The OG historical drama—Aeschylus wrote this in 472 BC and it's still devastating.
Les Perses (The Persians) is a French TV movie adaptation of Aeschylus' oldest known tragedy, Πέρσαι (Persai). It was originally broadcasted in October 31, 1961. The play deals with the aftermath of the Persian defeat in the battle of Salamis (480 BC), which makes it the only Greek tragedy that deals with a real historical event.
Acting
Maria Meriko's Atossa—maternal dread meets queenly composure.
Direction
Jean Prat's stark staging lets the language carry entire armies.
Writing
Aeschylus' verse, 2,500 years old, still lands like a gut punch.
Director
Jean Prat
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Aeschylus fought at Marathon and possibly Salamis—this is a veteran writing about his enemy's agony.
This 1961 broadcast was one of the earliest attempts to bring Greek tragedy to television without modernizing the text.
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