Hunnia Film Studio presents
Adapted from the play by László Gyurkó
ELECTRA, MY LOVE
It is I, Electra who speaks.
Truth, justice and law speaks.
May all tyrants be damned, and blessed be all those
who refuse to submit to tyranny.
And may all those murdered by tyrants be blessed.
Electra, forget it.
Electra, life is passing you by, you are getting old.
Electra, it's been fifteen years since our father died.
Fifteen years since our father's murder.
- Try to forget. - They scattered his ashes in vain.
His body remains in the earth, in the people.
A stalk of rosemary grows
On a mountain untouched by rainbows,
It hates it there; wanting to hide away;
She yearns to be picked, replanted in another place.
In my garden of flowers, for my honey bees to cherish...
I am the one keeping the sun in the sky.
I'm keeping watch over the people, so they do not to crawl on all fours.
It is I who gives birth to every innocent baby.
I am Electra, the one who will not forget.
As long as there is one who remembers, no one will forget.
- Electra? - She's here, like every year.
- The knife? - She hasn't asked for it yet.
As long as there is one who remembers, no one will forget.
I did not hear my father's cry as he was slain.
Since then I've not had a night's sleep. Nor do I want to sleep.
I have no rest during the day because I do not want to rest.
They may have burned out his eyes, but they cannot escape his gaze.
His throat may have been burned, but not his cry.
If they could kill Agamemnon, anything is possible.
The sun may not rise tomorrow.
A man may transform into a monster.
Millions may burn like timber.
If crime is not followed by punishment, law no longer exists.
And if there is no law, the world is no more.
Man is no longer man.
I know I can't kill you. But you can't kill me either.
You have no power over me. A tortured Electra is still Electra.
A dead Electra is still Electra.
You have no power over me, because I am justice!
You're insane! You're not justice!
Every year on this day, I take this dagger in my hand.
Though I know I cannot kill you. But I am patient.
Everyone you ever sent to the executioner lives on inside me.
My darling, be realistic - a ruler is not a nursemaid.
No one in this position can afford to be squeamish.
A true ruler knows that for order to prevail the streets must
be paved with skulls, the very walls must echo with screams.
I don't like blood, Electra, but if that is the price for order, I'll pay it.
It's easy to pay with the blood of others.
Since Aegisthus took the throne, the people are content, happy.
That is the most any ruler can hope for, the contentment of his people.
- A pig is also content in shit. - That's precisely my point.
I was born to disturb the peace of men.
But people don't like that, Electra.
They prefer to wallow in their dirt, grunting contentedly.
While I'm around, they can't afford to be content.
I can arrange it so that you are no longer around...
Kill me, then, my king; my corpse will forever disturb your peace.
Kill you?
I've killed shepherds who talk out of turn.
Or blacksmiths who complain too loudly.
One must kill in order to instil fear.
People are content only when they know precisely what they should fear.
I do not fear you and I do not forget. I am patient.
I'll wait for Orestes to come and avenge all your crimes.
The only problem is that Orestes won't come.
You know that I value my own safety above all else.
And who is currently the greatest threat to my life?
Orestes, son of Agamemnon.
Don't you think that I'm aware of his every move?
You're silent because you know this is true. Let me tell you something
Your little brother is concerned only with women, gambling,
horse racing and wine.
Still silent? You believe it too.
I'm silent because I don't believe a word of it.
Keep on hoping. Orestes is content with his whores,
he couldn't care less about coming home.
Have you ever known anyone who'd gladly exchange
a peaceful life for one of mortal peril?
Sometimes I see such a person in the mirror.
- You're not normal, Electra! - I am Agamemnon's daughter.
Orestes is Agamemnon's son.
We were sired by the same father for the same task.
Woe betide you, Orestes is not like Electra:
Orestes is Electra, and Electra is Orestes!
Orestes is dead!
Do you see, Electra? There he lies.
- That's not Orestes. - Is it not?
- You know that's not Orestes. - I know that, but everyone thinks it is.
We've convinced the people of it.
You spread lies like the plague; you live as if
you didn't know that the land on which you dance is your king's corpse.
The water you drink is the innocent blood of his body.
Behold a black cloud is gathering;
A white lamb upon it;
The sun and the moon between its horns;
A shining star on its brow;
I will not rise at daybreak
To wash bloody rags in the red dawn;
To soak them with my tears,
pound them with cries.
When you're young, you think you can live as you please.
When you grow up you learn to live as you may.
Do you know what a difference it makes
to wake up to your child laughing in its cradle?
To exchange glances with your husband
in bed at night, and both of you wanting the same?
