The Odyssey Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES PLOT SUMMARY
This lavish small-screen adaptation of Homer's ancient epic—replete with exotic Maltese and Turkish locations, state-of-the-art special effects, and many bronzed muscles gleaming with sweat—chronicles the voyage home of a Trojan hero, Odysseus King of Ithaca, and includes many more scenes of his faithful, beautiful wife Penelope dodging leering suitors at home than Homer ever composed!
| Armand Assante | Odysseus |
| Greta Scacchi | Penelope |
| Isabella Rossellini | Athena |
| Bernadette Peters | Circe |
| Eric Roberts | Eurymachus |
| Irene Papas | Anticleia |
| Jeroen Krabbé | King Alcinous |
| Geraldine Chaplin | Eurycleia |
| Christopher Lee | Tiresias |
| Vanessa Williams | Calypso |
| Nicholas Clay | Menelaus |
| Adoni Anastassopoulos | Perimides |
| Paloma Baeza | Melanthe |
| Ron Cook | Eurybates |
| Reid Asato | Cyclops |
| Andrei Konchalovsky |
6.70 out of 10 (2434 votes)
Visitor Reviews
As good a book adaptation as you will ever see!
posted on 24 Nov 2008I watched this movie last evening after not seeing it for at least four years and was completely absorbed by it again. I used to show it to my year eight high school classes as a tie-in to our introductory ancient history syllabus and the movie was well received. One of the most important aspects of movie/doco watching for adolescents is the time a particular scene stays before their eyes-the longer it stays the sooner adolescent-fidget sets in and the movie/doco, regardless of its inherent strength, is lost for them.
Seen from this perspective, The Odyssey is a superbly made film.Besides this superlative editing, the strength of the characters is dominant from the opening scenes and simply becomes stronger as the movie progresses, climaxing with the wonderful Calypso scene near the end. Vanessa William's superb rendition of her character is but a mirror of the other great acting roles distributed throughout the movie. It says much about the film adaptation of a mythological work that is roughly three thousand years old that the actors can make the essential humanness of the epic ring true.
Dare I say it was "believable!"If you want to view an extremely watchable movie then make every attempt to see this one-in my opinion, everything about it is fabulous!
good as a historical reference, but a little overdone at times
posted on 11 Aug 2008When I was in eighth grade and we were studying ancient Greece, we read "The Odyssey", and then watched this movie version. Homer's tale was so overwhelming that it was nearly impossible to digest. I thought that overall, this version came out OK. But, like any adaptation of classic Greek literature, it came across as silly and overdone at times. Most of the characters have English accents - is that always necessary? - and there are so many special effects and stuff that I almost felt like I'd been bounced around the Greek islands like in a pinball machine.Still, I enjoyed the movie. I have to say that movie versions of Homer's classic tale tend to come out quite well (there was this one and "O Brother, Where Art Thou?"; I'd like to see a Leslie Nielsen version). Armand Assante makes one tough Odysseus, and you can feel for Greta Scacchi as Penelope (you gotta admit, with her husband gone so long, of course she wanted to meet suitors). Also starring Isabella Rossellini, Irene Pappas and Michael J. Pollard.In conclusion, the Greeks really were first at everything.
For a made for TV film....it actually does pretty well
posted on 22 May 2008Okay I first saw this movie when I was in 9th grade.We watched it after reading the book.I thought it was a pretty good movie from the start.The special effects were considerably good.Armand Assante played an Excellent Odysseus....I liked Armand's portrayal more than Sean Bean's (Troy).I love Greek mythology and I love this movie.I plan on buying it on DVD.The scene where the old man shoots the arrow through the loops to reveal Odysseus is amazing.Then he says "your crime is that you tried to steal my world" that part was awesome.I think if you are into Greek mythology you will like this movie.They show it on the sci-fi channel every once in a while so I think you should definitely check it out.Like it says in my summary....for a made for TV film it does pretty well.
