USA
Shown in 1970
CREDITS
- dir
-
John Crowther
- prod
-
Sidney Fried
- scr
-
Nicholas Delbanco, John Crowther
- cam
-
Paul Glickman
- cast
-
Katina Paxinou, George Linjeris, Takis Emmanuel, Carla Romanelli, Sandro Merli, Roberta Haynes, Leopoldo Trieste
- source
-
RHM Productions
-
COMMENTS
John Crowther, son of Bosley Crowther, was in attendance.
OTHER
Ordinarily, a new venture into filmmaking attracts some attention, but when the son of a famous film critic braves the vicissitudes of such a realm, the results can be exceptional. John Crowther has created a beautifully made, intricate motion picture about an emotionally embattled family on a Grecian isle. The locale resembles Rhodes, and the major protagonist is a youth, Sotiris, who rejects the self-centered avarice of his relatives, all members of a wealthy family who are dominated by Orsetta, their vindictive matriarch. Orsetta’s power lies in her often-repeated reminder that she alone knows the whereabouts of a secret treasure that is hidden on the island. The tensions involved with this atmosphere causes Sotiris to run away to a large city, where he loses himself in an international dropout society. The rich decadence of this Mediterranean port almost destroys the boy, despite the blandishments of a seductive girl, already corrupted by the hashish-haze of life. When Sotiris flees back to his family’s island, he discovers that Orsetta has died, but not without revealing that Sotiris also knows the secret of the treasure. Gradually, the relatives turn toward the boy with the same repressed hostilities they had displayed toward the old woman. From these brief outlines, one can see the scope of Crowther’s milieu—he observes youth as a period of dramatic adventure and he places characters in subtle situations that enhance the actor’s part. The performances are quite true and memorable, particularly the great Katina Paxinou as the indomitable Orsetta. She symbolizes the story’s theme of the ungrateful dead, sending their mocking laughter from the grave, to torment the haunted living.
—Albert Johnson
FACTOID #56
A group of renegade filmmakers who dubbed themselves Grand Central Station staged a publicity stunt on the Opening Night of the 13 th San Francisco International Film Festival by bombarding the steps of the Masonic Auditorium with 300 cream pies. Lemon meringue, anyone?
