Riddles of the Sphinx (Mulvey/Wollen, 1977): BFI Southbank, NFT2, 8.30pm
This film, which also screens on November 4th, is part of the 'Laura Mulvey: Thinking Through Film' season at BFI Southbank. Tonight's presentation is introduced by writer Marina Warner.
Time Out review:
Laura
Mulvey and Peter Wollen's second film places the simple story of a
mother/child relationship in the wholly unexpected context of the myth
of Oedipus' encounter with the Sphinx; its achievement is to make that
context seem both logical and necessary. First off, the story: a broken
marriage, an over-possessive mother, a growing awareness of feminist
issues, a close female friend, and a newly questioning spirit of
independence. Then, underpinning it, the myth, which introduces a set of
basic questions about the female unconscious. The mixture of feminist
politics and Freudian theory would be enough in itself to make the film
unusually interesting, but various other elements make it actively
compelling: the beautiful, hypnotic score by Mike Ratledge,
the tantalising blend of visual, aural and literary narration in the
telling of the story, and the firm intelligence that informs the film's
unique and seductive overall structure.
Tony Rayns
Here (and above) is an extract.
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