The Illiac Passion
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by Aeschylus
- April 1968
| The Illiac Passion | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Gregory Markopoulos |
| Based on | Prometheus Bound by Aeschylus |
Release date |
|
Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Illiac Passion is a 1968 American avant-garde film directed by Gregory Markopoulos.
Jerome Hiler was an assistant on The Illiac Passion, working on costumes and scouting locations.[1] Working titles for the film were Prometheus Bound, Himself as Himself, and Eternity.[2] The soundtrack is based on a recording of Markopoulos reading Henry David Thoreau's translation of Prometheus Bound.[3] Markopoulos edited the film in 1965. The intricate arrangement of brief shots raised the cost of printing the film considerably, which delayed the film's release as he raised additional funds.[4]
Release
The Illiac Passion premiered at the Film-Maker's Cinematheque in April 1968.[5] The film screened at the fourth Knokke-Le-Zoute Experimental Film Festival in 1967. The festival jury made the controversial decision not to consider The Illiac Passion for any prizes, since Markopoulos had previously won for Twice a Man.[6] A planned 1980 screening at the National Gallery of Athens was cancelled out of concern that the film contained nudity.[7] The Illiac Passion is now part of Anthology Film Archives' Essential Cinema Repertory collection.[8]
