Dark Odyssey

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Dark Odyssey
DarkOdyssey-1961FilmByRadleyMetzger.jpg
Original film DVD cover
Directed by Radley Metzger
William Kyriakis
Screenplay byRadley Metzger
William Kyriakis
James Vlamos
Produced byRadley Metzger
William Kyriakis
James Vlamos
StarringAthan Karras
Jeanne Jerrems
David Hooks
Rosemary Torri
Edward Brazier
Nicholas Zapnoukayas
Ariadne Zapnoukayas
CinematographyPeter Erik Winkler
Edited byRadley Metzger
William Kyriakis
Music byLaurence Rosenthal
Production
company
Era KM Films
Distributed by Audubon Films
Era KM Films
First Run Features
Release date
  • 1961 (1961)
Running time
85 minutes
CountryUSA
LanguageEnglish

Dark Odyssey is a 1961 American erotic drama film directed by Radley Metzger. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

Plot

An immigrant from Greece arrives in New York City to search for the man who mistreated his sister.

Cast

Reception

Dark 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

According 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]

Related Research Articles

Radley Metzger was an American pioneering filmmaker and film distributor, most noted for popular artistic, adult-oriented films, including Thérèse and Isabelle (1968), Camille 2000 (1969), The Lickerish Quartet (1970), Score (1974), The Private Afternoons of Pamela Mann (1974), The Image (1975), The Opening of Misty Beethoven (1976) and Barbara Broadcast (1977). According to one film reviewer, 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". Another reviewer noted that his films were "highly artistic — and often cerebral ... and often featured gorgeous cinematography". Film and audio works by Metzger have been added to the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City.

<i>The Opening of Misty Beethoven</i> 1976 pornographic film directed by Radley Metzger

The Opening of Misty Beethoven is an American pornographic comedy film released in 1976. It was produced with a relatively high budget and filmed on elaborate locations in Paris, New York City and Rome with a musical score, and owes much to its director Radley Metzger. According to author Toni Bentley, The Opening of Misty Beethoven is considered the "crown jewel" of the Golden Age of Porn (1969–1984).

<i>The Image</i> (1975 film) 1976 film

The Image is a 1975 American adult drama that was re-released in an edited version in 1976. The film is also known by two other titles: The Punishment of Anne and The Mistress and the Slave and was directed by Radley Metzger. The film is based upon the classic 1956 sadomasochistic novel L'Image, written by Catherine Robbe-Grillet and published under the pseudonym of "Jean de Berg".

<i>Score</i> (1974 film) 1974 film by Radley Metzger

Score is a 1974 erotic romance film directed by Radley Metzger. One of the first films to explore bisexual relationships, it was part of the brief porn chic fad of the Golden Age of Porn in the early 1970s that also included Behind the Green Door, The Devil in Miss Jones and Deep Throat. The film was based on an off-Broadway stage play that ran for 23 performances at the Martinique Theatre from October 28, 1970, through November 15, 1971 and featured Sylvester Stallone in a brief role. The theatrical version of Score was written by Jerry Douglas, who later became a mainstream screenwriter. It was set in a shabby Queens tenement, while the film was set in an elegant, mythical land and sported a relatively high budget for an independent film of that era.

<i>The Lickerish Quartet</i> 1970 film

The Lickerish Quartet is a 1970 erotic drama film produced and directed by Radley Metzger. It was filmed in Italian and later dubbed into English. The film was written by Metzger and Michael DeForrest.

<i>Little Mother</i> (1973 film) 1973 American film

Little Mother is a 1973 drama, romance, cult film directed by Radley Metzger and starring Christiane Krüger, Siegfried Rauch and Ivan Desny. The story was loosely modelled on that of Eva Peron in Argentina. It was a co-production between the United States, West Germany and Yugoslavia.

<i>The Private Afternoons of Pamela Mann</i> 1974 American hardcore adult film by Radley Metzger

The Private Afternoons of Pamela Mann is a 1974 American hardcore adult film starring Barbara Bourbon and directed by Radley Metzger that is considered one of the classics of the Golden Age of Porn (1969–1984). It was a step forward in the development of the genre, as it had a plot and good acting. The movie can be seen as a meditation on voyeurism, due to the trope of Mann being spied on by a private detective hired by her husband, and the production of pornography itself, as the detective films her sexual encounters.

<i>Barbara Broadcast</i> 1977 film by Radley Metzger

Barbara Broadcast is an American adult erotic film released in 1977. The film was directed by Radley Metzger and filmed in several elaborate locations in New York City, including the Olympia ballroom and restaurant in the Royal Manhattan Hotel.