EPIC IN SCOPE AND SUPERBLY REALISED
posted on 20 Mar 2008This fine adaptation of Homer's epic tale is superbly directed by Andrei Konchalovsky and is one of the best adaptations of Greek mythology ever captured on screen. Effectively cast throughout,the acting honours must surely go to Armand Assante who shines as Odysseus creating not your stereotypical 'sword and sandal' hero but an older,wiser and intelligent warrior king who endures every trial the gods throw at him as he journeys home from the Trojan war. The war itself is dismissed with rather too quickly but as that was the subject of Homer's other great work "THE ILIAD" this is excusable.Less easy to excuse is the omission of Odysseus's encounter with the sirens which is an integral part of the legend and which was quite well done in the 1954 Italian version of the tale starring Kirk Douglas.Other gods and monsters,however are excellently done especially the cave monster Scylla. A quality production which deserves to be seen by a world-wide audience,this giant amongst mini-series has never been shown on British t.v.( probably because there are no policemen or doctors in it)or released on video. With NTSC compatible video recorders now widely available in the U.K. I strongly advise obtaining the superb American video of "THE ODYSSEY" for anyone whose tastes run to mythic fantasy yarns like "JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS" to which this is very similar.Why do the likes of George Lucas try to create their own mythology when there is so much untapped material like this they could be making instead?....Go figure.
A very well done adaptation of Homer's Odyssey
posted on 25 Feb 2008I've come to love Homer's Odyssey, and when I saw this movie I felt the story really matched the original poem. If you didn't read the book, go buy it before you watch this movie. It is worth it, and you will follow the story and expect what's going to happen next. You will recognize each of the labors Odysseus has to complete. They are, of course, abbreviated to fit the movie run time. But they made a great job selecting the most important parts of the poem and representing them.The performances where good, even if may appear a little overacted, specially Odysseus. But all in all, I really enjoyed this great movie, like I enjoyed other epic movies. I've also seen "Troy" and "Helen of Troy", but Odyssey is an adventure. There is some violence, but not what you would expect from the Troy war.Resuming, I would recommend you to read the book first. It's not the normal kind of movie, like those usually seen on TV.
Superb acting at various points...
posted on 20 Jan 2008While this movie was produced in the 1990's and featured fairly crude special effects, one has to admit that the acting, especially within several crucial scenes, is superb. This is one of those relaxing yet overly drawn out tails which, at times, features some superb scenes accompanied by superb acting as well. Overall, this is a long yet enjoyable movie for the entire family (keeping in mind that some scenes are quite violent) which features several very tender yet adult scenes of love, compassion, passion, anger, and vengeance.A few of the scenes are worthy of any four star movie. Yet, preview this movie before allowing children younger than teenage years to see it. Why this preview recommendation? Simply because some parents choose to be very careful about what they allow their children to watch. Thus there may a be a few scenes where parents may wish to cover their children's's eyes. On the other hand, this movie is spectacular overall in the sense that parents can choose to expose their children to some of the real world aspects of violence, death, compassion, love, regret, and other emotions, aspects which Homer intended to make his readers feel, in a movie which carefully contains these emotions within the "reality" presented within the movie. In this sense, The Odyssey can serve to carefully expose your children to more adult themes which are related to adult life. Nevertheless, this is a movie which I recommend that you preview before allowing your children to watch, alone, the entire way through.These are my thoughts for what they are worth.--MichaelP.S. My stepchildren thoroughly enjoyed it while myself and my ex-wife covered their eyes through just a couple of specific scenes. Yet nevertheless the overall movie really got my stepchildren thinking and opened their eyes quite a bit with regards to the real world and where they are within it.
It's magnificent, but it's not Homer
posted on 25 Sep 2007Entertaining, but not in a class with "Jason and the Argonauts." Isabella Rossellini as Athena and Michael J. Pollard (think Bonnie & Clyde) as Aeolus are hoots. Hermes is kinda cute. Poseidon is straight out of Sesame Street. Greta Scacchi is as gorgeous as ever, Bernadette Peters as Mel-Brooksy as ever, Vanessa Williams as wooden as ever. Irene Pappas and Christopher Lee do what they can with canned "fey mother" and "prophet" scripts.The biggest problem is that Odysseus was a smart and clever guy -- Homer called him things like "wily" Odysseus -- but Armand Assante plays him as a straight muscular hero, like a big-budget Steve Reeves. If you didn't know it already, you'd never guess that the Trojan horse was Odysseus' idea. Odysseus' wonderful "my name is Nobody" trick on the Cyclops is set up, but then abandoned. You are forgiven for wondering why Odysseus stifled his friend and gave Cyclops the wrong name. (You'll have to look it up.) Calypso's island looks like the habitat they give polar bears at the zoo. Scylla and Charybdis are confronted sequentially (??!!). Odysseus' raft is made from the same plans as Tom Hanks's in "Cast Away." No mention of the Sirens. (Even Cream, a rock group, remembered "the Sirens sweetly singing.") And didn't Homer sing of Odysseus meeting Achilles in Hades? Its very length gives is some heft other movies based on the classics don't have. Give it a B+.
