Oh Babylon (1989)

Alkis Panayiotidis, Sotiria Leonardou, Maxi Priest, Angeliki Roka, Angelique Rockas

This Greek film takes the ancient drama The Bacchae by Euripides (480-406 B.C.), and retells it in a more modern guise. It is the story of a ruling family which is deeply divided over an issue with re... read more ligious implications. The worship of Dionysus, the god of wine and mad revels, requires its devotees to loosen up considerably from time to time. Pentheus (Alkis Panayiotidis), the young King of Thebes, thinks this is both a distraction and a waste of time. It will not help him get the book he is working on written. He has already received his advance payment for the book, and the deadline for delivery of the manuscript is due. His Dionysus-worshipping parents and grandparents mock him for this, and for his valiantly maintained virginity. One highlight of the movie is that the role of the traditional Greek chorus, which comments on the action in the play, is here enacted by reggae performer Maxi Priest and his band. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi