Medea (1969)

On his quest to secure the Golden Fleece, Jason (Giuseppe Gentile) is assisted in his mission by the priestess Medea (the legendary Maria Callas) who, after slaughtering her brother, accompanies Jason to his homeland. But when he tires of her and is betrothed to a princess (Margareth Clementi), she exacts a terrible revenge. If you're looking for a film adaptation of Euripides' classic Greek tragedy, this isn't it. This is Piero Paolo Pasolini's Medea! Pasolini has removed the proceedings from ancient Greece to an undisclosed North African location. After an often incoherent and languid (about 30 minutes worth) introduction that has nothing to do with Euripides or Greek mythology, the familiar tale of Medea kicks in. Pasolini doesn't bring anything particularly vital to the classic tragedy. In the film's favor are two things. Maria Callas, not because she's a great actress, she isn't (though she was in opera) but because she provides a strong screen presence that compensates for a lack of character detail. The other is the striking visuals. This is one ravishing looking film from Ennio Guarnieri's (GARDEN OF THE FINZI CONTINIS) impeccable lensing to Dante Ferretti's production design and Piero Tosi's costuming. With Massimo Girotti.