayed Anna, another fighter.

James Darren (who sadly passed away at the age of 88 on September 02, 2024) played Spyros Pappadimos, a Greek-American boy skilled with a machine gun, who also performs a Greek folk song called “Yassu (Wedding Song)” in the movie.

Even though Cypress and Yugoslavia were initially considered for production possibilities, the final choice for on-location shoot fell on the Island of Rhodes, in the heart of the Aegean Sea. It’s not that the choice for filming the motion picture of this dimension didn’t face any difficulties in Greece. During that time, the local processing of the film was unpredictable; and the local sound systems were based on 17 ½ mm. tape, rather than the 35 the crew were used to. The only projection facilities that could be used were in a large hall at the local police station. The acoustics defied anyone to understand the dialogue. Then again, undeniably, the people were warm and hospitable, and willing to do superhuman feats in order to please. The government, the airlines, the hotels, etc, all contributed more in the way of service, material and personnel.

In mid-1960, as part of promotion of the movie, a stalagmite (an incrustation formed on the floor of a cavern) from the Luray Caverns of Virginia was despatched to Greece where it was swapped with a stalagmite from the Petralona Caverns of Greece and sent to Luray. These stalagmites were officially exchanged in Greece between Gregory Peck and Irène Papas.

In the course of almost seven months of shooting in Greece and England, the final stage of filming was completed in the studio in England – in one of the largest outdoor sets which took five months to construct using tubular steel, timber and about 14 miles of cable. Set-making has always been a big part of a film’s budget but it goes in phases. More than 160 workmen on a seven-day-a-week basis were involved. The outcome was the enormous guns and cave fortress towering over 140 feet into the air and stretched over an area of almost two acres, to represent the German-occupied base on the Greek island. Despite the collapse of this fantastically expensive set at Shepperton Studios as well as the continuously mounting budget, the filming had a wrap by mid-October 1960.

The movie turned out to be a blockbuster hit and not only racked up in box-office grosses but wide acclaim including royal treatment around Europe via galas before crowned heads. Special showings were attended by late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip of Great Britain; Princess Grace and Prince Rainier III of Monaco; then newly-wed King Baudouin and his Queen Fabiola of Belgium; and the King Paul and Queen Frederica of Greece. King Paul conferred the Order of Phoenix and rank of Brigadier of the Greek Army on Carl Foreman for his services to Greece through the filming of The Guns of Navarone. The film netted 1962 Academy Award nominations which included Best Motion Picture, Best Directing, Best Writing (Screenplay – based on material from another medium), Best Music (Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture), Best Film Editing, etc., and the film won for Best Special Effects in the 34th Academy Awards.

Sometime earlier Irène Papas top-lined in the title role of director Georges Tzavellas’ Antigone (Antigoni, 1961) – a B/W movie (with English subtitles) of such profound dimension that it helped fortify Irène’s reputation as a fine interpreter of Greek classics on movies.

The screenplay by Tzavellas was adapted in its classical form from Sophocles’ poetic parable of the Greek tragedy of Oedipus, King of Thebes though with a modernized Greek text in the name of poetic licence. Set in the ancient Greek city of Thebes, Irène’s dramatic beauty dominates as Antigone who is condemned to death for defying King Creon by burying her two brothers killed in a quarrel over their succession to the throne of Thebes.

The shooting schedule at Alfa Studios, Athens, stretched to 58 days and the production cost ran in excess of $200,000/- which was believed to be a record high for a film made by the Greek film industry at that time. The production, which regrettably suffered delays, was carried out by Greek talent throughout; also featuring Greek performers: Manos Katrakis, Maro Kontou, Nikos Kazis, Ilia Aibikou as Eurydice, etc. Part of the cast were soldiers and horsemen of the Royal Greek Guard and Army and 500 actors of the Greek theatre and cinema. Arghyris Kounadis provided the music score.

While Antigone movie project was initiated by a Connecticut exhibitor through his Norma Film Productions, he had every expectation that the movie will eventually earn a profit due to its special qualities in relation to the cultural heritage of Greece. As a matter of fact, all the financial backing was made by American investors of Greek descent from “outside the industry” who were motivated by a pride in their Greek heritage and a desire to dispel the notion that Greece exports nothing but restaurateurs. Furthermore, this Greek heritage lining the theme of the movie was a profitable aspect the filmmakers believed helped Antigone in its promotion for its distribution to schools, colleges, libraries, cinema clubs, etc.

Distinguished productions of the classic Greek tragedies dealing with highly charged subjects as revenge, retribution and matricide, are rare owing to elevation of concept and nobility of performance. As the title character in Finos Films’ Electra (Elektra/Ilektra, 1962), the Greek classical tragedy of yore, Irène Papas finally got the chance to show off her acting chops.

