Twice a Man
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
Gregory J. Markopoulos
Paul Klib
Albert Torgessen
Olympia Dukakis
Violet Roditi
Gregory J. Markopoulos
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
A recreation of the myths of Hippolytus, Phaedra, and Asclepius. A young physician is crossing New York Harbor in a ferryboat. The physician (Asclepius) conjures up an image of Paul (Hippolytus) and begins imagining the story: Paul finds the atmosphere on a crowded dance floor unpleasant, avoids contact with a woman, and escapes to a roof where he comes across an old man, the physician. The old man is uplifted by his meeting with Paul and makes vague sexual advances toward him but is rebuffed. At home, Paul encounters his stepmother (Phaedra), who appears both as a beautiful young woman (her self-conception) and as a haggard older woman (Paul's conception of her). Paul rejects his stepmother's advances, and seeks to relieve his tension by stroking a cat and the leaves of a plant. The tension grows, and he and his stepmother quarrel. Paul dies from the emotional trauma of his situation but is restored to life by the physician and experiences union with him. On the ferryboat, the physician, realizing that Paul's problems are unsolved, brings to an end Paul's new life. Paul's face crumbles; he has been unable to accept the love of a woman or a man.
Director
Gregory J. Markopoulos
Cast
Paul Klib
Albert Torgessen
Olympia Dukakis
Violet Roditi
Crew
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
Filmed on location in New York City in 16mm. Single frame editing is employed. Unfinished portions of the film were shown in New York in May 1962. A dual-screen version was first shown in New York in January 1967. Dedicated to Clara Hoover.
