Its still hard to get more tragic that poor old oed and his eyeless, despairing exit. The land ruled by king oedipus is plagued by illfortune and the people are promised relief by the gods if the slayer of the former king is apprehended and punished. Rent oedipus rex 1957 on dvd and bluray dvd netflix. When this landmark film production of one of the great dramas ever appeared, it was hailed from all corners. On sunday, january 6th 1957, the tyrone guthrie directed motion picture version of oedipus rex starring douglas campbell and featuring william shatner debuted in canada one. In pasolinis 1967 film adaptation of oedipus the king, the filmmaker mostly stays faithful to the main plot of the story. And tyrone guthrie made tragedy pop in this thrilling 1957 production. Oedipus the king greek oidipous tyrannos, play by sophocles, performed sometime between 430 and 426 bce, that marks the summit of classical greek dramas formal achievement, known for its tight construction, mounting tension, and perfect use of the dramatic devices of recognition and discovery. The efficacy of the 1957 film oedipus rex to convey sophocles intended meaning the william butler yeats adaptation of the play, oedipus the king, directed by sir tyrone guthrie, is said to provide the most realistic viewing experience compared to what one wouldve witnessed in sophocles day. Oedipus, the king of thebes, has sent his brotherinlaw, creon, to the house of apollo to ask the oracle how to end the plague. Homer related that oedipuss wife and mother hanged herself when the truth of their relationship became known, though oedipus apparently continued to rule at thebes until his death. Oedipus, a stranger to thebes, became king of the city after the murder of king laius, about.
It is the story that you may know because oedipus murdered his father and married his mother unknowingly, of course. Throughout this mythic story of patricide and incest, sophocles emphasizes the irony of a man determined to track down, expose, and punish an assassin, who turns out to be himself. In addition, he was the director for shatners first trip to broadway in early 1956, for the shortlived tamburlaine the great. Years later, as a high school and college english instructor, i knew lots about greek tragedy and this version of oedipus the king remains one of my favorite dramatic experiences. With douglas campbell, eleanor stuart, robert goodier, william hutt. Its the urtragedy, the great grandpappy, the worst of the worst of the worst. Oclcs webjunction has pulled together information and resources to assist library staff as they consider how to handle coronavirus.
Oedipus the king unfolds as a murder mystery, a political thriller, and a psychological whodunit. Tyrone guthries acclaimed 1957 version of oedipus rex uses w. Oedipus, in greek mythology, the king of thebes who unwittingly killed his father and married his mother. Rent oedipus rex 1967 starring julian beck and silvana mangano on dvd and bluray. It was the second of sophocles three theban plays to be produced, but it comes first in the internal chronology followed by oedipus at colonus and then antigone. A tragic story from the greek dramatist, sophocles, oedipus the king is a wellknown and studied play filled with murder, incest, and one mans discovery of the truth about his life. Tyrone guthrie, 1957, a filmed staged performance of sophocles 5 thcentury tragedy based upon an adapted translation by w. Throughout the times, ancient greek mythology has played an important role in developing literature, astronomy, theatre, medical science and many other traits that have shaped the world as we know it today. I first saw this film in a movie theater in 1962 and had no idea what i was watching. Oedipus rex or oedipus the king summary gradesaver. Oedipus rex is a greek tragedy that tells the story of king oedipus of thebes, who is fated to kill his father and marry his mother thebes is struck by a plague that will. They both warn against getting lost in the halls of memory and they suggest that forgetting can be a good thing.
The efficacy of the 1957 film oedipus the king 941 words. How are the differences between the play and the film. Read a plot overview of the entire play or a scene by scene summary and analysis. Any cinematic deficiencies are, however, quickly forgotten as the magic of the sophocles tragedy translated by william butler yeats takes hold.
