For an author, the choice of a myth, and not another, is certainly not random. An autobiographical element is often hidden within this choice, and many times the author realizes it much later.

My sources for Phaedra and inspirations were Melina - captivating, passionate, and mature as an actress for the role of a passionate queen - and the myth that I freely handled. When I say "myth," I do not only mean the ancient myth but also the contemporary one, the myth of the kings of the '60s, who were the shipowners, with their dynasties and omnipotence.

In Phaedra, there are two tragic events: the accident of her son Alexis-Hippolytus, after the curse of his father, and the suicide of Phaedra. However, these also happened in reality. Alexandros Onassis was killed in an accident with his airplane - the mythical beast that devours Hippolytus. Eugenia Niarchos committed suicide, they found her with the black mask that Phaedra wears in her last scene. The strange thing is that these real events happened more than ten years after the filming of Phaedra.

I believe that the film has gained with time. It has acquired another element, a documentary aspect, it is the Athens of an era, of a social class, "the hidden charm of the bourgeoisie." Dassin made a captivating, warm, and ultimately erotic film, something rare in today's cinema. A daring film for its time.

M. Liberaki