Do you think it does not pain me to see the usurper Aegisthus on the throne?
And still, Electra, the dead should rest, and the living should live.
Revenge is not the answer.
If a crime is not followed by punishment, law is no more.
And if law is no more, the world is no more, and man is no more.
You may still be a princess, but you know Aegisthus,
you know he's not joking.
As king, he can do whatever he wants with my mortal body:
but dead or tortured, Electra is still Electra.
It happened fifteen years ago today,
Agamemnon was king.
He was a bad ruler, dim-witted and weak.
Guilty is the king who burdens his people with freedom,
for simple men do not know what to do with it.
- Damned Agamemnon! - The people suffered under him.
And his wife, beautiful Clytemnestra, sadly departed ten years now,
also suffered - but her soul lives on among us every day!
Treacherous Agamemnon had three children:
everyone knows that his eldest, Electra, is insane.
Chrysothemis lives happily in our peaceful kingdom;
their younger brother Orestes disappeared from the palace
fifteen years ago, and no one has seen him since.
First you claim he's dead, now you claim he's disappeared.
First we said he's dead, now we say he's disappeared.
And they always believe us, Electra.
It happened fifteen years ago, at this very hour, this very day,
which we celebrate ever since.
Behold King Agamemnon!
The good queen had enough of her people's suffering,
and solicited help from the the good and wise Aegisthus,
to save the empire from the spineless King Agamemnon.
It happened fifteen years ago, at this very hour, this very day,
the unfit king was punished, defeated fair and square.
The people have been happy ever since.
- Today is a celebration, Electra. - Why won't you celebrate with us?
- Today everyone is happy. - Why aren't you happy?
For fifteen years now, you're always silent on this day.
But today you will stand before the king and proclaim the truth,
as all his subjects must.
I'm curious to know what you'd do if I really spoke the truth?
You know that I sit on this throne, as I do every year on this date,
at this celebration of truth, everyone is allowed to speak
with impunity or fear of reprisal.
Do you know of a single instance where anyone suffered the slightest harm
for speaking the truth on this day?
And do you know of a single instance
when anyone actually spoke the truth on this day?
- Be careful, Electra. - Be very careful.
May all rivers flood before you
And may dirt rise behind
May your horse stumble
And trample you into the earth
May your bath water turn to blood
May your robes burn with fire
May your bread turn to stone
And may God refuse you every blessing
You're lying, woe betide you. You're lying night and day.
You're lying every day and every year.
You killed Agamemnon and you won't even let him rest in his grave;
you violate his memory each year.
Every year for fifteen years!
Woe betide you, kneeling to this tyrant on the day of Agamemnon's murder.
You will not survive us, Electra.
- Have mercy, sire. - I'm the king, not Eleos!
Your subjects adore you, the kingdom lies at your feet.
You have nothing to fear.
Even if I were the last man on earth, I'd still be afraid - of myself.
Fear, darling, is a ruler's duty.
In order for the subjects to fear the king, the king must fear them in return.
Have mercy on Electra, all of us know that she's insane.
She says 'yes' to every 'no', 'no' to every 'yes'.
She loves to contradict and to defame.
She brings discontent to the world, hoping to unravel it.
Electra is discontent. Discontent will destroy the world.
If we tolerate it.
We declare the infallible command of great King Aegisthus.
Whoever dares harm any person
who freely speaks on any issue, private or public, on this day of
the feast of truth, may they have every bone broken on the wheel,
their bodies roasted on coals, thorns forced under their nails,
their skin flayed in strips! So speak freely, people!
Produce has never been so abundant!
Thanks to you, great lord!
My wife bore three boys this year!
Thanks to you, great lord!
Sugar has never been so sweet, salt so salty!
Thanks to you, great lord!
Our money is worth twice as much as last year!
Thanks to you, great lord!
This year I've only had pleasant dreams!
Thanks to you, great lord!
My sole desire is to love you even more, my king!
Thanks to you, great lord!
Never have I eaten so much meat!
Never have I drank so much wine!
Thanks to you, great lord!
My only joy is to serve you!
Thanks to you, great lord!
You shine your light onto the entire world!
You're a better father to me than my real father!
Thanks to you, great lord!
May God grant us peace, grant us happiness, free us of pain.
May your bed be made of light, may you awake to morning kisses,
may you go to sleep with kisses, may no danger stalk you,
may your good heart be full of joy.
I could kill you, Aegisthus. But I won't.
Because another would just take your place.
Another murderer. It is not you who needs to be destroyed,
but the system you have built.
Orestes will come; he'll erase you even from our memories.
