this film be a tour de force from julie taymor who direct and do the stage design and mask . no one come near to match her imagination on the modern operatic stage . since make this film in 1992 she have have much success in film making and in direct musical . one can only hope that she can be persuade to return to opera one day . i would love to see a ring cycle direct by her . the current rheingold at covent garden have giant with over sized hand just like the character in this film . the current butterfly at eno us japanese puppetry . coincidence maybe and or evidence that taymor influence be pervasive . taymar use fantastical costume and mask and puppet and and origami bird to recreate the story of oedipus on a stage set on stilt above a lake . red ribbon be a recur theme . they be use a an umbilical chord when oedipus be bear and they hang down from oedipus eye after he have blind himself and in a breathtaking effect they be use to make a crossroad when oedipus slaying of his father be reenact by puppet . this neo classical opera ballet by stravinsky enjoy justified obscurity until this film bring it to life . the music be uninspired but inoffensive and philip langridge and jesse norman and a very young bryn terfel make the most of it . the singer be fairly immobile and in accordance with stravinsky wish . min tanaka be the dance oedipus to langridge sing oedipus . this create some slight confusion towards the end when dance oedipus poke out the eye of sing oedipus . the libretto be in latin but do not worry if your high school latin be a bit rusty . there be a helpful narrator who introduce and describe each scene in japanese .