Tyrone guthrie, the director of this film, had previously directed shatner in 1954s oedipus rex and the taming of the shrew, as well as 1955s king oedipus and the merchant of venice. The oedipus plays are plays by sophocles that were first performed in 429 bc. Originally, to the ancient greeks, the title was simply oedipus, as it is referred to by aristotle in the poetics. The new york times by bosley crowther, 1957 viewers who watched the performance of sophocles oedipus rex sunday night on the omnibus television program have a convenient opportunity to observe a yet more colorful and stylized presentation of the classic greek drama on the screen. Syeda rosina qadri english 1102 professor bridenthal 04510 oedipus the king responsive essay when pieces of literature are remade into movies, they are met with a unique sort of criticism. Yeatss translation not perhaps the most accurate translation, but one of the more poetic ones which, i think, faithfully captures the spirit of the original greek. Compare the plot of the play and how it was presented in the movie. Contrast of films and literature film studies essay. The play was first performed around 429 bce and is part of a trilogy of plays which also include antigone and oedipus at colonus. Reliable information about the coronavirus covid19 is available from the world health organization current situation, international travel. Oedipus rex oedipus the king is a famous play by the great ancient greek tragedian sophocles. At the same time, no, others may not be significant, particularly in regard. What do oedipus the king and the pixar movie inside out have in common. Oedipus rex is a tragedy by the ancient greek playwright sophocles, first performed in about 429 bce.
The story of oedipus gradual discovery of his primal crime, killing his father and marrying his mother, filmed by the famed british theatrical director sir tyrone. When the play opens, thebes is suffering a plague which leaves its fields and women barren. It examines the story of oedipus, who, in attempting to flee from his. Rent oedipus rex 1957 starring douglas campbell and eleanor stuart on dvd and bluray. Rent oedipus rex 1967 on dvd and bluray dvd netflix.
This does not bode well for king oedipus and his queen. One message in this play is that delving too far into the pastas oedipus does. Oedipus, the king 01 061957 well, this is a bit confusing. They have a different standard to meet, one created by the innovative world of the author, ornamented by specific details all contributing to the ambiance of the entire book. Yes, some of the differences between the written and the viewed versions of the play oedipus rex may be significant. Oedipus the king is not only a pinnacle of ancient greek theatre, it is also one of the keystones of world literature. Oedipus the king, also called oedipus tyrannos or oedipus rex, written around 420 bc, has long been regarded not only as his.
Oedipus rex, also known by its greek title, oedipus tyrannus ancient greek. The play may have been written almost two and half millennia ago but it still has an electrifying resonance, as it toys with a question that has vexed the human mind since the dawn of time. Numerous and frequentlyupdated resource results are available from this search. As plagues ravish thebes, oedipus seeks to find the murderer of the former king. Publication date 1957 topics sophocles oedipus rex 1957 language english. Doc compare and cotrast oedipus the king guillermo. The video created in 1984, oedipus the king with michael pennington, claire bloom and john shrapnel, translated and directed by the late don taylor, can show the spectacular performances of all the actors, especially king oedipus. Film adaptation of sophocles oedipus rex essay 971. Acclaimed actordirector sir tyrone guthrie filmed this 1957 masterpiece production of. With robert carroll, alistair cooke, donald davis, j. Claire bloom and michael pennington star in this adaption of the classic theban play by sophocles. Compare and contrast the play oedipus the king and a streetcar named desire.
The differences in the movie, oedipus rex and the play oedipus the king mostly have to do with the way the story is presented visually and a few tweaks with theme. Douglas campbell, eleanor stuart, robert goodier, william. The story of oedipus gradual discovery of his primal crime, killing his father and marrying his mother, filmed by the famed british theatrical director sir tyrone guthrie. Also sign me up for fanmail to get updates on all things movies. Staged by sir tyrone guthrie at the stratford ontario shakespeare festival, the film spotlights such formidable canadianbased talents as douglas campbell oedipus rex and. The story of oedipus gradual discovery of his primal crimekilling his father and marrying his motherhas influenced many of the great plays, films and books of all time. After the film was released comedic musician tom lehrer, noting that the film lacked a theme song the people could hum, composed oedipus. Oedipus rex is a 1957 film, a film version of the canadian stratford festival production of the william butler yeats adaptation of the play oedipus rex by sophocles the actors performed wearing masks, as was the practice in ancient greek theatre song. Coming attractions for you 2020s most anticipated movies. This elegant version of sophocles play adds a brilliant stroke. Oedipus rex is a 1957 film, a film version of the canadian stratford festival production of the william butler yeats adaptation of the play oedipus rex by.
Compare and contrast the play oedipus the king and the film version 1957. Enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing oedipus the king near you. Oedipus the king is the mic drop of the tragedy world. See the article in its original context from january 8, 1957, page 0 buy reprints view on timesmachine timesmachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. Memories of the past have a complex impact on the characters in oedipus the king. In the film adaptation of sophocles oedipus rex 1957, sir tyrone guthrie portrays the characters as truth seekers that are ignorant when trying to find king laius murderer. Tom lehrer wrote a spoof soundtrack title song based on this movie.