As the story goes, Electra is the daughter of King Agamemnon (Theodore Demetriou) and Clytemnestra (Aleka Katselli). Upon his victorious return from the Trojan War, Agamemnon was killed during his bath by his wife Clytemnestra and her paramour Ægisthus (Fivos Razi/aka. Phoebus Rhazis), while the children Orestes (Petros Ampelas) and Electra (Elsie Pittas) waited outside. Following the murder, the boy Orestes is taken away to safety outside of the country by an old retainer whilst his sister Electra remained at the palace a virtual prisoner. In the euphoria of victory, Clytemnestra and Ægisthus married and at a subsequent time, Electra was married off to a poor farmer who respected her.

It was not until years later Orestes (Giannis Fertis) returned with a friend, and the siblings united. They plot to avenge their father Agamemnon whose murder had taken place following his return from Troy with his lover, Cassandra, one of the 50 children of King Priam of Troy and his principal wife Hecuba. In due course, Orestes killed Ægisthus during a celebration. Orestes also gained the support of the followers of the dead king whose valour was imprinted on their minds. However, Electra (Papas) urges her older brother Orestes to kill their mother Clytemnestra as well. Her contention was vengeance for the murder of their father. Orestes duly complies with Electra’s wishes. Be that as it may, shocked by the killing of Clytemnestra, the great majority of followers of the brother and sister turned against them and drove them away from the land.

Written and directed by Michael Cacoyannîs based on Euripides trilogy (The Trojan Women, 1971 and Iphigenia, 1976 followed) this United Artists’ movie version contained murder, adultery, vengeance and matricide. Purportedly made for a budget of about US$70,000/-, Electra which received plenty of art house attention in theatres world over, was shot on location in Mycenae and Argos in Greece with excellent direction, production values including dramatically powerful score by quite musically knowledgeable left-wing composer Mikis Theodorakis. The visual beauty of cinematography was by English cameraman Walter Lassally who will be back in Greece couple of years later to lens there another Greek feature, Zorba the Greek, under direction of Michael Cacoyannîs. According to Walter Lassally, Cacoyannîs pre-planned his scenes down to the last detail although he didn’t actually make sketches and his scripts were written in shots, not in scenes.

Irène’s noble beauty, facial features and performance as Electra were so appropriate that a writer once quoted in a magazine feature: “What a superb face Papas has for Greek tragedy. She is, almost, for Michael Cacoyannîs what Liv Ullmann is for Ingmar Bergman.” The admirable hairdo Irène featured in Electra was specifically created under the inspiration of Cacoyannîs which Irène retained long enough to sport at the Festival de Cannes in May 1962.

In fact, UA took precautions to ensure that no one confuses their Electra at the 15th Cannes Film Festival 1962, with the Greek-sponsored Electra, which was a filmed version of the Greek National Theatre presentation of the Sophocles version staged at the ancient Theatre of Epidaurus. Importantly, the UA version, a prize-winner of Best Cinematic Transposition (as best play-based film) is by Euripides.

Around that time, the German-born Austrian actor Karlheinz Böhm (1928-2014) planned to write and direct a modern version of Electra, set in post-war Germany with all contemporary fads and fashions, to be called “Trial of Orestes”. However, that project did not materialize. In early 1964, Electra won the Best Foreign Picture Award at the annual Cleveland Critics’ Circle prize luncheon while Irène Papas took honours as Best Foreign Language Actress.   Jo                                 

Notes:

  1. Something like 80% of the film’s budget was spent in sterling which qualified the film for the Eady Plan/Fund, a British film aid scheme which was, at that time, the envy of most other European film producing nations. The Eady Fund, which gets its income from a slice of box-office takings, is divvied out to producers of British Quota pictures. Anyone who makes a film in the UK can qualify for this aid, provided that the Quota laws are observed and that the film is made by a British company. The side-effect of this measure was an increase in the number of films Hollywood made in England. For instance, $1,000,000 plus went from the Eady kitty to The Guns of Navarone. The Eady Plan, named after British diplomat Sir Wilfred Griffin Eady, was terminated in 1985;
  2. Up to now, the sources of reference for this tribute (in 6 parts) to Irène Papas are archives of the past including printed publications and visual media. DVD/Blu-ray of most of the movies mentioned in this write-up is available with some leading dealers.
  3. DVD sleeves/images shown here are only for promotional purpose. Source: Wikipedia, amazon.com, imdb, and from DVD sleeves.
  4. This illustrated article is an affectionate nosegay to the movies referred above. Please refer to “About” of my webpage for more details.

(© Joseph Sébastine/Manningtree Archive)