Martha was 62 when this was filmed (1956) and she struggles with some of the technique, but still... it's exciting to see her, and it kinda works since she's playing the role of his mother. She had a very hard time turning her roles over to younger dancers. This was directed by Alexander Hammid, husband of experimental filmmaker and dancer Maya Deren, which accounts in part to how masterfully this is filmed.
Thank you for that background info, yes it is beautifully shot, and i agree her age does work within this role but it is a bit difficult at times to watch, the set and costume design has such a mid century vibe, it actually reminds me of some of the Star Trek sets - if that's not too much of a stretch of the imagination!
Yes, the theme of the ballet is focused on the Sophocle’s tragedy “Oedipus Rex”, and Jocasta is the protagonist here, since the story is seen from her point of view when she discovers the truth about Oedipus :) hope this helped!
@@dandangernyc That back fall especially. I've done those, very hard on the knees. But her overall movement quality looks stiff to me and limited in range, but heck -- it's MARTHA! Just her vibe makes it work (kind of like Cunningham in his last years performing; he didn't do a lot physically, but his presence on stage was amazing).
@@skyboatmedia8244 Martha did not do all her costumes. Yuriko Amemiya Kikuchi, who’s present in this work, also worked as a seamstress for Graham for a while on her company.
