225:. The film follows three main storylines: (a) the production of the play, (b) Mayaâs changing approach to how to portray Medea, and (c) the story of Brenda Collinsâ murder of her children. These three storylines are intertwined. Early in the film, we see early scenes from the play being rehearsed, the playâs director and Maya argue about Mayaâs (first) interpretation of the character of Medea, and Brenda Collins is introduced. In the middle part of the film, scenes from the middle of the play are rehearsed, and Maya's thoughts about Medea begin to change as she learns more about Brenda Collinsâ troubled marriage and as her exploration of Medea makes her rethink some difficult episodes in her own life. In the last part of the film, Maya thinks more deeply about her own life, learns more details about the murders of children, and we see scenes from the end of the playâshowing Mayaâs final interpretation of Medea.
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The publicity stunt ends in disaster. Brenda is initially happy and excited about talking with Maya, having never met a movie star before, but she is frightened and then infuriated when the press suddenly rushes into the interview room, snapping photos. She screams obscenities and curses at Maya as a
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in early 1978. He said that the story was inspired by a trial in Italy (fifteen years earlier) of a woman who had killed her children after her husband left her for another woman: âShe was so compelling and strong. She sat there grieving for her children and at the same time, not repenting for what
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Maya's research into Brenda's case, looking at it from Brenda's point of view and having rethought difficult events in her own life (in particular, her relationship with her own somewhat estranged husband and her friendship with and later mistreatment of Mariaâwho was once an actress and is now the
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Brenda
Collins is a deeply religious woman. She had been devoted to her husband and children and had begged Roy to stop his affair, but he treated her and her faith with disdain. She talks about the events leading up to the murders and the murders themselves with a mix of anguish and fury and a mix
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Collins family had lived in a suburb of Athens, Glyfada. Brenda committed the murders to punish her husband, Roy, for having an affair with a Greek woman. The press at the time called her "the Medea of
Glyfada." Maya happily imagines what the headlines will be after their meeting: "The Two Medeas."
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The production of the play is being filmed by a BBC crew. Early in the film, one of Maya's BBC contacts manages to arrange a publicity stunt for Maya, in which Maya will meet an
American woman, Brenda Collins, who was imprisoned several years earlier for the murder of her three young children. The
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newspaper, a woman she already knows. She shows Maya the records the paper still has from their coverage of the case, including crime-scene photos, a copy of the note Brenda left for Roy after the murders, and the notes of a psychologist who examined Brenda after the murders. Maya also visits the
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of obscenities and quotes from the Bible. She says that she did not kill her children with the story of Medea in mind; she tells Maya that she didn't understand the reference when the press first started calling her a "Medea."
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nun pulls Brenda out of the room. Maya is horrified at how the stunt turned out and later sends flowers and a note of apology to Brenda. Brenda agrees to meet Maya again, and the two establish something of a friendship.
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Despite being obsessed with the idea of filming the story, Dassin couldnât âreconcile his compassion for the woman with his horror for her crime.â But after seeing his wife, Melina
Mercouri, in a stage production of
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Collins' former house (which has remained unoccupiedâthe chalk outlines are still on the floor, showing where the children's bodies were found) and meets with Brenda several more times at the prison.
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lines 131â33. The lines appear on the screen after the opening credits of the film, with the chorus reciting those lines (and some subsequent lines) in the original ancient Greek:
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prompter for the stage production), causes Maya to rethink her portrayal of Medea. The film ends with a scene of the play's production at the ancient
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Maya, a Greek actress who has been working in
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To learn more about Brenda
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Ancient Greek (the chorus in the play speaks
Euripides' original text)
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Los
Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress
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means "Cry of Women." It is adapted from
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465:"Festival de Cannes: A Dream of Passion"
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328:documentary about the student uprising
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438:Gage, Nicholas (6 February 1978).
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409:. It was also nominated for the
187:"Cry of Women") is a 1978 Greek
440:"Dassin to Film a Modern Medea"
861:Films directed by Jules Dassin
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255:sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi
876:English-language Greek films
871:1970s English-language films
199:as Maya, an actress playing
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881:1970s Greek-language films
635:Mark Hellinger Productions
265:The original Greek title,
415:1978 Cannes Film Festival
405:It was nominated for the
294:comes from Shakespeare's
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886:Greek multilingual films
310:in an interview for the
286:and my heart suffers too
35:French Theatrical Poster
846:1978 multilingual films
306:Jules Dassin discussed
183: Kravgi gynaikon,
753:Hamilchama al hashalom
280:of the anguished woman
662:20th Century-Fox Film
608:The Canterville Ghost
584:The Affairs of Martha
851:Films about filicide
396:as the bible student
364:Dimitris Papamichael
195:. The story follows
568:The Tell-Tale Heart
560:Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
469:festival-cannes.com
376:Andreas Philippidis
366:as Dimitris / Jason
292:A Dream of Passion,
290:The English title,
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678:Night and the City
505:A Dream of Passion
494:A Dream of Passion
382:Phaedon Georgitsis
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134:Running time
111:Release date
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45:Jules Dassin
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689:Independent
643:Brute Force
600:Young Ideas
411:Golden Palm
390:as Margaret
238:Kathimerini
148:Switzerland
138:106 minutes
68:Produced by
41:Directed by
836:1978 films
830:Categories
815:Joe Dassin
576:Nazi Agent
425:References
378:as Stathis
302:Production
189:drama film
51:Written by
372:as Edward
354:as Kostas
217:Euripides
181:translit.
153:Languages
143:Countries
102:Edited by
59:Euripides
16:1978 film
449:12 April
384:as Ronny
360:as Maria
78:Starring
808:Related
761:Uptight
737:Topkapi
729:Phaedra
713:The Law
413:at the
251:theater
156:English
122:1978-08
120: (
796:(1980)
788:(1978)
780:(1974)
772:(1970)
764:(1968)
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748:(1966)
740:(1964)
732:(1962)
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700:(1955)
697:Rififi
681:(1950)
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611:(1944)
603:(1943)
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587:(1942)
579:(1942)
571:(1941)
474:20 May
401:Awards
321:Medea,
296:Hamlet
271:Medea,
261:Titles
146:Greece
61:(play)
553:Films
222:Medea
201:Medea
173:Greek
158:Greek
499:IMDb
476:2009
451:2022
334:Cast
211:Plot
185:lit.
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171:(
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