Awful
posted on 12 Jun 2007This movie was atrocious. The above review calling it "refreshing" is misguided to say the least. This movie completely discarded most of the characterization, boiling each character down to simple elements often not theirs. The portrayal of Aeolis was terrible, and the choice of Bernadette Peters for Circe was almost of bad. The movie deviated from key points in the plot of the epic, losing a substantial amount of the story. In addition, my smaller details were either omitted or incorrect, such as the amount of time Odyssues spends on Aiaia. I hesitate to call these changes "artistic license," as they do not in any way add to the story, fill in gaps, or add intrigue. I would advise any potential viewer to pass on the film and read the original epic. The Fitzgerald translation is the best option in my opinion. Thanks for reading.
LACKLUSTER, relatively low-budget. WATCH "TROY" INSTEAD!
posted on 13 May 2007I knew trouble lay ahead, the moment I noticed the PG-13 rating. How can a powerful classical story full of brutality and seduction be squeezed into a PG-13?? The answer: by watering it down. Just to mention one example, the film goes to EXTRAORDINARY lengths not to show any nudity, even when the crew members take their baths.Hello?!? Anybody home? These were Ancient Greeks, who used to compete in the Olympic Games in the nude! Modern Anglo body shame grafted onto the Ancients: so ridiculous! But that's only the beginning of the films' problems. I will not comment on the story's faithfulness to the book, because I personally feel that films are new interpretations that don't have to simply be a retelling of the book.However, accurate or not, this film is a LACKLUSTER version of the classical story.It touches, in an "expository" way, on the salient points, but it fails to really shine or be outstanding in any way.Looks somewhat low-budget. Especially after having watched "Troy" (2004, directed by Wolfgang Petersen.)"The Odyssey" was originally a TV MINISERIES -- and that really shows!!! You'll be better off with "Troy", or even "Jason and the Argonauts" (2000, directed by Nick Willing.)
Riveting. Will make one want to re-read The Odyssey.
posted on 05 Mar 2007This is probably the best TV movie of all time. Odysseus is the perfect hero for the aging 1st world population, with his use of guile to triumph when strength is not enough. Despite the fact that one of my favorite parts of The Odyssey is left out, when Odysseus returns home after 20 years, his faithful pet Argus awaiting him, only to die after one greeting; I think this is an incredibly arresting film. Armand Assante is surprising terrific as Odysseus. He conveys with his expressions the depth of thought and emotion which characterized Odysseus. All the more amazing when one considers that Odysseus was an Achaean, a tall, fair race of people, though Odysseus was, himself, described by Homer as one of middle stature, for an Achaean, no doubt. This movie makes the tales of Homer seem more real than any film I have ever seen. The emotions of all are complex and real. The mutual love and devotion of Odysseus and Penelope are portrayed in a beautiful and believable way by the actors. The scene in which Odysseus returns to take back his kingdom is brutally and believably real. I cannot say enough good things about this movie. It should be required in the schools.
Not bad, not bad
posted on 03 Feb 2007I was surprised the first time I saw this how much fun it was as an adventure film, and just picked it up again after about a decade's rest. It won't do any good to pretend this is anything other than Homer's "Odyssey" as condensed to emphasize action and romance. It also would be rather pointless to act like these are some of the great performances in film, or even in fantasy film. Still, the whole thing does work mostly because of the excellent location photography and Armand Assante's charismatic performance.Quite a few of the other performances suffer for whatever reason, sometimes due to bad casting. Bernadette Peters is a good actress I guess, but just totally wrong for the part of Circe. She came off like the trailer park version of Circe. Isabella Rosselini, she was just horrible in this movie. Never was her awkward way of speaking English more obtrusive, and the odd sense of humor that she seems to want to bring to Athena is out of place. However Christopher Lee has a fun scene as the blind prophet Tiresias, who Odysseus must go to the land of the dead to meet. And Michael J. Pollard, always a fine actor and very amusing, is good as the god of wind. Some of the blame is surely with the director, since Peters for example is not as good as Vanessa Williams in a similar role, and I'm pretty sure in general she's a much better actress.This is a good film to introduce kids to the story of the Odyssey. It doesn't go into some of the ideas of the book, which is sort of an exploration of the ethics of hospitality and the moral value of truth (as well as of course the moral value of lies). Special effects are well done, and the conflict with Troy is covered in a suitable way. Assante carries the whole film with his performance. He's good at conveying the pride and then the pain of Odysseus.
