CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY IN MUSIC, DANCE, AND FILM 751Harryhausen and a musical score by Mario Nascimbene, conducted by Bernard
Herrmann. Well worth seeing and whatever its faults (among them the per-
formance of a Medea weakened by the screenplay), this movie seems like a mas-
terpiece when compared to the TV version, Jason and the Argonauts (2000), in
which the role of Medea is by no means its greatest weakness. The Jason (Jason
London) is an expressionless youth who acts like a zombie; in fact almost the
whole cast (several of them of some repute) exhibits a blank lethargy of non-
acting (or is it bad acting?) that is oppressive. The legend is drastically trans-
formed and often one is pressed to ask, "Why not leave well enough alone?"
The Argonauts become a grubby and motley crew and include one woman, Ata-
lanta, of course in love with Jason. Special effects are unimpressive, when not
ludicrous—the best being the Harpies who plague Phineus in his home (a bee-
hive tomb!); the most wrong-headed, Poseidon, the god portrayed as a mon-
strous and ugly giant. The lout Heracles does not leave the expedition early and
forms a special bond with Jason (no Hylas here!). The vacuous and limp direc-
tion is by Nick Willing, who cannot even control incorrect and inconsistent pro-
nunciation of names (a failing far too common generally today). The highlight
(or lowlight) of this travesty occurs when Orpheus gives the name of his wife
in Italian (shades of Gluck!)!
THE PLAYS OF EURIPIDESArtful and compelling is the controversial Italian film Medea (1970), directed by
Pier Paolo Pasolini. Bold in its depiction of the bloodier and more brutal ele-
ments and fraught with interpretive insight, it is by no means confined to the
events of Euripides' play but includes the essential episodes in the entire tragedy
of Medea and Jason. Particularly astonishing is the depiction of the archetypal,
ritualistic sacrifice of the young male to ensure Mother Earth's fertility and the
renewal of the crops. For many, the major asset of this movie is opera star Maria
Callas, who offers her only nonsinging cinematic appearance as Medea.
Another adaptation of the Medea story, A Dream of Passion (1978), directed
by Jules Dassin, presents the tragic and harrowing study of a modern-day Medea
in Greece, played most realistically by Ellen Burstyn. In addition, Melina Mer-
couri convincingly portrays an aging actress who is engaged in a performance
of the Medea of Euripides. Thus this gripping film also offers, among its many
riches, scenes from the play, in both modern Greek and English. The American
poet Robinson Jeffers wrote an artful adaptation of Euripides' Medea in 1947; Ju-
dith Anderson created the title role, and her striking performance is preserved.
A revival of Jeffers' play starring Zoe Caldwell, also a fine Medea (with Judith
Anderson as the nurse), is also available in its Kennedy Center production (1983).
From Sweden comes a Medea (1963) directed for television by Keve Hjelm, and
for Danish television the enigmatic director Lars von Trier created a beautifully
stark and powerful interpretation in his version of Euripides (1987), based on a