The Illiac Passion

The Illiac Passion

Gregory J. Markopoulos, The Illiac Passion, 1964-67, 91 min

One of the masters of American avant-garde filmmaking, Gregory Markopoulos had developed a singular, senses-stunning style – marked by lush, color-saturated visuals; psychologically-charged editing; and a concern with the mythopoeic – when he left the US for good, relocated to Europe, and pulled his films from public exhibition. The gradual re-emergence of his work continues with this rare screening of one of his greatest achievements, a contemporary take on Prometheus Bound. It’s a spectacle of passion and creation in which Aeschylus’ text mixes with the music of Bartók and underground luminaries Andy Warhol, Jack Smith, Taylor Mead, Beverly Grant, Gregory Battcock, and Gerard Malanga are cast as the titans of Greek mythology.