Iphigenia

Michael Cacoyannis completed his trilogy of Euripides adaptations, after Electra and The Trojan Women, with this version of Iphigenia at Aulis. The Greek fleet is stranded by windless days on its way to Troy, and the seer Calchas declares that Agamemnon must sacrifice his daughter Iphigenia to Artemis.

Filmed in Greek on location, it turns an ancient play into vivid, earthy cinema, with sweeping scenes of restless soldiers and a haunting score by Mikis Theodorakis. Irene Papas, as Clytemnestra, is overwhelming in her grief and fury, and the young Tatiana Papamoschou is heartbreaking as Iphigenia.

It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

Our verdict

The finest screen version of a Greek tragedy we know.