THE PRIVATE RIGHT (1966) [Feature]

UK (MIFF1967,Programme F)
Director: Michael Papas

The film opens with a sustained battle between guerillas and British troops in Cyprus during the emergency of the late fifties. A young Eoka rebel leader is captured, thrown into a prison cell and tortured by a fellow Cypriot. The film jumps forward, and the main action — the revenge of victim against torturer — begins. The settling of accounts takes place in the streets of Britain.

Throughout its story of a man's quest for revenge, this first feature by Greek director, Michael Papas, creates a sense of dislocation and fear. It begins with an almost documentary sequence which is soon replaced by a set of variations on a single theme: obsession.

Certificate of Merit, London Festival.

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