The old boys are doing well
posted on 05 Dec 2006I am a big fan of fantasy movies and more if it concerns mythologic episodes. Next to Jason and the Argonauts we also have the Odyssey which is according to me a wonderful movie. Homerus classical epos about Odysseus and the movements after the fall of Troy have been filmed in a magnificent way in the Odyssey. The gods make Odysseus and his men to puppets in a game. They push them to make long trips which delay their trip with years and bring them in conflict with Circe, the cyclope and Poseidon. Finally Odysseus even enters the underworld. In the meanwhile the wife of Odysseus, Penelope must get the men away from her, who want to have the properties of Odysseus. They think that he is dead, but with the help Athens he continues searching his way home. This movie receives from me a 8 out of 10 because it is an enjoyable movie which also gives you some history lessons, so 2 flies in 1 hit, a good movie and education. Well done !!!!!!!!!!!
The best-yet interpretation of Homer's timeless epic!
posted on 05 Dec 2006This adaptation of Homer's classic epic poem, The Odyssey, is the best film adaptation yet of the timeless tale of heroism. Certain critics might allow themselves to get bogged down with the pedantry of inaccuracies between the original text and this version. Don't bother reading any negative reviews - I've not read one yet that allows the reader to appreciate Konchalovsky's "Odysseus" any better. I studied Homer's classics at university and I can tell you right now, from this reviewer's point of view, Konchalovsky's interpretation does justice indeed to Homer. In particular, is the way Konchalovsky has focused on the humanity of Homer's epic. Odysseus is a hero, true, but is simultaneously a human mortal man. As such, we can empathize with his miseries and triumphs. Konchalovsky has rescued Odysseus from storybook Disney hero and returned him to his rightful place: Everyman undergoing the journey of Life and the Soul. In giving credit where credit is due, Assante does a fine job of interpeting one of literature's most complex characters. He conveys well the defining qualities and contradictions of Odysseus; a proud man of his times wrestling with age-old challenges made all the more acute because Odysseus (unlike most of his meat-headed contemporaries) could think above the level of his stomach.The same praise applies to Scacchi's Penelope and Williams' Calypso: mortal woman or goddess notwithstanding, both convey the agonies of a lover's thwarted desires passionately and touchingly.The props and costumes are all appropriate to the text: which is as much to say "Late Bronze Age Eastern Mediterranean", rather than 5th Century Athens anachronisms! The special effects vary in their impressiveness, but the onslaught of the Scylla and Charybdis and the vision of Hades' underworld kingdom are brilliant highlights! For sheer drama, the final "Odysseus' Revenge" sequence is thoroughly satisfying in its physical power juxtaposed against Odysseus' passion under control. The shedding of blood is not a blood-fest, but justice long delayed finally meted out! The cinematography meets the requirements of characterisation and progression of the narrative very well. As a bonus are the frequent sea and landscape vistas; the world of the Late Bronze Age is brought to life convincingly. The music score matches the changing moods and the occasional voice-overs are balanced and placed only as necessary. For lovers of great literature, teachers of the Classics and Ancient History, Kolchanovsky's "Odysseus" is a worthy tribute to the master poet of antiquity.
