Phaedra () is a 1962 American-Greek drama film directed by Jules Dassin as a vehicle for his partner (and future wife) Melina Mercouri, after her worldwide hit Never on Sunday.
The film was the fourth collaboration between Dassin and Mercouri, who took the title role. Greek writer Margarita Liberaki adapted Euripides' Hippolytus into a melodrama concerning the rich society of ship owners and their families, but still containing some of the tragic elements of the ancient drama. The film is set in Paris, London, and the Greek island of Hydra.
Plot
Phaedra, second wife of shipping tycoon Thanos (Raf Vallone), falls in love with her husband's son from his first marriage, Alexis (Anthony Perkins). The love is doomed from the very beginning but they are unable to control their feelings.
Cast
- Melina Mercouri as Phaedra
- Anthony Perkins as Alexis
- Raf Vallone as Thanos
- Élisabeth Ercy as Ercy
- Georges Sari as Ariadne
- Andreas Philippides as Andreas
- Olympia Papadouka as Anna
- Stelios Vokovich as Stavros
- Nikos Tzogias as Felere (as Nicos Tzoyas)
- Depy Martini as Heleni
- Alexis Pezas as Dimitris
- Kostas Baladimas as Dimos (as Dimos Baladinas)
- Marc Bohan as himself (uncredited)
- Jules Dassin as Christos (uncredited)
Production
Phaedra was filmed in Greece, France, and Great Britain.