Dark Odyssey is a 1961 American erotic drama film directed by Radley Metzger.[1][2][3]
| Dark Odyssey | |
|---|---|
 Original film DVD cover | |
| Directed by | Radley Metzger William Kyriakis |
| Screenplay by | Radley Metzger William Kyriakis James Vlamos |
| Produced by | Radley Metzger William Kyriakis James Vlamos |
| Starring | Athan Karras Jeanne Jerrems David Hooks Rosemary Torri Edward Brazier Nicholas Zapnoukayas Ariadne Zapnoukayas |
| Cinematography | Peter Erik Winkler |
| Edited by | Radley Metzger William Kyriakis |
| Music by | Laurence Rosenthal |
Production company | Era KM Films |
| Distributed by | Audubon Films Era KM Films First Run Features |
Release date |
|
Running time | 85 minutes |
| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
Plot
editAn immigrant from Greece arrives in New York City to search for the man who mistreated his sister.
Cast
edit- Athan Karras as Yianni Martakis
- Jeanne Jerrems as Niki Vassos
- David Hooks as George Andros
- Rosemary Torri as Helen Vassos
- Edward Brazier as Jack Fields
- Nicholas Zapnoukayas as Mr. Vassos
- Ariadne Zapnoukayas as Mrs. Vassos
Reception
editDark Odyssey was favorably reviewed by The New York Times.[4][5] According to film reviewer Howard Thompson, the film is a "thoughtful, unpretentious and creatively turned little drama ... a fresh, economical approach to an ancient dramaturgical formula".[4] Gary Morris, another film reviewer, describes the film as having "visual beauty and emotional power" and being a "literal Greek tragedy shot on location in New York City".[6] Film critic Dan Georgakas describes the film as the "best film featuring Greek American characters ever made".[7] Dark Odyssey has been described, by one reviewer, as having a neorealistic style similar to Elia Kazan's On the Waterfront (1954) and Martin Ritt's Edge of the City (1957).[8]
Notes
editAccording to one film reviewer, Radley Metzger's films, including those made during the Golden Age of Porn (1969–1984), are noted for their "lavish design, witty screenplays, and a penchant for the unusual camera angle".[9] Another reviewer noted that his films were "highly artistic — and often cerebral ... and often featured gorgeous cinematography".[10] Film and audio works by Metzger have been added to the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City.[11][12][13][14]
References
edit- ^ Bentley, Toni (August 7, 2014). "The Art Cinema Erotica of Radley Metzger". The New York Review of Books. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
- ^ Bentley, Toni (June 2014). "The Legend of Henry Paris". Playboy. Archived from the original on February 4, 2016. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
- ^ Bentley, Toni (June 2014). "The Legend of Henry Paris" (PDF). ToniBentley.com. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
- ^ a b Thompson, Howard (June 26, 1961). "Screen: 'Dark Odyssey':Low-Cost Drama Has Premiere at Cameo". The New York Times. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
- ^ Staff. "A Talk With Radley Metzger". Mondo-Digital.com. Retrieved May 23, 2015.
- ^ Morris, Gary (1998). "Radley Metzger - Dark Odyssey and Little Mother". ImagesJournal.com. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
- ^ Georgakas, Dan (1998). "Dark Odyssey". Senses of Cinema. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
- ^ Hasan, Mark R. (2011). "DVD: Dark Odyssey (1961)". KQEK.com. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
- ^ Gallagher, Steve (August 7, 2014). ""This is Softcore": The History of Radley Metzger". Filmmaker Magazine. Retrieved May 23, 2015.
- ^ Simpson, Claire (October 2, 2013). "Adults Only: 5 Films By Radley Metzger". WhatCulture.com. Archived from the original on May 24, 2015. Retrieved May 23, 2015.
- ^ Slade, Joseph P. (1974). Rist, Ray C. (ed.). The Pornography Controversy: Changing Moral Standards in American Life. Transaction Publishers. p. 124. ISBN 9781412838467.
- ^ Lehman, Peter (2006). "Introduction". In Peter Lehman (ed.). Pornography: Film and Culture. Rutgers University Press. p. 9. ISBN 9780813538716.
- ^ "DadaBase Search Results - Radley Metzger". Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). 2016. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
- ^ Giusti, Marco (March 4, 2017). "Obituary Of The Righteous - The Porn Of The Fabulous 60s And 70s Loses One Of Its Pioneers And Masters: Radley Metzger - Photographer Of War, The MOMA Presents A Retrospective: His Erotic Films Made History - Video: 'Score', On The Relationships Of Couples Of The 70s, In An Uncensored Version". DagoSpia.com (in Italian). Retrieved November 12, 2019.
External links
edit- Dark Odyssey at IMDb
- Dark Odyssey at MUBI (related to The Criterion Collection)
