Daily News from New York, New York • 569

t-t t- 1 1 What a tragedy! Sophocles' classic proves to be an Achilles heel for National Theater of Greece mm entertainment The National Theater of Greece's production of "Elektra," which was directed by and stars Lydia Koniordou in the title role, only underscores how hard it production has any impact The staging is straightforward, with simple dance steps for the chorus. There are effective moments, like the reunion of Elektra HOWARD KISSEL X. and Orestes, but for the most part the play remains an ancient artifact. It does not catch fire. The supertitles help one understand the plot, but the translation is stilted.

It is performed in modern Greek, which I suspect has a softer, is to do these plays even, apparently, for the Greeks. This production was originally mounted in Epi-daurus, the ancient amphitheater with miraculously perfect acoustics. I suspect seeing it there must have provided a magic it does not have in a ELEKTRA. By Sophocles. With Lydia Koniordou, Miltos Dimoulis.

Tama Papadopou-lou, Aspasia Pathanasiou. Stefanos Kyria-kidis and members of the National Theater of Greece. Sets and costumes by Dionysis Fbtopoulos. Music by Takis Farazis. Directed by Lydia Koniordou.

At City Center WHETHER OR NOT ALL bappy families are alike, few unhappy families were quite as unhappy as the House of Atreus, in which a father acquiesces to the ritual sacrifice of his daughter, his wife kills him in retribution and their son kills his mother and her lover. And everyone experiences angst The messy family life of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra was treated by all the great Greek dramatists. Sophocles' "Elektra" has witnessed the, murder of her father. She incites her brother Orestes to kill their mother. and her beau, who slew their father.

Sophocles tells this bloody story without worrying about its undercurrents of vengeance and justice, as his predecessor Aeschylus did. TV sa less musical sound than classical Greek. Sometimes when you see a play in a foreign language its ideas and emotions are visceral despite the language barrier. This, alas, is not one of those times. conventional theater.

The City Center stage is covered with canvas, which conveys a primitive feeling. So does the spare music performed on primitive percussion instruments and what sounds like a shepherd's flute. Apart from these atmospheric but marginal elements, very little about the IT'S ALL GREEK TO US: Lydia Koniordou in "Elektra" iCries amcB OtnisEiers Despite some spotty performances, 'Leopard' shows how youth go wild m. i i- -hi. ByJAMI BERNARD Gaily News Movie Critic Lawick provides a convincing narrative of a particular leopard as he learns to leave his pawprint on the world.

We see him first as a big-eyed baby, and we end up not to spoil the suspense for you with the promise of love. Our leopard spies a female, making rasping courtship noises called, not for nothing, "sawing," and we're sure there's life in the ol' jungle yet THE LEOPARD SON. A documentary by Hugo Van Lawk, narrated by John Giel-gud. Running time: 87 mms. At City Cinema Village East and The Cineptex Odeon at 62d St.

and Broadway. Rated G. DT'S A JUNGLE OUT there for an adorable cub in "The Leopard Son," a picturesque nature movie being -released in theaters by mi Mini hi iTmi THE THIN BLACK 'UNEf: Showbiz caricaturist Al Hirschfeld loves going back to the drawing board. MB IHliirscihifeSd aii TSuies iiii 'Line King5 profiles famed artist who's drawn to celebs The movie is highly watcha-ble. We are told that the leopard is lonely and "craves" the company of five cheetahs who happen along.

knew it could never be," sighs Gielgud, with the wisdom of hindsight) "The Leopard Son" is handsomely mounted and has plen The Discovery Channel. Narrated by Sir John Giel-gud's unmistakable polished pearl of a voice, this coming-of-age nature documentary follows the trials and tribulations of one leopard growing up in the dry heat of the Serengeti. He must learn to stalk and hunt THE LINE KING. A documentary written and directed by Susan W. Dryfoos.

At City Cinemas on Third Ave. Running time: 87 mins. Unrated. KM than to answer the fan mail wondering where it went The drawings displayed a bit too fleet-ingly but in great profusion are brilliant, elegant and simple. A single line might curve on itself like the sign for "infinity" to suggest a dancer's coordination.

There are angry exclamation marks of noses and scrambled-egg eyes. Zero Mostel's amoebic beard has an intricate life of its own. A vigorous man, with eyebrows that threaten to block his vision, the artist comes across as a lover of life, a sharp judge of people and a lousy critic. He didn't see the point of making "My Fair Lady" and was amazed that "Oklahoma!" made it past tryouts. As accurate as he is when he "gets" a subject Hirschfeld is an artist you don't go to for "pretty." For that, he points out dismissive-ly, "get an eye, ear, nose and throat person." Jami Bernard PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND KJt words.

A line, maybe more. "The Line King" is an ill-named but pleasing documentary of New York Times caricaturist Al Hirschfeld, who has been skewering and celebrating the performing arts for most of his 90-plus years. "He captures the corpuscles, the adrenaline," is how Carol Charming puts it in one of the film's archival celebrity interviews. Hirschfeld sketches ideas during rehearsals, then renders both the actors and the gist of their roles in pen and ink plus a few mentions of his daughter, Nina, embedded in swirls of beard or rustles of gowns. It's easier to keep up the "NINA" habit, he explains, ty of action footage.

There are gazelles being dragged off for dinner, and hyena babies only their drooling mothers could love. The narration promises "life and the knife's edge of danger," and for an audience in the mood for a little outdoors, it delivers. (G; Animals on kills.) for himself when mom stops putting dinner on the table. Like human children, Giel-gud points out, little leopards need a mix of love and independence. "Too much or too little of either, and no one The beautiful nature footage by naturalist Hugo van a.

CO CD T3 ro CD CD 'ubsioM io onefsi veO wnsbfisqeM EBfnsniO xsiqitifM 3HflTE3TlH' 1 1 1 iT A irrYT 9Tr A XTT.