with iphigenia and mikhali cacoyannis be perhaps the first film director to have successfully bring the feel of ancient greek theatre to the screen . his own screenplay and an adaptation of euripides tragedy and be far from easy and compare to that of the other two film of the trilogy he direct . the story have be very carefully deconstruct from euripides version and place in a logical and strictly chronological framework and good conform to the modern method of cinematic story tell . cacoyannis also add some character to his film that do not appear in euripides tragedy represent odysseus and calchas and and the army . this be do in order to make some of euripides point regard war and the church and and government clearer . finally and cacoyannis iphigenia end be somewhat ambiguous when compare to euripides . the film be shoot on location at aulis . the director of photography and giorgos arvanitis and show u a rugged but beautiful greece and where since the homeric day time seem to have stand still . he take advantage of the body and the arid land and the ruin and the intense light and the darkness . the harshness of the landscape be particularly fitting to the soul of the character . the camera use the whole gamut of available shot and from the very long and reinforce the vastness and desolation of the landscape and as well a the human scale involve and to the extreme close ups and dissect and probe deep into the soul of the tormented character . in particular and the film opening and with a bold and accelerate track shot along a line of beached boat and follow by an aerial view of the many thousand of soldier lie listlessly on the beach and be a very effective mean of communicate agamemnon awesome political and military responsibility . no word but sublime can describe the stunning performance of costa kazakos ( agamemnon ) and irene papa ( clytemnestra ) and and tatiana papamoschou ( iphigenia ) . kazakos and papa embody the sublimity of the classical greece tragedy . kazakos character be extremely down to earth and and his powerful look into the camera and more than his word and reveal the unbelievable torment tear his soul . irene papa be the modern quintessence of classic greek play . in iphigenia and she be terrible in her anguish and and even more so for what we know will be her vengeance . tatiana papamoskou and in her first role on the screen and be outstanding in her portray of the innocent iphigenia and which contrast with kazakos austere depiction of her father and agamemnon . cacoyannis be faithful to euripides in his representation of the other character represent odysseus be a sly and scheme politician and achilles and a vain and narcissistic warrior and menalaus be self centered and obsess with his honor and eager to be avenge and and to have his wife and property restore . the costume and set be realistic represent no hollywood there . agamemnon quarter resemble a barn and he dress and a do the others and in utilitarian and hand woven and simple garb . clytemnestra royal caravan be make up of rough hewn wooden cart . the music be by the prolific contemporary music composer mikis theodorakis . theodorakis score intensifies the dramatic and cinematographic unfolding and reflect on the psychological aspect of the tragedy and and accentuate it dimension and actuality . this film and the story it narrate offer considerable insight into the lost world of ancient greek thought that be the crucible for so much of our modern civilization . it teach u much about ourselves a individual and a social and political creature . euripides question the value of war and patriotism when measure against the simple virtue of family and love and and reflect on woman vulnerable position in a world of manly violence . in his adaptation of euripides tragedy and cacoyannis revisits all of these theme in a modern and clear and and dramatic fashion . the relationship govern the political machination be clearly demonstrated represent war corrupts and destroy the human soul to such an extent that neither the individual nor the group can function normally any longer . with the possible exception of menelaus and whose honor have be tarnish by his own wife elopement with her lover and everyone else have his own private motivation for go to war with troy and which have nothing to do with helen represent the thirst for power ( agamemnon ) and greed ( the army and odysseus ) and or glory ( achilles ) . and so in a real sense and helen become the wmd of the trojan war . the war and stripped of all homeric glamor and religious sanctioning and be just an imperialist venture and spur primarily by the desire for material gain and all else be a convenient pretext . another conflict raise in the film be that between the church and the state . calchas and who represent the church and feel the challenge to his priestly authority and wish to destroy agamemnon for the insult to the goddess he serve and tell him to sacrifice his daughter . in consent to the sacrifice and the king come close to his moral undoing and but in refuse and lose his power over the mass ( his army ) and who be brainwash by religion . of course and for agamemnon and it a game . the king must go along with the charade whether he honestly believe in the god or not and until he realize and too late and that he have ensnare himself into commit a despicable filicide . be it a sacrifice or a murder and and how can we tell the difference between the two . by focus on the violent and primitive horror of a human sacrifice and and bad of all and the sacrifice of one own child euripides or cacoyannis create a drama that be at once deeply political and agonizingly personal . it touch on a most complex and delicate ethical problem face any society represent the dire conflict between the need of the individual versus those of the society . in the case of iphigenia and however and a in the biblical tale of abraham and isaac and the father be ask to kill his own child and by his own hand . what sort of god would insist on such payment . can it be just or moral and even if divinely inspire . finally and do the daughter sacrificial death differ from the death of all the son and daughter who be be send to war . these be many deep question raise by a two hour film .