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Oedipus Rex (1957 film)

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Oedipus Rex
Directed byTyrone Guthrie
Written byWilliam Butler Yeats adaptation of the play by Sophocles
Based onOedipus Rex
by Sophocles
Produced byLeonid Kipnis
Starring
Distributed byMotion Picture Distributors
Release date
  • January 6, 1957 (1957-01-06)
Running time
87 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish
Budget$400,000[1]

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.[2][3]

The actors performed wearing masks designed by Tanya Moiseiwitsch,[4] as was the practice in Ancient Greek theatre.

Cast

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Song

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In the years following the release of the film, comedic musician Tom Lehrer referred to it in his live shows, theorizing that it had fared poorly at the box office because it lacked a catchy theme song that could draw in audiences. He wrote and performed one in ragtime style, as heard on the 1959 album An Evening Wasted with Tom Lehrer.

Reception

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Theresa Loeb Cone of the Oakland Tribune praised the cast, costumes, cinematography and score, but felt that the film was "too pretentious for enjoyment".[4]

References

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  1. ^ "'Richard III' Style". Variety. 16 May 1956. p. 15.
  2. ^ Crowther, Bosley (8 January 1957). "Movie Review: Oedipus Rex (1957) Screen: 'Oedipus Rex'; Staging at Canadian Festival Is Filmed". The New York Times.
  3. ^ Wyndham Wise, ed. (January 2001). "Oedipus Rex". Take One's Essential Guide to Canadian Film. University of Toronto Press. p. 155. ISBN 9780802083982.
  4. ^ a b Cone, Theresa Loeb (25 October 1957). "Oedipus Rex Now at Tower". Oakland Tribune. p. 45.
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