Oedipus Rex

1967 · 1h45 · Film

Directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini

Starring Franco Citti, Silvana Mangano, Alida Valli, Carmelo Bene, Julian Beck, Luciano Bartoli, Francesco Leonetti, Ahmed Bellashmi, Giovanni Ivan Scratuglia, Giandomenico Davoli

Ideal when you feel… Sad / low Exhausted

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…

Original title

Edipo re

Original language

Italian

Screenplay

Pier Paolo Pasolini

Cinematography

Giuseppe Ruzzolini

Cast

Carmelo Bene, Julian Beck, Luciano Bartoli, Francesco Leonetti, Ahmed Bellashmi, Giovanni Ivan Scratuglia, Giandomenico Davoli, Ninetto Davoli, Laura Betti

Updated July 22, 2026

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