I accept my fate.
There's nothing you can do to humiliate me further.
I am patient.
Bring them here to me!
Come over here.
What kind of men are you?
When will you finally learn that no strangers may set foot in my kingdom?
Is there no one I can trust? Not even you?
Even though he was cornered, he kept on fighting;
He was a master at this game;
Fallen warriors rose to greet him...
Hail, sire!
Search him.
I hope you don't hold that against us, stranger.
I'd do the same in your place.
- I like you, lad. - Thank you, King Aegisthus.
- I've brought you a message. - We like you, lad.
Though whether we continue to like you depends upon your message.
I'm not so stupid as to bring bad news.
The book of law says it's bad luck to bear bad news to a king.
- Orestes is dead. - What did you say?
You heard me right, Orestes is dead.
I covered his eyes, I ignited his funeral pyre.
- Did they kill him? - Why would they?
- He wouldn't hurt a fly. - He was a charming fellow.
The dearest friend.
When he was lying in my arms dying, he said
go to King Aegisthus and tell him, he need no longer fear me.
Why did he think I should fear him?
I don't know, but he was always saying that.
He didn't even care about politics, only drink, women and gambling.
Did you hear? Orestes is dead!
Orestes is dead!
I thank you, lad! Ask something of me.
I'd like to live in your court and serve you.
We dislike strangers.
Orestes always said: seek out great King Aegisthus.
He said the most beautiful girls live here.
- And I love to fall in love with a beauty. - He can't help it, it's his nature.
A man in love is unreliable.
Love is change; all change is harmful, disruptive.
A happy man is one who wakes every morning knowing precisely
what his day will bring.
- That's why everyone is happy here! - You are a wise king.
I know.
Orestes is dead.
Are you Electra?
Did you bring news of Orestes' death?
I did.
How strange, her eyes.
I don't remember them being so bright, so youthful.
Turn around.
Laugh? How dare you!
- No one can break the law, Electra. - You've killed...
According to law, the punishment is death.
- He was a dear boy. - What a waste.
- Thank you for killing him. - Now you're a murderer.
Hear the judgement of wise and omnipotent King Aegisthus.
Electra has slain an innocent man.
She's perpetrated a capital offence; she must pay for it.
Electra's due punishment is death.
You have to admit that you were wrong about everything.
You have to admit that we are right.
We could pardon you.
If you were to admit it, stand before the people and tell them.
Tell them that you were wrong and we are right.
Stones ask me, the grass implores me, people come to me crying,
beseeching me to cease my endless lament.
A burning warhorse stands before the heavens;
I will make a cloak of its fiery mane, and before
the swallows greet the next dawn, I will at last find my freedom...
Hear Electra!
People, Electra is a murderer!
To escape death, she has agreed to tell the truth.
She will tell you that she was wrong about everything!
I have been silent for fifteen years. Today I will speak.
You say I'm different from you. You're right.
If you call yourselves men, then I would rather be a stone,
or wind, or water.
If this is what you call happiness, then I am happy to suffer.
You think it's better to live your life as a lie than speak the truth just once?
You think it's better to roll in filth and live in fear rather
than speak up and face death just once?
You have kissed the real murderer's feet.
Where has it gotten you?
You have forsaken the truth, denied the very stars in the sky.
You've procured happiness, but received dread.
You got peace.
You live in fear.
Look me in the eye, tell me: was it worth it?
Was it worth it at all?
People, do you see how wretched she is? She deserves no mercy!
My beloved people, I must condemn Electra to death, but believe me,
I do so with a heavy heart; I have to condemn her, my blood,
the daughter of my beloved queen Clytemnestra!
But I have no other choice: the law applies to all equally.
For you, for me, for Electra.
The law is our strength, because it reminds us that if we are guilty
we deserve punishment. We must embrace punishment, endure
pain - for this is happiness! And here, everyone is happy!
Orestes. You are Orestes.
The liberator cannot be slain.
My beloved people! Electra must die.
It pains me greatly, I would rather be cast into the desert,
alone with my misery,
but I love you so much I am prepared to endure this
sorrow, for I am your king; and I know that to share my pain
with you is to share the rule of law.
We know that Electra is not sane; in my solitude I prayed for her, but in vain.
As you can see, not even God can help her.
She took the murdering dagger in her own hand.
She is condemned to death! Let us pray for her.
Aegisthus! Stand up!
Orestes calls you.
Are you afraid, Aegisthus?
Orestes, my brother, forgive me. I have reviled these people, but I had
no choice. I had to keep their conscience alive until you arrived
to free us from this tyrant.
