International Cinema — a powerhouse program, a jewel in BYU’s crown — will bring three or four films to registered viewers every week of the Fall semester. Two of the Fall2020 films treat classical mythological themes, one as a reception and one as an adaptation.
Iphigenia (1977) is an adaptation of the classical tragedy by Euripides (405 BC). It is in Greek with English subtitles, directed by the Michaelis Cacoyannis and starring the mighty 
actress Irene Pappas as Clytemnestra. The film tells the mythological events leading to the Trojan War. The Greek army wastes mustered at Aulis, unable to sail because the gods are angry. The winds will blow, Agamemnon is told, if he will offer his oldest daughter, Iphigenia, as a blood sacrifice to Artemis. Arguably, the only truly noble individual in the story is the child.
Pan’s Labyrinth (El Laberinto del Fauno) (2006) is remarkable filmmaking chipped off the mind of Guillermo del Toro. Shown during IC’s International Horror week (over Halloween), I find it more haunting than horrifying. I call it a reception of the mythological Greek god Pan, because Del Toro’s
screenplay pokes and prods the mythic possibilities in-herent in mythic figures like the faun rather than repurposing narratives about Pan already explored by the ancients. (cf. OGCMA Pan2.0101_DelToro)
Any student, faculty member, or staff with current BYU credentials (i.e. a NetID) qualifies for the on-line streaming of all IC films via hummedia.byu.edu. However, prior registration is necessary. Use this form to register or watch ic.byu.edu for more details.
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IphigeniaAulis2.0010_Cacoyannis
