Irene Papas Movies

When the ambitious skirt chaser Saverio (Luigi Proietti) meets serenely nymphomaniac retarded rich Clothilde (Teresa Ann Savoy), he finds he has met his match; he calms down and she wises up. After he has bedded the girls' mother and a housemaid, he tries to figure out how to make use of his connection with this wealthy family to get a large loan -- which he needs for a business deal. However, the lustful designs of the otherwise witless girl overwhelm his own scheming, and he runs off with her. It is not clear whether he has been manipulated into this by the girl's conniving mother Donna Raimonda (Irene Papas), or if he is simply succumbing to his own desires. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

The 1920s sees New York City being overtaken by a mob. Dubbed into Spanish. ~ Rovi

Any 1972 film starring Richard Conte was like as not produced in Italy. Despite its title, 1931: Once Upon a Time in New York is no exception to this rule. Conte and Adolfo Celi play rival Chicago gangsters, fighting tooth and tommy-gun over territorial rights. Featured in the cast are gravel-voiced Lionel Stander and easily excitable Irene Papas. All the actors involved have been better served elsewhere. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Science fiction often enables artists to explore social trends without being hindered by the limitations of current reality, and this Italian film does just that. It explores the meaning and consequences of the total automation of manufacturing. In this film, N.P. (Francesco Rabal) is an industrialist who has developed a technique for total automation. The powers-that-be have no intention of seeing this technique implemented by him, so he is kidnapped and deprived of his memory. He is then given into the care of a working-class family and develops a new identity in this new setting. He becomes a political activist, seeking a fair settlement for workers displaced by automation. This otherwise straightforward film has a surrealistic ending which may displease some viewers. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

The Trojan Women is a film of the ancient Greek tragedy by Euripides, which is a highly mannered, ritual-like stage play. It was not easy to transform it into a movie while remaining faithful to the play, but there are many rewards for the patient viewer. The score by Mikis Theodorakis (Zorba the Greek) fits the story beautifully, and the film's re-creation of the ancient Mediterranean is memorable. Finally, the original play, despite its great age, has what are still considered among the finest roles ever written for women. The story concerns the trials and tribulations of the women of Troy at the time of Greek conquest and the truth and chilling power of the curses they hurl at their captors, who have slain every male of their nation, including the infants. Particularly notable is the performance of Irene Papas as Helen, a woman of infinite guile, whose abduction by Paris led to the whole debacle in the first place. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

Z is one of the most politically insightful films ever made, exposing government hypocrisy and cover-up in the wake of a political assassination. Zei (Yves Montand) is a scientist who is scheduled to give a speech against the use of the atomic bomb. On the way to the event, he is attacked outside the auditorium by a group of right-wing extremists with political ties to the government as the police stand by and do nothing to intervene. He recovers long enough to make the speech but is later clubbed again and must undergo several surgeries, then dies during one of the procedures. A newspaper reporter finds a witness to the event and a judge willing to hear the case despite government protests. The ensuing trial reveals a government conspiracy, but the results of the trial are thrown out when a new government is formed by a military coup, which results in the intolerance that outlaws long hair, the Beatles, and any peaceful protests. Director Costa-Gavras used actual trial transcripts of the investigation into the May 22, 1963, assassination of Greek pacifist leader Gregoris Lambrakis, which proved a government conspiracy in his death. Yves Montand gives the best dramatic performance of his life, and Irene Papas stars as his wife, Helena. Z won the Oscar for Best Foreign Film of 1969, was 14th in terms of box-office success, and hit an international nerve in the age of social unrest, government cover-up, and political assassinations. All those involved worked on the film for a reduced rate with an option for royalties based on earnings at the theater window. The letter Z in the Greek alphabet means "he is alive." ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

Anne of the Thousand Days is the belated film adaptation of Maxwell Anderson's 1948 stage play. The story concentrates on the romance between Britain's King Henry VIII (Richard Burton) and his ill-fated second wife Anne Boleyn (Genevieve Bujold). After holding out for marriage rather than an illegitimate union, Anne marries Henry after he sheds himself of Katherine of Aragon -- causing a rift between the Crown and the Church in the process. Anne's inability to produce a male heir leads Henry to look about for other suitable mates. Henry's sinister right-hand man Cromwell (John Colicos) arranges for Anne to be condemned on a charge of adultery. She is beheaded, while Henry disconsolately sits in Windsor Castle, regretting this callous example of political expediency. Richard Burton is ideally cast in Anne of the Thousand Days, but it is Genevieve Bujold who delivers the best, most complex performance in the film. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this drama, two Polish brothers escape from a Russian labor camp and try to join the exiled Polish Army in Afghanistan. While awaiting the man who will sneak them over the border, they rent a room. There, one of them falls in love with the landlord's wife, and the other for a local waitress. The Russian secret police are everywhere around them, so every action is taken with great anxiety. The pressure of waiting mounts as the days stretch on. One of the brothers was injured in labor camp and is rapidly losing his vision. The other is struck down by typhoid on the day they are to leave. He must immediately have adrenaline or he will die and so begs the landlord to get it for him. While the landlord is gone, the almost-blind brother makes love to the landlord's wife, and afterwards the guilt-filled wife attempts suicide but is saved by the ailing brother. The landlord returns, and the brothers attempt their escape. The landlord, his wife, the smuggler, and his family go too, but, unfortunately, they are spotted at the border. The brother with typhoid makes one final sacrifice to assure the safety of the others. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

In this drama, a Yugoslavian journalist is hired by a German policeman to find the last surviving ex-inmate of a concentration camp. The cops want her because they believe she witnessed atrocities at the hands of the camp physician. The journalist finds her and the cops and prosecutors try to persuade her to testify at the trial. The woman refuses, and they begin persecuting her until the poor woman commits suicide. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

If ever there was a role that Anthony Quinn was born to play, it was the lusty, life-affirming title character in Zorba the Greek. The scene is the isle of Crete, where English writer Alan Bates arrives in the hopes of realigning his own values and outlook on life. He is "adopted" by the flamboyant Zorba, who determines to educate Bates in the ways of the world-or, to be more precise, Zorba's world. Along the way, Bates is introduced to widow Irene Papas, the unrequited love object of everyone on the island, who comes to a tragic end when she is accused of adultery. The writer is also a spectator to the equally benighted romance between Zorba and venerable courtesan Lila Kedrova. Other disasters follow, but Zorba is able to convince Bates that failure is an inescapable part of life, and that only by constantly tasting defeat can one truly enjoy life's victories. Based on the novel by Nikos Kazantzakis, Zorba the Greek earned Oscars for actress Lila Kedrova, cinematographer Walter Lassally and art director Vassilis Fotopoulos. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This excellent adaptation by Michael Cacoyannis of the famous tragedy by Euripides garnered him his first international success and an award at the 1962 Cannes Film Festival. Irene Papas plays Electra, the daughter of King Agememnon and sister of Orestes, caught up in an uncontrollable need for revenge. After the king returns from the battlefield, Clytemestra (his wife) joins with her lover in murdering the hapless ruler while he bathes. Orestes is sent away immediately, and Electra is left to simmer in her growing hatred of her mother until one day, she and Orestes manage to get together and hatch a scheme to avenge Agememnon's death. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi