Irene Papas Movies
Enrolled in dramatic school age 12, Greek actress Irene Papas spent her first professional years as a singer-dancer in stage reviews and as a radio vocalist. Trained in Athens in the classics of Greece's Golden Age, Irene has played all the major tragic roles, including Medea and Electra; in addition, she was active in the contemporary productions put on by the Greek Popular Theatre in the late 1950s. In films from 1950, Irene is best known to international audiences for her portrayals of gutsy resistance fighter Maria Pappadimos in Guns of Navarone (1961); The Widow in Zorba the Greek (1964); the wife of political martyr Yves Montand in Z (1968); and Catherine of Aragon (with nary a trace of her native accent) in Anne of a Thousand Days. In between these projects, Ms. Papas made her Broadway debut in 1967's That Summer, That Fall. She has also delivered award-winning performances in the ambitious Euripides adaptations directed by Michael Cacoyannis, playing Helen in The Trojan Women (1972) and Clytemnestra in Iphigenia. On American television, Irene Papas has excelled in Biblical assignments: she was Zipporah in the 1976 miniseries Moses the Lawgiver, and Rebekah in the 1994 made-for-cable epic Jacob. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Yiorgos Tzavellas wrote and directed this award-winning attempt at reimagining the classic tragedy by Sophocles as an actual motion picture rather than simply filming the play, as was common in Greek adaptations of theatrical productions since the late '20s. Manos Katrakis received widespread acclaim for his performance as Creon, who becomes King of Thebes after both of Oedipus' sons kill each other in a duel to determine ascension to the throne following his death. Creon orders the body of one son, Polynices, be left above ground, but the dead man's sister, Antigone (Irene Papas in an award-winning star turn), disobeys the new king and gives her brother a semi-proper burial by sprinkling him with dust. As punishment, Antigone is buried alive in a tomb despite her engagement to Creon's son Haemon (Nikos Kazis). Creon's mind is changed by Teiresias (Tzavalas Karoussos), a prophet who explains that leaving Polynices unburied sullies the realm of the gods. Unfortunately, by the time Creon gets around to burying Polynices and freeing Antigone, the poor girl has hanged herself in her tomb. This leads Creon's son to commit suicide as well, followed by the suicide of his own wife. Plagued with misery and guilt, the broken Creon abdicates the throne, crushed by the tragic chain of events that he had unwittingly set in motion. One of the best Greek productions of the 1960s, and highly recommended for students of classical Greek tragedy on film, Antigoni co-stars Maro Kondou, Ilya Livikou, Yiannis Argiris, and Theodoros Moridis. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- 1956
The catch-all title Tribute to a Bad Man had been floating around MGM for years (at one point, it was the working title for The Bad and the Beautiful) before it was finally affixed to this big-budget western. Originally intended as a vehicle for Spencer Tracy, the film was recast with James Cagney when Tracy walked out of his MGM contract. Cagney stars as no-nonsense land baron Jeremy Rodock, who plays by his own rules, his own sense of justice and his own code of honor. Young cowhand Steve Miller (Don Dubbins) learns the hard way what it means to incur Rodock's wrath when he falls in love with Jocasta Constantine (Irene Papas), whom Rodock considers his own personal property. Through the example of the even-tempered Miller, however, Rodock rediscovers his own essential humanity. The film's "money scene" takes place when Rodock punishes a group of scraggly horse thieves by forcing them to march barefoot through the sagebrush. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Cagney, Don Dubbins, (more)
- 1954
The English-language title of this European costume epic alternated between Theodora, Byzantine Empress and Theodora, Slave Empress. Gianna-Maria Canale stars as Theodora, the Egyptian dancing girl who wins the heart of Roman emperor Justinian (Georges Marchal). Many historical accounts indicate that Theodora was not the most pleasant and agreeable of empresses. According to this film, however, she rules fairly and justly, and even protects her husband against evil plotters. Spectacle abounds in Theodora, though the American distributors emphasized the scanty costumes worn by the lovely Gianna-Maria Canale in their ad campaign. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Georges Marchal, Gianna Maria Canale, (more)
- 1954
Italian director Pietro Francisci directed this 1954 drama about the fifth-century invasion of Rome by Attila the Hun. Anthony Quinn stars as the legendary barbaric King of the Huns who wreaked havoc upon Rome, threatening to topple the entire empire. Sophia Loren costars as Honoria, the beautiful young woman whose help is enlisted by Pope Leo I and may be the only person who can end Attila's rampage. Also starring Henri Vidal and Irene Papas, Attila, il flagello di Dio was released in the United States as Attila. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anthony Quinn, Sophia Loren, (more)
- 1954
It's hardly a coincidence that George Raft made so many films outside the U.S. when he began to have income-tax problems in the early 1950s. The Man From Cairo casts Raft as an American vacationing in Algiers. In short order, he becomes involved with a group of mercenaries who are searching for a fortune in gold that was lost somewhere in the desert during WW II. Gianna Maria Canale co-stars as a sexy nightclub chanteuse who, like everyone else in the film, isn't all she seems to be. This Italian-financed melodrama was released in Great Britain as Crime Squad. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George Raft, Gianna Maria Canale, (more)
- 1953
Le Infedeli is graced by two internationally popular leading ladies: Italy's Gina Lollobrigida and Sweden's Mai Britt. The two actresses are but small portions of a larger plot mosaic, all about keeping up appearances no matter what the provocation. A group of "respectable" people are all partly responsible for the suicide of a servant girl. They are pounced upon by a wily blackmailer (Pierre Cressoy), who knows that these people will pay dearly rather than inform on themselves or others. The villain's comeuppance may seem a bit extreme, but it's undeniably satisfying. This Carlo Ponti-Dino DeLaurentiis production also features Irene Papas and Marina Vlady. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gina Lollobrigida, May Britt, (more)