Surprising; Eye-Filling and Important; The Finest Classical Spectacle Yet
posted on 17 Nov 2006"The Odyssey", purportedly the work of the same man who wrote "The Iliad", is a long epic poem which is world-renowned as a tale of adventure. The greatness of this adaptation is that the ethical central character, Odysseus or 'Ulysses', King of Ithaca, is treated as the first man in history able to think rationally--to control his passions. The filmmakers do not spend more than a few minutes on the "Odysseys" background, the war by the ancient Argives' alliance against the city of Ilium or "Troy". The thrust of the piece is the wanderings undertaken by Ulysses AFTER he returns home safely from that war. His wife Penelope waits for him; his family never gives up. But meanwhile, even as his son grows, the kingdom's nobles grow bolder. They demand Penelope marry one of them, since they believe Ulysses is dead. By night, Penelope unweaves what she has woven of her wedding dress during daylight. The bulk of the film follows Ulysses on what amounts to a shipborne Cook's tour of fictionally-reworked famous ancient places about the Mediterraean, to confrontations with the man-eating Cyclops and his herd of sheep, with Circe the goddess who can transform men into swine, with the Lotos eaters and the Gulf of the world. This movie is a special-effects extravaganza with high-tech effects and a solid cast to back up the adventure by way of intelligent direction and good dialogue. The very large made-for-television epic was directed by Andrei Konchalovsky. Konchalovsky did the adaptation and Christopher Solimine the teleplay. The bright cinematography for a very long and colorful adventure was the work of Sergei Kopzlov, the original music composed by Eduard Artemyev; the elaborate set decorations were done by Kren Brooks, with costumes by Charles Knode. The outstanding production design was the achievement of Roger Hall. In the huge cast, Armand Assante seemed an intelligent Odysseus save that he lacked a classical speech training. Greta Scacchi was Penelope, Isaballa Rossellini Athena, Irene Papas Anticleia, and Jeroen Krabbe King Alcinous. Vanessa Williams played Calypso, Christopher Lee Tiresias, Bernadette Peters Circe and Geraldine Chaplin played Eurycleia. Many others enacted the parts of persons in the Trojan War, the suitors at Ithaca's court, assorted divinities and personages encountered by Odeysseus and his mates in the course of his ship's many adventures. Katie Carr was Nausicaa, who helped him when he was shipwrecked; and Alan Stenson portrayed Odysseus's son Telemcahus. From the Trojan sequences to the slaughter of the offending nobles by team-Ulysses, he in disguise using an ancient horn-bow only he could string to perform the deed, this is an exciting, eye-filling and well-planned cinematic adventure. It was a great surprise when it was offering among many mean-streets naturalistic films in 1997. Not to be missed.
Conveys the story well
posted on 12 Sep 2006In March of 2003, I saw the video in class after reading some of the story in my English textbook. It's a good story, recreated and delivered well by this film. The fighting is good, and the casting is good. One drawback may be in its special effects for the Polyphemus scene. However, what's the diff? Then again, I'm not really someone who can tell a two-star movie from a three-star movie, and I can't tell what makes a one-star movie as significantly low-quality as it is (having seen Super Mario Bros. once). But at least I know what I like.
Worth seeing as a companion to Homer's book/poem.
posted on 28 Mar 2006I thoroughly enjoyed the book of the epic, which I read recently, and was pleasantly surprised to find this on video.Obviously, there are significant omissions, edits and rewrites from the original - and quite long - text, not to mention the change to a standard timescale (rather than using constant flashbacks and anecdotes as in Homer's tale). Having said that, a surprising amount of detail did make it into this film, and the locations especially were almost all perfect - just as I'd imagined them. I even 'recognised' places before they were mentioned by name. Kudos to the production team.Where the story is simplified, it is done carefully and logically, and leaves in virtually all of Odysseus's more fantastic adventures - dispensing with most of the hospitality, minor characters' subplots - Telemachus' journey is over in seconds - and (unfortunately) with any scenes on Mount Olympus. The net effect is of the story told entirely from Odysseus' viewpoint, while keeping an eye on events back at his palace in Ithaca.I'll not go too far into the story - since that is why you'll be watching in the first place - but I will say that the special effects are mostly quite good, and don't detract in any way. Of the entire cast I only found Telemachus to be somewhat whiney & annoying, but you manage. Casting is generally very good (especially Calypso - wow).If there is a problem with this film, it is that by cutting out so much of the rituals, travel and more complicated deceptions, it takes away much of the scale, grandeur and 'epic'ness of it all - while still taking 3 hours to watch. A lot of the ritual and repetition of the original text is actually a large part of its charm (as well as an entirely necessary story-telling mechanic), and I think it could be adapted in full if turned into a short series.In summary, this is a decent version, but you'll get the most enjoyment out of this film if you've already read The Odyssey (which, as with most book/film adaptations, is significantly better). If you're thinking of watching this instead of reading The Odyssey - please don't. You'll have trouble getting into the text if you think you know what's coming next.And for the cast & crew of this film - well done. I wish there were a bit more ambition amongst TV and film companies these days.
