"Athena" is a very strange film...too strange to come from the #1 studio of the time, MGM. But, somehow MGM did make this film...and I wonder why. This is because the plot is more than just a bit bizarre!
When the film begins, Adam Shaw (Edmund Purdom) is asked to run for congress. However, soon after he meets Athena (Jane Powell), a most unusual lady from a most unusual family to say the least. This is because the family is very cult-like and unconventional...at least for California in the 1950s. The family patriarch (Louis Calhern) is an exercise freak who believes in vegetarianism, naming his daughters after Greek and Roman goddesses as well as numerology and 'healthy living'. This is going to cause problems for Shaw, as the non-conventional family isn't the type to help him get elected or liked by the average Californian of the day.
"Athena" has quite a few songs....with very forgettable lyrics. It also features many characters who just seemed flakey and weird...so much so that I can understand why the director apparently hated the production.
I read through the reviews and they mostly positive...including a person who claims they watch the film very often. Yet, at the same time, the overall score is only 5.9...a rather low score. All I know is that the story was weird but not especially good or enjoyable. And, frankly, the whole thing seemed rather wrong-headed.
By the way, one sister is named Athena another is Minerva...which are the same goddess. Athena is the Greek version and the Roman is Minerva.
When the film begins, Adam Shaw (Edmund Purdom) is asked to run for congress. However, soon after he meets Athena (Jane Powell), a most unusual lady from a most unusual family to say the least. This is because the family is very cult-like and unconventional...at least for California in the 1950s. The family patriarch (Louis Calhern) is an exercise freak who believes in vegetarianism, naming his daughters after Greek and Roman goddesses as well as numerology and 'healthy living'. This is going to cause problems for Shaw, as the non-conventional family isn't the type to help him get elected or liked by the average Californian of the day.
"Athena" has quite a few songs....with very forgettable lyrics. It also features many characters who just seemed flakey and weird...so much so that I can understand why the director apparently hated the production.
I read through the reviews and they mostly positive...including a person who claims they watch the film very often. Yet, at the same time, the overall score is only 5.9...a rather low score. All I know is that the story was weird but not especially good or enjoyable. And, frankly, the whole thing seemed rather wrong-headed.
By the way, one sister is named Athena another is Minerva...which are the same goddess. Athena is the Greek version and the Roman is Minerva.