The oppressed with an executioner constantly at their back are not guilty.
Am I right, Orestes?
A burning warhorse stands before the heavens;
I will make a cloak of its fiery mane, and before
the swallows greet the next dawn, I will at last find my freedom.
I throw open the widest gate, crushing the slave wagon.
The stranger who approaches, is familiar and yet unknown...
- Do you know this dagger? - I do.
- You used it to kill Agamemnon. - He was a bad ruler.
Stupid for burdening his people with notions of freedom and liberty.
Simple people don't know what to do with it, eh Aegisthus?
We knew from afar that it was he;
Only his horse moves like that;
Fallen warriors rose to greet him;
See him standing alone on the battlefield...
Be happy, you won.
You have power, now, Electra. Aren't you happy?
Happy? I see the world with different eyes.
Have you seen how beautiful a bull is?
Until now, I never thought to look.
I didn't even notice the weather: is it winter or summer?
Sunshine or rain?
Now I'm happy.
Give him food.
Go feed the doves.
Just go.
Just feed the doves. Maybe they'll accept it, even from you.
Go after them.
- May I kiss her? - No.
Go on, dance. The way you used to.
Don't you want to rejoice with us?
Not like this; the people don't need a circus.
A nation that was oppressed wants very much to be happy,
and it wants very much to hate. It wants revenge.
Even though he was cornered, he kept on fighting;
He was a master at this game;
Fallen warriors rose to greet him;
See him stand alone on the battlefield;
We await his return...
The people are singing about you, Orestes; they're overjoyed.
But just because I'm happy, don't think I've changed.
I do not forget, Orestes.
Don't hurt me, please. Let the law judge me... I beg you...
Let the law decide?
There's only one law that applies to you: execution.
Get away from here.
Don't send her away.
- I'm afraid. - Stay.
Take my hand.
I don't want to see the dagger.
Death to the tyrant!
Just go! Run!
Get on your horse, I'll kill you anyway.
You can't escape from here, Aegisthus. Don't you know that it's
only fear that ties people to a tyrant?
And once he no longer has power, even his own men desert him.
The story is over. The tyrant is dead.
Our story is just starting. Do you love me?
I love you, Electra.
- Do you love me? - I love you, Orestes.
- I'll die, and you'll die too. - We shall die every day.
Will we have the strength to die every single day?
Will we have the strength to start anew each day?
It happened once upon a time, but it truly happened...
Somewhere in the east, lived a beautiful firebird.
It was brighter than the sun,
more colourful than the rainbow, more dazzling than any jewel,
because it was born out of mankind's eternal desires:
its father was freedom, its mother was happiness.
Wherever the firebird flew, the dark clouds scattered, the sun
began to shine, a rainbow sparkled in the sky,
the pain of suffering abated, the oppressed
stood up straight, the exhausted were reinvigorated,
the hands of paupers clenched into fists.
The bird flew on and on, from the east to the west.
The conviction of the people strengthened, their strength multiplied;
but evening came, and the firebird's wings grew weary;
its head slumped to its chest, its rainbow feathers faded.
Its strength left it because it had given all its strength to man.
By the time the first stars appeared in the sky and the moon
rose, the wonderful bird was dead.
The fire that it used to nurture man had consumed it.
But just as the first rays of the sun chased away the darkness,
the firebird was resurrected, and behold, it was even brighter,
even more beautiful.
And now people were waiting for it impatiently.
Thus it was at the beginning of time, this is how it is today,
and this is how it will be until the end of the world.
The firebird must be destroyed daily, so that it can be reborn
anew each following day.
And when there are no more landowners and factory owners,
no more bourgeoisie or proletarians, rich or poor,
oppressor or oppressed, and when no man
gorges himself while another starves,
once everyone is allowed to take from the basket of abundance,
once everyone is equal at the table of law,
once the light of intelligence shines out of every window...
then and only then will there be life on earth worthy of the name 'humanity'.
But even then the firebird shall keep on flying above us,
and even then it will still die each day,
only to be reborn again the next in even more beautiful incarnations.
Revolution,
may your name be blessed.
The firebird will ascend to government halls.
To bring freedom and liberty to all the poor.
Bright and proud firebird, shining out.
Proclaim it! Tomorrow will be different.
Tomorrow is a new day, finally a new day.
New faces, new eyes shall witness new battles.
Perhaps we are fools and all of us will perish,
Or this great new hope of ours will someday become reality.
The firebird will ascend to government halls.
To bring freedom and liberty to all the poor...
CAST
Screenplay / Production manager Cinematographer / Director