Oedipus Rex

Story

Synopsis

In pre-war Italy, a young couple have a baby boy. The father, however, is jealous of his son - and the scene moves to antiquity, where the baby is taken into the desert to be killed. He is rescued, given the name Oedipus, and brought up by the King and Queen of Corinth as their son. One day an oracle informs Oedipus that he is destined to kill his father and marry his mother. Horrified, he flees Corinth and his supposed parents - only to get into a fight and kill an older man on the road…

Director

Pier Paolo Pasolini

Writers

Pier Paolo Pasolini, Sophocles

Language

Italian

Country

Italy

Release date

7 September 1967

Ensemble

Cast

• 

  Franco Citti

  Oedipus

• 

  Silvana Mangano

  Jocasta, Queen of Thebes (and unnamed Italian young mother)

• 

  Alida Valli

  Merope, Queen of Corinth

• 

  Carmelo Bene

  Creon

• 

  Julian Beck

  Tiresias

• 

  Luciano Bartoli

  Laius, King of Thebes (and unnamed Italian young father)

• 

  Francesco Leonetti

  Servo di Laio

• Ahmed Belhachmi

  Polybus, King of Corinth

• 

  Giovanni Ivan Scratuglia

  Sacerdote

• Giandomenico Davoli

  Pastore di Polibo

• 

  Ninetto Davoli

  Angelo

• 

  Laura Betti

  Jocasta's Maid (uncredited)