Edipo re (1967)

Date	User	Rating
Apr 11, 2022	bof	80 _83rd
Pasolini clearly saw something important in Sophocles' old tale, and while I'm not sure I'm seeing the same thing, the sheer mad commitment of it and that eerie ending asks the viewer to bring their own subtext; the artist who's only happy when he chooses not to see what's going on, the unbearableness of truth. In a way, it's the same "you see but you don't understand" ending he had in Gospel of Matthew, isn't it? No wonder he had to make people literally eat shit.
Mar 22, 2021	djross	80 _91st
The Italian setting of the opening and closing, even the highly un-Greek Moroccan setting of the main part, the variations from the text, the way of reflecting on the themes, the strangeness of the costumes, all of this makes sense and seems interesting to this viewer. To stage Sophoclean tragedy in the modern age without becoming a museum piece is not easy, and this viewer is not sure that it could have been done much better. Perhaps Pasolini's Greek films were not well understood at the time.
Oct 09, 2017	Moribunny	53 _41st
A middling effort from Pasolini's middle period, a kind of mechanical adaptation of Oedipus with rugged dialogue ammended by some text inserts, poorly shot in a Moroccan desert bearing no real resemblance to the area between Delphi and Thebes. Pasolini's express goal of "primal cinema" benefits from the minimalism and rejection of psychoanalysis, but is hindered by the director's need to draw smug modern allegories. Costumes in this movie are superbly capricious.
Aug 30, 2017	Yiannos	73 _77th
(Viewed on 28/06/13): Pasolini's historical films tend to have a chintzy quality that, when combined with the hysterical acting, often borders on parody. But it's precisely that gap between pretension and reality that fascinates, and E.R is a typically idionyncratic work that compels and repels in equal measure. Citti's performance is dubious, but his presence is strong, and the stark landscapes are unforgettable, as is the finale that daringly reimagines the story in a contemporary setting.
May 08, 2017	oskarhu	77 _54th
The costumes and headgear used are particularly eye-catching.
Jul 07, 2016	deep_green	85 _94th
Far out. Sophocles + camp + LSD. Great soundtrack (how much of it is a synthesiser?)
Jul 17, 2015	PetrosTser	60 _40th
Pasolini took the ancient myth of Oedipus, along with the famed tragedy of Sophocles, and made them his own. You can surely question the changes he's made to the original material, which often lead to obvious contradictions, and marvel at the cheapness of the production. But you can't ignore the potency of the story or the psychological intensity he tries and to some extent manages to insert to it via his directorial approach. This Oedipus is different and less weighty but still interesting.
Jan 24, 2014	lisa-	4 _52nd
not particularly interesting, as it's mostly just a story without too much beyond the surface, and rather silly too. just like other pasolini movies it's rather odd without going full-on wacko, and it seems like it's almost making fun of its genre and setting.
Jul 26, 2012	TrixRabbi	48 _8th
Uuug... There's a lot here that's pretty good. The design is fantastic, the acting is strong, the camera work is solid. But it's just so boring. It just goes on and on and on. And I love the original play too. The lack of dialogue thing didn't work here. Everything felt detached and prolonged and just kind of empty. And I knew from the first 20 minutes I was going to be bored, but I stuck it through. Not worth it.
Apr 24, 2012	baronayaz	72 _81st
fantastic and realistic.
Apr 04, 2009	childintime	70 _71st
final scenes are stunning
Aug 14, 2007	MartinTeller	54 _10th
Reasonably interesting when there's stuff going on (despite some horrible dubbing, hammy acting, and overall sloppiness) but in between there's a whole lot of boring blah. Endless scenes of Oedipus walking, walking, walking. And I saw the same long, slow pan of the city at least three times. Noteworthy only for the way the story is bookended by shifts between the modern and ancient world (which served no purpose that I could discern).

Average Percentile 63.28% from 269 Ratings