The way Michael Cacoyannis uses clothing to show Clytemnestra's descend to rage and madness in "Iphigenia" (1977) is amazing!
Notice how Irene Papas portraying Clytemnestra changes her style and wardrobe based on her character's feelings?
At the beginning of the film Clytemnestra is dressed neatly and wears white tones;
Her clothes are soft, white and flowy but also elaborate and include many details to the bodice. As for her hair is always neatly arranged.
Even to the scenes where she is dressed for bed, her hair is neatly made and kept safe under a veil so that it won't go in disarrange. She is showing how regal and composed she is. A wife of a powerful king and mistress of her household and everything on her appearance needs to be neat, regal but also bright and shiny and the brightness of her clothes reflects also her happy mood that she is about to see her beloved daughter getting married.
This image gets massively different after she finds out the truth and has her mental breakdown
Suddenly her white and neat clothes are covered by a dark-colored overcoat. The blackish-purple garment is concealing all the brightness of her white dress like her fury and sorrow covers her previous eagerness and joy. Her hair that used to be neat and perfect is now loose and free like a woman in mourning as she confronts her husband and she never tidied it ever since.
She no longer cares to appear neat or controlled. Her regal appearance or rather the way she conducted herself as the controlled queen is gone. Now she doesn't conceal anything but goes raw in emotion and presentation. And her hair down shows that too!
In fact Cacoyannis gives us this final MARVELOUS shot of Clytemnestra closing the film as she watches the fleet departing with those eyes filled with sorrow and hatred and the ships are being shown to us through the veil of her hair;
The proud and neat queen is gone. It is the birth of a woman already descended to hate and sorrow and who plans her revenge.
Her mourning hair; free locks for a woman who cries at a loss of a child, covers the ships the same way that her rage covers now the glorious image of war she had initially and gives the beginning of her revenge.
Michael when I catch you!
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