"The Rehearsal" is an ambitious labor of love from director Jules Dassin and actress Melina Mercouri. In trying to recreate specifically the massacre of university students in Athens in November 1973 and in general the repressive policies of the ruling military junta which… More
"The Rehearsal" is an ambitious labor of love from director Jules Dassin and actress Melina Mercouri. In trying to recreate specifically the massacre of university students in Athens in November 1973 and in general the repressive policies of the ruling military junta which practiced torture, they sought to bring these atrocities to the light of day. Since the Greek government controlled all of the media, very little news got out with the exception of some footage shot on the sly and testimony received from a Dutch journalist. Shot in New York City with a group of volunteers(some very notable), the movie is especially aimed at the American public whose government supported not only the Greek junta but also similar governments in Chile and Vietnam. But "The Rehearsal" was never released because the junta fell shortly after it was made, so it is rarely shown. However, it could be argued that it is an influence on movies such as "Strange Culture" and "La Commune(Paris, 1871)."
(Originally reviewed in the blog section on April 8, 2009.)
