Do kids today get forced to read classic Greek drama in college anymore? Or do they merely browse an AI summary of the Wikipedia entry for this ancient tales of the early years of Western Civilization? I’m not going to get lofty since instead of reading the play “dry,” I’d scoot over to the library’s Audio/Visual Department and borrow a VHS tape of an English stage production. It helped make the text understandable. Although it always felt a touch awkward since it was an all-English production with not a single Greek influence on stage outside of maybe an imported toga. Looking back on those days, I feel a bit guilty for understanding the art of the Greeks through the country that stole (and refuse to return) The Elgin Marbles. I’m grateful that now I can appreciate Euripides’ play Iphigenia at Aulis in the Greek language with Greek actors in Greece in Michael Cacoyannis’ Iphigenia.
When I was in high school, we were taught in “parts” The Iliad and The Odyssey about Helen of Troy and Ulysses’ journey home. Like a Denny’s kid’s menus, my teachers skipped over the events in Euripides’ play Iphigenia at Aulis. Why? In the movie, we learn that Helen, the wife of Menelaus (Costas Carras) has already bolted to Troy with Paris. Agamemnon (Kostas Kazakos) the King of Argos and Menelaus’ brother has collected his warriors to go and return the beautiful Helen to her rightful place. Trouble is their boats are stuck on the beach because there’s no wind for the sails. Artemis is responsible for this since he has beef with the royal family. Things get nastier when a sacred stag is killed. Agamemnon and Odysseus (Christos Tsagas) go to see the Oracle to see what can be done to put things right with the Gods. Turns out there’s an easy solution. Agamemnon must sacrifice his oldest child. Instead of telling Queen (Z‘s Irene Papas) the truth, her husband writes that their oldest daughter Iphigenia (Tatiana Papamoschou) is going to be married to Achilles (Panos Mihalopoulos). Their offspring needs to be prepared and sent to him. Is he really prepared to sacrifice his child for the sake of his brother’s runaway wife?
It’s rather easy to predict why my teachers always seemed to skip this story and make us focus on the Minotaur, the Cyclops and the whole tapestry tales. Agamemnon sacrificing his own daughter to launch the boats would have freaked us all out. We were exposed to the happy cartoony version of events rather than the “truth” of this legendary Greek hero tale. Even Wolfgang Petersen’s Troy left this out of the first act since I guess he didn’t want Brad Pitt to be part of a human sacrifice angle.
Michael Cacoyannis is best known in America for having directed Zorba The Greek that starred Anthony Quinn (actually a Mexican). The film won several Oscars although Cacoyannis didn’t win for Best Director or adapted screenplay. He did adapt the play a bit. It played better for cinema than the original stage with the Greek Choir replaced so their information comes out less arty.
If you’re mainly familiar with the sword and scandal epics from Italy that used these characters, Iphigenia will be a major difference in your perception of the Odyssey. By using real locations around Greece keeps things from looking too studio polished. There’s a grit to the screen. There’s also that same amount of earthiness in the dialogue as people talk about the whims of the Gods. The actors bring their intensity to the screen as they debate if the teenage girl must die for the sake of retrieving her Aunt Helen. Iphigenia is a great story and shows how the Greeks didn’t want to hide this part of their history.
The Video is 1.66:1 anamorphic. You’ll see black backs on the sides of your HDTV screen. More importantly is you’ll see the countryside of Greece clearly. The Audio is Greek LPCM 1.0 Mono. You’ll hear the Greeks chanting boldly. The movie is subtitled in English.
Dimitris Papanikolaou (25:02) has the Greek Film expert talk about the movie and the legacy of director Michael Cacoyannis. He talks about the film started when Cacoyannis and Papas made Electra. They found an audience eager to see ancient Greek dramas and United Artists was willing to fund another one.
Cannes 1977 Press Conference (11:03) was originally broadcast on French TV. Michael Cacoyannis and Irene Papas talk to the audience of reporters about working with the actors. He talks of his friendship with Irene Papas as she sits next to him. You get to see how great of a job the restoration team did on the film with the faded clips from the original broadcast.
Michael Cacoyannis and Irene Papas (6:12) has the two chatting near the beach with French reporters at Cannes in 1977. He talks about the corruption of war and the millions of innocents that are sacrificed. He sees the ancient play still relevant to modern times. Irene Papas goes into how she viewed her character’s progress over the film.
Illustrated Booklet has an essay on Michael Cacoyannis.
Radiance Films present Iphigenia. Directed by Michael Cacoyannis. Screenplay by Michael Cacoyannis. Starring Irene Papas, Tatiana Papamoschou, Kostas Kazakos, Costas Carras, Christos Tsagas, Panos Mihalopoulos and Dimitri Aronis. Running Time: 130 minutes. Rating: Unrated. Release Date: February 24, 2026.
