Le baccanti (1961)

Director:

Giorgio Ferroni

Writers:

Euripides (play)
Giorgio Ferroni (writer)

Release Date:

1963 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Fantasy

Plot:

The god Dionysus decides to pay a visit to the city of Thebes. |

Plot Keywords:

God | Thebes | Athens Greece | Foreign Language Adaptation | Ancient Greece

Cast

Taina Elg	...	Dirce
Pierre Brice	...	Dionysus
Alessandra Panaro	...	Manto
Alberto Lupo	...	Pentheus
Akim Tamiroff	...	Teiresias
Raf Mattioli	...	Lacdanos
Erno Crisa	...	Atteon
Miranda Campa	...	Agave
Gérard Landry	...	Pastore / Shepherd
Nerio Bernardi	...	Sumo sacerdote / High Priest
Enzo Fiermonte	...	Policrates

Also Known As:

Bondage Gladiator Sexy (USA)
Les bacchantes (France)
The Bacchantes (USA)

Runtime:

USA:102 min | Italy:100 min | West Germany:100 min

Country:

Italy | France

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

Cino del Duca

Movie Connections:

Remade as Backanterna (1993) (TV)

surprisingly good

The Italian TV RAI 3 transmitted this movie yesterday (June 07, 2008), even if at impossible hour as usual for interesting movies of the past. Being very interested in Greek Religion I had to see it and I have been a little bit surprised by its good qualities; in fact the movie has many qualities. Actors were all fine especially Alberto Lupo in the Pentheus role: he is still today a very lamented actor in Italy. He was the kind of actor that you can't replace easily for his personality. He managed to make of Pentheus a credible King, who never seem stupid nor ridiculous as somewhere else may appear. Being a musician I have to say that I appreciated the soundtrack, it is really very good. After a brief research I discovered that The music was composed by Mario Nascimbene (who also worked for Hollywood and won a David Donatello for the career) and directed by Franco Ferrara. Nascimbene did an excellent job both with themes and making all sound not too romantic or modern especially considering the bad tendencies during the fifties and the sixties. Another incredible point of quality in this movie are dialogues: there are many sentences and aphorisms that watching the movie you would like to write down on paper and remember. The story is of course somewhat naive, especially the easiness with which Dionysos earn the popular trust and consent is a bit exaggerated and the deep reasons could be better explained. Sexuality is cited but just passed over and so on. All the same this is a well equilibrated and pleasing movie to see even more than one time. And most of all one of the few movies about ancient Greek Gods in which the ancient believes are a bit respected and not insulted. Of course it is only cinema. There is enough adventure, suspense and educational material (music, some dance, aphorisms) in this movie that you can watch it both with your partner, your children, just for yourself.