Greek mythology with its fascinating stories and intriguing characters has always been a source of inspiration for artists, from painters and sculptors in ancient times to modern day film makers and cartoonists.
The film industry in particular often taps into the fascination of the public for Greek myths and legends to produce films of great artistic value.
These films, featuring gods and heroes, monsters and epic journeys, captivate the audience in the same way mythology did in ancient times, by providing a reflection of the collective unconscious.
These are some of the best films inspired by Greek mythology:
O Brother Where Art Thou (2000)
Set in 1937 rural Mississippi during the Great Depression, the film’s story is a modern satire loosely based on Homer’s epic poem, Odyssey. Many characters of the great Greek epic poem appear on the film, without literal translation, like the Sirens (washing women) that seduce the heroes and Polyphemus the Cyclops, who takes the form of Daniel Teague.
Mighty Aphrodite (1995)
This amazing comedy is Woody Allen’s re- imagining of the Greek goddess of love, Aphrodite, as a modern-day prostitute whose son is a genius.
Marcel Camus’ Black Orpheus (1959)
The film transports the Orpheus and Eurydice myth to the modern context of a favela in Brazil, during Carnaval. In myth, Orpheus is an extremely talented musician, able to charm all living things with his music. His love, Eurydice, is killed by a serpent on their wedding day and Orpheus journeys to the underworld to bring her back.
Jason and the Argonauts (1963)
Todd Armstrong stars in this fantasy feature film as the titular mythical Greek hero in a story about his quest for the Golden Fleece. Directed by Don Chaffey in collaboration with stop motion animation expert Ray Harryhausen, the film is famous for its stop-motion creatures, and particularly the iconic fight with the skeletons.
The Clash of the Titans (1981)
Clash of the Titans is a classic British-American fantasy adventure film involving the Greek hero Perseus, that features the final work of stop motion visual effects artist, Ray Harryhausen.
The Trojan Women (1971)
The Trojan Women is an adaptation of Euripedes’ Greek play, directed by Michael Cacoyannis and starring Katharine Hepburn and Vanessa Redgrave. It follows the fates of the women of Troy after their city has been sacked, their husbands killed, and as their remaining families are about to be taken away as slaves.