<i>Maraschino Cherry</i> (film) 1978 film by Radley Metzger

Maraschino Cherry is an American hardcore pornographic film and comedy released in 1978. The film was directed by Radley Metzger and filmed in several locations in New York City; it was his fifth and final hardcore film.

<i>Naked Came the Stranger</i> (film) 1975 film by Radley Metzger

Naked Came the Stranger is an American adult erotic film released in 1975. The film was directed by Radley Metzger and filmed in several elaborate locations in New York City.

<i>The Tale of Tiffany Lust</i> 1981 film by Radley Metzger

The Tale of Tiffany Lust, also known as Body Lust, is a 1979 American pornographic film. It was directed by Radley Metzger but credited for convenience to French director and occasional Metzger collaborator Gérard Kikoïne, who may have served as an advisor. The film was shot in several locations in New York City. It opened in France on 27 June 1979 under the title Dolly l'initiatrice, but was not released in the U.S. until 1981.

<i>Therese and Isabelle</i> 1968 film by Radley Metzger

Thérèse and Isabelle is a 1968 erotic drama film directed by Radley Metzger from a screenplay by Jesse Vogel, based on the 1966 novel Thérèse et Isabelle by Violette Leduc.

<i>The Alley Cats</i> (film) 1966 American film

The Alley Cats is a 1966 American drama, comedy, cult film directed by Radley Metzger. The film stars Anne Arthur, Karen Field, Sabrina Koch, Charlie Hickman, Harald Baerow, and Uta Levka.

<i>The Dirty Girls</i> 1965 American film

The Dirty Girls is a 1965 American erotic drama film directed by Radley Metzger.

<i>The Princess and the Call Girl</i> 1984 American film

The Princess and the Call Girl is a 1984 American erotic comedy drama film directed by Radley Metzger and based on a French story, Frontispiece, by Pierre Serbie, that is similar to Mark Twain's novel The Prince and the Pauper.

<i>La baie du désir</i> 1964 film

La baie du désir is a 1964 French erotic drama film directed by Max Pécas and Radley Metzger (uncredited).

<i>Dictionary of Sex</i> 1964 American film

Dictionary of Sex is a 1964 American erotic film directed by Radley Metzger.

The World of Henry Paris is a 1981 American compilation film documentary of the 1970s erotic films directed by Radley Metzger, working under the alias name of "Henry Paris".

<i>Aphrodesias Diary</i> 1983 American film

Aphrodesia's Diary is an American-French pornographic film shot in 1979 — primarily in New York but also in Paris — and released in 1983. It was directed by French pornographer Gérard Kikoïne and co-produced by Radley Metzger, who may have served as an advisor but is not credited.

<i>The Sins of Ilsa</i> 1985 American film

The Sins of Ilsa is a 1985 American adult erotic film, based on a novel by Iris Murdoch, that was filmed in New York City and, for exteriors, in Paris. The film is notable as the last film directed by Radley Metzger and, as of November 2019, has not yet been released publicly.

References

  1. Bentley, Toni (August 7, 2014). "The Art Cinema Erotica of Radley Metzger". The New York Review of Books . Retrieved January 5, 2019.
  2. Bentley, Toni (June 2014). "The Legend of Henry Paris". Playboy . Archived from the original on February 4, 2016. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
  3. Bentley, Toni (June 2014). "The Legend of Henry Paris" (PDF). ToniBentley.com. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
  4. 1 2 Thompson, Howard (June 26, 1961). "Screen: 'Dark Odyssey':Low-Cost Drama Has Premiere at Cameo". The New York Times . Retrieved April 10, 2017.
  5. Staff. "A Talk With Radley Metzger". Mondo-Digital.com. Retrieved May 23, 2015.
  6. Morris, Gary (1998). "Radley Metzger - Dark Odyssey and Little Mother". ImagesJournal.com. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
  7. Georgakas, Dan (1998). "Dark Odyssey". Senses of Cinema . Retrieved April 10, 2017.
  8. Hasan, Mark R. (2011). "DVD: Dark Odyssey (1961)". KQEK.com. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
  9. Gallagher, Steve (August 7, 2014). ""This is Softcore": The History of Radley Metzger". Filmmaker Magazine . Retrieved May 23, 2015.
  10. 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.
  11. Slade, Joseph P. (1974). Rist, Ray C. (ed.). The Pornography Controversy: Changing Moral Standards in American Life. Transaction Publishers. p. 124. ISBN   9781412838467.
  12. Lehman, Peter (2006). "Introduction". In Peter Lehman (ed.). Pornography: Film and Culture. Rutgers University Press. p. 9. ISBN   9780813538716.
  13. "DadaBase Search Results - Radley Metzger". Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) . 2016. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
  14. 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.