Since the production of "Rudy," it has been no secret that the Notre Dame campus abounds with cinematic beauty, from the solitude of St. Joseph's lake to the burnished gleam of the Golden Dome. Few, however, would imagine the campus and surrounding landscape to be the setting for ancient Greek mythology.

But Alan Smith's "Persephone," an onscreen adaptation of the timeless myth, showcases a much different locale than the bleak northern Indiana scenery that Notre Dame students have come to know and love. Murky, rich tones in a ghoulish underworld, a stark and sterile earth and a grand Olympian throne room are fantastic ideas made manifest through "Persephone." The realization of such a film is a story within itself.

The setup

Besides writing and directing "Persephone," Alan, a 1997 Notre Dame graduate in film production, co-produced the film with his sister Demetra Smith, who is currently a senior majoring in classics. They founded a film company, Zournas Productions, two years ago after Alan had spent some years as a freelance independent filmmaker.

During Demetra's sophomore year in Notre Dame's abroad program in Angers, she and her brother made a trip to Macedonia and Greece to do background research for a possible feature film. Although the feature film idea was postponed, Demetra said that the trip was nonetheless beneficial.

"The choice of Persephone was made as we sat on a rickety Greek bus back to Athens from Thessaloniki," said Demetra. "We realized that it was simple enough to be communicated in under 30 minutes, but still a fascinating story."

Despite their Anglo-Saxon surname, Alan and Demetra hold strong ties to Greek ancestry, as their grandmother was a second-generation Greek-American whose family hailed from the region surrounding Sparta. In addition, their father, Thomas Gordon Smith, is an architect well schooled in Greek and Roman styles, and was responsible for set production and costume design in "Persephone."

Drawing from such familial concentration in Greek history and art, Demetra said that the goal was to make the onscreen panorama as true-to-life as possible.

"A tremendous amount of research went into the film from the script to the props, and we used primary literary and artistic sources when possible," Demetra said. "The vision for the film as a whole was to be as true to the myth, the architecture, the fabrics, furnishings and music as possible."

The movie

The "Persephone" myth is told through a contemporary medium, as a normal American mother (played by Christine Franck) explains to her inquisitive young son why the seasons change. The narrative then shifts 2500 years or so to ancient Greece, where the princess Persephone (Demetra Smith) is abducted by Hades (Anthony Lawton), lord of the underworld.

Her mother, the earth goddess Demeter (also played by Franck), subsequently strikes the planet with famine and barrenness, vowing not to abandon her destruction until Persephone is returned.

The body of the narrative then follows Demeter on her globetrotting search for her daughter, paralleled by the developing relationship between Persephone and Hades.

Alan's cinematography shines throughout "Persephone." Collaborating with David Harges, his partner on previous independent projects, the deep-focus compositions are rich and gorgeous to behold. Each interior shot seems an ancient Greek fresco come alive, as Alan and Harges transform Bond Hall into an Olympian venue, replete with luminous vessels and a huge, godlike throne. Thomas's set production and costume design, especially in Hades' crimson underworld, is a colossal achievement, especially considering the shoestring budget upon which the film was produced.

Thomas successfully fashions an otherworldly mise-en-scene that will surprise and delight Notre Dame movie-goers. Yet Alan and Harges are not overly enamored with big-budget style either, as their most beautiful shot returns to the simplistic beauty of beach dunes at sunset. The filmmakers truly have utilized the 16mm medium in an imaginative and splendid manner.

Further enhancing the authenticity of "Persephone" is the soundtrack. Alan and Demetra were able to garner licensing agreements with FM Records and Musique de la Greece Antique, two music production companies that specialize in recreating ancient Greek folk songs. The zournas, a high-pitched, wailing reed instrument that is the namesake of the Smith's company, blends eerily with chanted incantations. The result is a recreation of not only an ancient story, but a pagan ritual long since buried in the annals of human memory.

The cast

Lawton headlines the cast list as the dark lord Hades. A 1989 Notre Dame graduate in the Program of Liberal Studies, he is an accomplished actor with Philadelphian roots who has become a welcome fixture on campus as a visiting professor in the Film, Television and Theatre Department.

Hardly a newcomer to Greek theatre, Lawton directed last year's production of "Oedipus Rex," and has performed in numerous productions since his return to campus, including Alan Ayckbourn's "How the Other Half Loves." Lawton's performance in "Persephone" details a man of power, spurned by society, brooding and contemplative in his gloomy, cavernous lair. Yet the master of death ravenously craves glimmers of life, revealing a character with deep-seated desires: "…my hunger is a shameless dog; [it] blots out memory of pain and misery."

Lawton said he relished the opportunity to perform in the film. "What I most enjoyed … was the chance to try to play a compelling action based on the clues provided in a rather challenging text," Lawton said. "[It's] always exciting to be the `bad guy' too."

Lawton will get another chance to be the bad guy this coming fall when he plays the title character in his own stage adaptation of C.S. Lewis' "The Screwtape Letters" at the Lantern Theatre in Philadelphia.

Besides co-producing "Persephone," Demetra also handles the title role reasonably well. Sometimes vehemently protesting her captivity, other times despondently staving off Hades' advances, Demetra portrays a helpless yet assertive Persephone. Franck, an architect who did her graduate studies at Notre Dame, fills in as Demeter, bringing a matronly air to the archetypal role.

All in all, "Persephone" is a fertile retelling of an ancient myth, wonderful to behold onscreen. If there are any faults in the film, it is perhaps that the modern script falls a bit short of the nuances of the original story. The actors often seem stilted and utilitarian, stuck in stiff and rigid dialogue. But this too may be the result of the vivid and luxurious scenery in which they perform.

Whatever the case, "Persephone" is a hallmark not only of deft mythological reenactment, but the combined creative genius of the Smith family and their friends, all of whom helped bring the campus of their alma mater to a spectacular film.

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