HE WHO MUST DIE/ CELUI QUI DORT MOURIR

France, 1957, 127 minutes, Black and white.
Jean Servais, Carl Mohner, Gregoire Aslan, Gert Frobe, Melina Mercouri, Roger Hanin, Pierre Vaneck, Nicole Berger, Maurice Ronet, Ferdinand Ledoux.
Directed by Jules Dassin.

He Who Must Die is now considered something of a classic of the 1950s.

In retrospect, it became more interesting to watch because of the authorship of Nicolas Kazantszakis, Christ Re-crucified, and Martin Scorsese filming his novel, with a great deal of controversy surrounding its release, The Last Temptation of Christ, 1988.

This is a story of the island of Crete, from where Kazantszakis came from and where we he was excommunicated, like the Shepherd character here, by the Greek Orthodox Church, in the 1920s, and under Turkish rule and occupation. The film opens with the Turks ousting the population from a village and destroying it, the people, with the leadership of their Orthodox priest on the road, as refugees and pilgrims, seeking help from another village which is also led by priest.

The locals are against the refugees, the priest using his authoritarian power to repel them, claiming that they are suffering from cholera. The group, suffering from hunger, take refuge in barren fields in the mountains, attempting some cultivation – but sympathetic villagers find that there is no cholera and make attempts to persuade the village to help them.

The context is the putting on of a traditional Passion Play, something familiar from Catholic countries but here presented in the Orthodox tradition, with the local priest naming some of the citizens to play the gospel characters – with whom they begin to identify more and more, especially a local shepherd with a stammer who is to play Jesus, a bar keeper and a postman who play apostles, the son of the local mayor who is to play John, one of the villagers, sinister, who is to be Judas. Local prostitute, Katarina, is, of course, to be Mary Magdalene.

The film is directed by American Jules Dassin had fallen foul of the House of Un American Activities enquiries and had to leave the United States after a successful career with a number of film noirs while in the 1940s. exile In France made such films as Rififii and Topkapi. He who Must Die is a French production. Dassin was to marry his star, Melina Mercouri who had a long career in the Greek parliament and who appeared in quite a number of his films including Never on Sunday, Promise at Dawn.

There is a very strong French cast in the central roles led by Jean Servais as the kindly priest and Fernand Ledoux is the authoritarian priest who becomes more and more like Caiaphas of the Gospels in his condemnation of the shepherd, in his heartlessness, in his dealings with the Turkish authority who is obviously the equivalent of Pontius Pilate. Peter Vaneck is the shepherd who is to be Jesus, Maurice Ronet is John, Gert Frobe is the mayor, Gregoire Aslan is the Agha.

While the village does not put on the play in its formal sense, the experience of the players and the encounter with the refugees and their plight, leading to the death of the shepherd and his continued support for those caring for the refugees means that the story itself is a passion play and the shepherd is a Christ figure.

1. The classic status of the film? Of the 1950s? Set in Greece and Crete in the 1920s? A French perspective?

2. Novelist Nicolas Kazantszakis, his literary status, his experiences in Greece, Crete? The Orthodox Church? His excommunication?

3. The work of the director, in the US, brought before the House of Un- American Activities, his having to leave the US and work in Europe? Ben Barzman as his writer?

4. Black-and-white photography, Cinemascope, the Crete locations, the landscapes, the mountains, rocky terrain, the harshness? The village, homes? The fields, the sheep? The church? The musical score?

5. The tradition of the Passion Play in European countries? Catholic traditions? Orthodox traditions? The casting from people in the village? The authority of the church? The status of the cast and their life in the village?

6. The tradition of the Christ-figure? The casting of the play, the characters, their identifying, acting out their gospel character, the consequences? Manolios as the Christ-figure?

7. The Turkish occupation, rule, the initial destruction, Priest Fotis, Loucas, the people as refugees, pilgrims, on the road, the trek into the interiors?

8. The village, the Agha, a dilettante, the boy, the music, his eating, life of ease? His collaboration with the mayor? The coexistence of Turks and Greeks? His attitude towards the church, Christians fighting against each other, more favourable comparisons with Islam, the role of Allah, the role of heaven?

9. The rich and poor in the town, ordinary people, tradespeople, the owner of the bar and his shrewish wife, the postman and his steaming open the letters, the news? The shepherd and his stammer? Katarina as prostitute? The Judas character in the town? Michelis, son of the mayor? Their lives?

10. The town meetings, the council, the role of the priest? His naming the players and their accepting? Authoritarian?

11. The postman, the barman, as James and Peter? The serious choice, taking the role seriously? Michelis is John? The Judas figure?

12. The arrival of the refugees, fears? Townspeople not offering any welcome, the leadership of the priest, his claiming cholera, ousting the people, their taking to the barren hills? Manolios going to visit, the postman and the barman, their telling the priest in the town that there was no cholera? The issues of survival for the people? Michelis and his support of Manolios? Michelis and his fiancee, her love, anxious, taking sides against Michelis?

13. The appeal to the priest, his hierarchical attitudes, belief that God decreed who was rich and who was poor? His fears? The confrontation with Manios, ex-communicating him? Michelis backing down?

14. Katarina, her place in the village, cheerful, her reputation, the massage for the mayor, the Judas character and his visits to her house, her cutting him off? The attraction to Manolios?
Then thinking him a coward, a change of heart, admiration for him? Her Mary Magdalene experiences? The ultimate stance, holding Manolios like the Pieta? (And there being no place for Mary, mother of Jesus in this Passion play?)

15. The situation, the Turks and the equivalent of Roman occupation of Judaea? The Agha and taking the easy way out, the priest and the threats? His talking to Manolios, going to the besieged group, the plausibility of Manolios backing down? The priest, his continued urging of the authorities, the Pontius Pilate and high priest situation? Manolios, collapse, dying – but declaring that he would be with the people always?

16. The priest, the worst of religion and authority? The contrast with Fotis and the pastoral priest leading the refugee people?

17. Fotis, his leadership, the good man, Manolios and Michelis supporting him, the postman of the barman, persuading the group to come down, their attempts at cultivating the fields, the hunger, the death of those starving? The confrontation with the council, the man who went to warn them, took their side, his being shot in the confrontation? Fears and the group
retreating?

18. Michelis, his father disowning him? His father dying, the reconciliation, the Agha and the shared drink, perspectives on heaven and hell? His will, bequeathing everything to his son? Going to the priest, his burning the will, his decrees? Michelis taking the refugees to the store, feeding them?

19. The preparations for battle, Michelis and his leadership, Loukas and his death, Manolios and his inspiration?

20. The allegory of the gospel? The communication of the gospel message? The relevance of the film 60 years later – and Greece and its experience of Syrian refugees?