Medea (1988 film) - Misplaced Pages

Not to be confused with the Tyler Perry character Madea. 1988 Danish film

Medea

Directed by	Lars von Trier
Screenplay by	Carl Theodor Dreyer
Based on	Medea by Euripides
Starring	Udo Kier Kirsten Olesen Henning Jensen
Cinematography	Sejr Brockmann
Edited by	Finnur Sveinsson
Distributed by	Danmarks Radio
Release date	1 April 1988 (1988-04-01)
Running time	76 minutes
Country	Denmark
Language	Danish

Medea is a 1988 Danish tragedy television film directed by Lars von Trier. It is based on Carl Theodor Dreyer's adaptation of Euripides' play Medea. The setting is changed from the Mediterranean to a danish, vaguely iron age setting.

Plot

King Creon of Corinth wants to secure his throne. In order to do this, he wants to marry the successful warrior Jason to his daughter Glauce. Jason accepts, but he is already married to Medea. Since Medea is known as a wise woman, Creon feels need to banish Medea and her two boys from the city. She begs him to let him stay, but he gives her only one day in order to secure the needs of the two boys.

Medea makes an agreement with the king of Athens, Aegeus, that she and the two boys can come live in Athens with his protection. She then plans to murder both Glauce and Creon and eventually her own children.

Cast

Udo Kier as Jason
Kirsten Olesen as Medea
Henning Jensen as Creon
Solbjørg Højfeldt as Nurse
Preben Lerdorff Rye as Pedagog
Baard Owe as Aegeus
Ludmilla Glinska as Glauce
Vera Gebuhr as Old chaperone
Jonny Kilde as Old boy
Richard Kilde as Young boy
Dick Kaysø as Voice of Jaeson
Mette Munk Plum as Voice of Glauce

Critical reception

The film was received with critical acclaim. Rotten Tomatoes gives a score of 86% based on 14 reviews.

References

Medea 1988 at Rotten Tomatoes

External links

Medea at IMDb

v t e Lars von Trier
Filmography Awards and nominations
Feature films	The Element of Crime (1984) Epidemic (1987) Europa (1991) Breaking the Waves (1996) The Idiots (1998) Dancer in the Dark (2000) Dogville (2003) The Five Obstructions (2003) Manderlay (2005) The Boss of It All (2006) Antichrist (2009) Melancholia (2011) Nymphomaniac (2013) The House That Jack Built (2018)
Television	Medea (1988) The Kingdom (1994–2022)
Short films	The Orchid Gardener (1977) Images of Liberation (1982) "Occupations" in To Each His Own Cinema (2007) Dimension (2010)
Related	Dear Wendy (2005, screenplay) Dogme 95 Europa trilogy Golden Heart trilogy Bibliography Zentropa
Category

v t e Carl Theodor Dreyer
Films	The President (1919) The Parson's Widow (1920) Leaves from Satan's Book (1921) Once Upon a Time (1922) Die Gezeichneten (1922) Michael (1924) Master of the House (1925) The Bride of Glomdal (1926) The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928) Vampyr (1932) Day of Wrath (1943) Två människor (1945) Ordet (1955) Gertrud (1964)
Related topics	Medea Carl Th. Dreyer: My Metier

v t e Medea
Family	Helios (grandfather) Aeëtes (father) Chalciope (sister) Circe (aunt) Apsyrtus (brother) Jason (1st husband) Aegeus (2nd husband) Mermerus and Pheres (sons) Alcimenes and Tisander (sons) Medus (son) Thessalus (son) Achilles (3rd husband)
Films	A Dream of Passion (1978) Medea (1969) Medea (1988) Médée (2001) Medea (2005) Medea Miracle (2007)
Operas	Médée (1693, Charpentier) Medea (1775, Benda) Médée (1797, Cherubini) Medea in Corinto (1813, Mayr) Medea (1843, Pacini) Medea (2010, Reimann)
Plays	Medea (431 BC) Medea (ca. 50) Médée (1635) Medea (1730) Médée (1946) The Hungry Woman (1995)
Ballets	Jason et Médée (1763) La hija de Cólquide (1944) Medea (1946)
Musicals	Medea, the Musical (1994) Marie Christine (1999)
Music	Medea's Dance of Vengeance (1956)
Art	Medea (painting) Jason and Medea (painting) Medea statue
Other depictions	Medea (character) "Medea Culpa"

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