Tribute by ERTFLIX International to Michael Cacoyannis
ERTFLIX International honors the renowned Greek director Michael Cacoyannis by showcasing films from his filmography, along with a special feature from the ERT archive program “Monogram.”
Michael Cacoyannis received significant recognition both in Greece and abroad, collaborating with globally acclaimed artists in theater and cinema. Between 1950 and 2005, he directed 15 films, 36 theatrical plays, and 7 operas in Greece, the USA, and Europe. In this ERTFLIX International tribute, viewers worldwide can watch the films “The Trojan Women” and “Ifigenia” (adaptations of ancient Greek tragedies), the cinematic adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s play “The Cherry Orchard,” as well as the movie “Sweet Country,” which depicts the painful events of the Chilean dictatorship following the assassination of its president, Salvador Allende.
The Trojan Women | Drama | 1971
After the fall of Troy, the captive women await their departure to Greece. Among them, Queen Hecuba mourns the loss of her family and city, while Hector’s widow, Andromache, is forced to raise her son Astyanax in Greece, where they are taken as trophies by Achilles’ son. The fate of the defeated crushes the two women when the victors decide to kill young Astyanax, the only surviving descendant of the heroic Hector. Meanwhile, Menelaus encounters Helen, whose actions sparked the war, and the seer Cassandra foretells the suffering that awaits the Greeks on their journey home.
Cast: Katharine Hepburn, Vanessa Redgrave, Geneviève Bujold, Irene Papas, Brian Blessed, Patrick Magee
Screenplay-Director: Michael Cacoyannis
Ifigenia | Drama | 1977
A thousand Greek ships are stranded in Aulis due to a prolonged calm that prevents them from sailing to Troy. The seer Calchas prophesies that the winds will blow only if the commander-in-chief sacrifices his daughter. Trapped by his ambition, Agamemnon is forced to summon Iphigenia from Argos under the pretext of marrying her to the “first hero of the Greeks,” Achilles. Her mother, Clytemnestra, accompanies her and learns the truth, trying in vain to dissuade Agamemnon.
Cast: Irene Papas, Kostas Kazakos, Kostas Karras, Tatiana Papamoschou, Panos Mihalopoulos, Giannis Fertis, Aleka Katseli, Manos Katrakis, Notis Pergialis, Takis Emmanuel
Screenplay-Director: Michael Cacoyannis
The Cherry Orchard | Drama | 1999
Paris, 1900. Anya, the sixteen-year-old daughter of Russian aristocrat Lyubov Ranevskaya, arrives in the French capital to escort her fragile and enchanting mother back to Russia. Five years earlier, after losing her young son to drowning, Lyubov left her family estate (with its famous Cherry Orchard) to follow her lover to France. He squandered her savings and abandoned her. Returning to Russia, mother and daughter find the Cherry Orchard in bloom, contrasting with their ruined finances.
Cast: Charlotte Rampling, Alan Bates, Katrin Cartlidge, Tushka Bergen, Gerard Butler, Frances de la Tour, Owen Teale, Michael Gough, Andrew Howard
Screenplay-Director: Michael Cacoyannis
Sweet Country | Drama | 1987
The film depicts the painful events of the Chilean dictatorship after the assassination of its president, Salvador Allende, and the rise to power of General Pinochet. The story focuses on two families trapped by the military.
Cast: Jane Alexander, Franco Nero, Carole Laure, Randy Quaid, Joanna Pettet, John Cullum, Irene Papas, Katia Dandoulaki, Jean-Pierre Aumont, Pierre Vaneck
Screenplay-Director: Michael Cacoyannis
Monogram, Michael Cacoyannis “Part A & B” ERT Archive
The program “Monogram” is dedicated to the filmmaker in the truest sense of the word, the man who revitalized thematic content and cinematic expression with knowledge, vision, and rare talent—Michael Cacoyannis. His globally recognized and timeless work extends beyond cinema to include theater and opera direction. His films, such as “Sunday Awakening,” the multi-awarded “Stella,” “The Girl in Black,” “The Last Lie,” “Electra,” “The Trojan Women,” “Iphigenia,” and “Zorba the Greek”—a legendary film that achieved immense commercial success and artistic acclaim, culminating in 7 Oscar nominations, 3 of which it won—have all left a lasting mark.
A Brief Biography of Michael Cacoyannis
Michael Cacoyannis was born in Limassol, Cyprus, on June 11, 1921, and studied Law, Dramatic Arts, and directing in London. He began his career in 1947 as an actor in England’s Theater, but quickly turned to directing, arriving in Greece in 1953. With the 1954 film “Sunday Awakening,” Michael Cacoyannis launched his international directing career. His films such as “Stella,” “The Girl in Black,” “The Last Lie,” and the trilogy “Electra,” “The Trojan Women,” and “Iphigenia,” along with “Zorba the Greek,” competed in major global festivals and received numerous awards and honors. He collaborated with prominent Greek actors, as well as renowned American and European actors. For his contributions and work, Michael Cacoyannis has been honored with many distinctions in Greece, Cyprus, and abroad. Between 1950 and 2005, he directed 15 films, 36 plays, and 7 operas in Greece, the USA, and Europe.
“I keep my eyes open and get inspired either by classic works that are my life’s companions or by current affairs. I don’t have a single way of writing, because I’m trying not to dish my guts to people. There are directors that have a nearsighted perception of the world and this is what they show on repeat. Each time I make a movie it’s because I’m triggered by something. I don’t make movies just to add them on my curriculum. I think that this is obvious from the beginning of my career. In Stella you can see feminism, the Girl in Black shows the oppression in the countryside, and the ‘tragedies’ are always relevant. All the movies I’ve directed were and still are related to reality. And of course, since I have immense respect for the great writers, it’s an honour to work on them. I’ve worked on Euripides and often on Shakespeare, since I stage their plays.”
Michael Cacoyannis
(Source: www.mcf.gr )
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