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Oedipus Mayor

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Oedipus Mayor
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJorge Alí Triana
Screenplay byGabriel García Márquez
Stella Malagon
Based onOedipus Rex by Sophocles
Produced byJorge Sánchez
Tomás Zapata
StarringJorge Perugorria
Ángela Molina
Francisco Rabal
Jairo Camargo
CinematographyRodrigo Prieto
Edited bySigfrido Barjau
Music byBlas Emilio Atehortúa
Release date
  • 23 August 1996 (1996-08-23)
Running time
100 minutes
CountryColombia
LanguageSpanish

Oedipus Mayor (Spanish: Edipo alcalde) is a 1996 Colombian tragedy film, produced by Tomás Zapata and Jorge Sánchez, directed by Jorge Alí Triana.[1] Set in strife-ridden, 20th-century Colombia, the film is a modern-day interpretation of Sophocles' classical Greek tragedy Oedipus Rex. The film was selected as the Colombian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 69th Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee.[2][3]

Plot

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Set amidst the rebel wars (representing the Theban plagues) of contemporary Colombia, young Mayor Edipo must mediate a peace deal between conflicting guerrilla groups and the army. It is raining when he leaves. His journey is interrupted when he gets into a shoot-out on a lonely bridge. Returning fire, Edipo somehow escapes. As soon as he gets to town he hears that a prominent leader Layo was brutally slain. No one knows who shot him. Meanwhile, a blind coffin-maker Tiresias wanders town making dire prophecies concerning Edipo's future. It is he who tells the mayor that Layo was murdered by a family member. Edipo's fate is sealed when he gets involved with the beautiful and much older Yocasta, a woman who last had sex thirty years ago with her husband Layo. She got pregnant and bore a son ... tragedy ensues.

Cast

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Oedipus Mayor". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Retrieved 5 October 2015. [dead link]
  2. ^ Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
  3. ^ "39 Countries Hoping for Oscar Nominations". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 13 November 1996. Archived from the original on 9 February 1999. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
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