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Released by: BFI
Released on: December 5, 2011.
Director: Pier Paolo Pasolini
Cast: Maria Gallas, Giuseppe Gentile
Year: 1970
The Movie:
After taking on Oedipus Rex in 1967, Pier Paolo Pasolini would return to the well of Greek mythology a few years later with his take on Euripides' Medea. Never one to shy away from trying something new, the director shot the film in Syria and Turkey and used a cast of non-professional actors to deliver his take on the classic story.
For those unfamiliar with the story, it follows Jason (Olympic athlete Giuseppe Gentile) as he leads his Argonauts in his quest to take back the kingdom which his uncle essentially stole from his father. In order to do this, he has to steal the Golden Fleece from a far off land inhabited by barbarians ruled over by a mystic named Medea (opera singer Maria Callas). When Jason arrive in this strange land where human sacrifice is common place, and Medea quickly falls in love with him, going so far as to murder her own brother, Absyrtrus, after he's helped them acquire the fleece, so that she can become involved with Jason.
When they head back to Greece, fleece in tow, it turns out to be useless though Jason and Medea are wed and they have two sons. The king gets his thrown back, Jason leaves Medea for the princess, Glauce (Margareth Clémenti), and she decides to get revenge.
While this feature isn't shot with the same sense of grandeur that a few of his other pictures are known for, it's still a fairly ornate looking film, particularly in terms of character and costume design. From the centaur to the fleece itself, Pasolini's reverence for the source material seems obvious and his attention to detail, particularly in the ritualistic manner in which the human sacrifice is carried out, is impressive. For this scene the camera captures not only the gory side of the ritual but also the aftermath of the bloodletting itself, making sure we're fully understanding of how this ritual was used to encourage crop growth and in turn the propagation of the tribe itself.
Maria Callas (who does not sing in the film) makes for an interesting leading lady here. Her only feature film performance is a weighty one as she adds considerably intense screen presence to the picture and plays her character well. The narrative structure of the story itself is more than a little disjointed, and the film often feels like a series of unusual set pieces rather than a cohesive narrative but much of this stems back to the source material. In terms of the visuals, Pasolin's picture is colorful, bizarre, otherworldly even but shot with a nod towards creating realism in so far as it is shot with a documentary style look rather than opting for something glossier. Also noteworthy is the use of sound in the film, from the score to the long stretches that go on without dialogue where only background noise like footsteps of the jingle of a bracelet jar us out of silence. It makes for scenes that are sometimes eerie when otherwise they wouldn't be.
Video/Audio/Extras:
NOTE: This review is based on a test disc that does not appear to represent finished retail product.
Medea looks very good in this AVC encoded 1.85.1 widescreen transfer presented in 1080p high definition and, according to the BFI's press release, taken from original 35mm film elements and restored by Société Nouvelle de Cinématographie. There's a fair bit of grain present throughout but only minor print damage to note and the colors, if a little faded in some spots, are reproduced quite naturally. Detail is strong and skin tones look good for the most part though some minor noise reduction looks to have been applied in a few spots - the emphasis here though is on minor. There are no problems with compression artifacts or heavy edge enhancement and overall the movie looks very good on Blu-ray. Some shots are more clean and clear and crisp looking than others and a lot of this looks to have to do with the lighting used in the movie (outdoor shots fare better than indoor shots for example), but for the most part, viewers should be pretty happy with the restoration seen here.
The main audio option is an Italian language 48k/16-bit PCM 2.0 Mono track with optional closed captioning provided in English. The audio here is nice and clean, if a little limited by the original source material. The score used throughout the movie sounds nice and crisp and it adds some atmosphere to the film. Dialogue is also well balanced and clear and there are no problems with any hiss or distortion. This isn't a fancy mix but it doesn't really need to be, it suites the movie very nicely. An alternate English language dubbed track is also included.
Extras on the disc are limited to a teaser and a trailer for the film, some menus and chapter stops though the disc comes packaged with a booklet of liner notes containing some background information on the movie and some biographical information on those who made it.
The Final Word:
Despite the lack of extras, this is still one that Pasolini fans will want to check out. The audio and video are solid and the film is one well worth adding to your collection if you appreciate the man's work.
Click on the images below for full sized Blu-ray screen caps!