Not faithful to the epic or to history
posted on 16 Mar 2006Several people commented that the film is not faithful to Homer's epic poem. This is certainly a problem, especially when omissions make the story difficult to follow. (Why did Odysseus say to the Cyclops: "My name is nobody"? The line is included in the film, but the punchline of the joke isn't.)Of course, we cannot expect a film to include everything in the book, some parts must be left out. (But why the poor sirens? They are one of the few parts everyone knows about the Odyssey.) Such parts merely bother the few who have read the original and expect the director to be faithful to it; others might not even notice omissions or goofs. (Here's one for you: Achilles' body is laid out, covered in wounds and scars. However, anyone who's read the Iliad knows that Achilles could only be wounded at his heel.) Nor should we be particular about geographical detail, such as the fact that Pamukkale (the place that features as Calypso's island) is in fact hundreds of miles from the sea. What we can expect and what I did expect was some faithfulness to the original message and to historical detail. Neither can be said about this film. Odysseus (the original) is not a Hollywood-type muscular hero but a cunning guy whose cleverness and sense of humor, rather than strength gets him out of difficult situations. Here you hardly get any of this. Actually, his men have more likable characters than he does. The clever tricks I enjoyed about the epic are missing almost completely.Those who want to find about ancient Greek culture are led astray even more. The costumes are ridiculous: warriors wear underpants and one of the servant girls a long-sleeved blouse. It is also quite unlikely that Odysseus was present at his son's birth, given that in traditional cultures men were forbidden to go near a woman in labor for fear of bringing a curse on her. The forms of displaying affection or Penelope's masturbation with the sea waves are also things I find hard to imagine at the time. My 2 points go to spectacular scenes and landscapes, and some of the acting. (Not Armand Assante's.) Still, I wish filmmakers would keep from turning every literary work, even ones from different ages and cultures, into a tacky Hollywood 'you can achieve anything'-success story.
Top Ten Best Movies Ever Made!
posted on 13 Dec 2005Spoilers: I have never liked Armand Assante in any movie that I can think of. When I first saw this film, I had low expectations, and was planning to switch the channel as soon as it got boring. Surprisingly, I ended up shedding a tear or two, and buying the movie in VHS and later DVD! In ODYSSEY, Armand Assante is very low key, human, and as things happen to him, he gets worn down and humble. Assante provides a great performance. Unfortunately, any movie about THE ODYSSEY is bound to leave out tons of great scenes. The only way THE ODYSSEY could be done properly would be as a mini-series with a gigantic budget for great special effects. That is probably never going to happen. So the next best thing is this version. There are some FX-type situations, and the effects are excellent. Critics of the special effects seem to forget that maybe if Poseidon existed in "real-life" that he might simply show up as a puddle of water. Remember the "burning bush" was supposed to be G-d in the Bible or Torah? I imagine if the end of the world ever really happened, that there might be some people who would complain that the "Special Effects" were not impressive enough. The majority of the Special Effects were outstanding, especially since this movie is not about FX, but about CHARACTER. The character of Odysseus and how it grows as his friends, comrades, and "his world" is taken away from him because of his pride and arrogance. THE ODYSSEY is a great morality tale and it is much more. The scene where Odysseus bumps into his mother's soul in Hell (because she committed suicide out of grief) is really strong. There is a lot of good story here. Sadly, there could have been more, but then it would have had to be a mini-series. The acting of most of the cast is good. Rosellini as Athena does an excellent job. She has the cold character that emotes the "goddess" attitude of an supernatural entity that cares, but maybe not enough? Eric Roberts plays Eric Roberts the leader of the suitors who want to take the place of Odysseus and spend about two years (film-time)living at the Palace and eating all the food and wine there is; and having sex with the servants while they wait for the Queen to pick the next King. The Queen, Greta Scachi, does a good job in her limited role as a faithful wife and loving mother who grows old waiting for her husband to return. Scachi has a motherly look that fits her role. She is attractive but not seductive or slutty. She looks like a woman who would have the strength of character to hold off a bunch of sleazy guys (the suitors). Except for Eric Roberts, who plays a handsome, but sleazy opportunist suitor; the rest of the suitors are mostly wealthy slobs or mercenary types. So The Queen's constant rejection of these schmendricks makes sense, aside from the fact that she loves her husband Odysseus. Overall this movie is outstanding. Perhaps the best scenes are with Calypso (Vanessa Williams). When Calypso offers Odysseus immortal life (on an island full of beautiful sirens) if he will marry her; you have to really admire the guy when he says: "I would rather live to spend one more moment in the arms of my wife, than an eternity with you." WOW. What a guy. What a story. What a movie. Watch it to enjoy it, don't worry about the technicalities.
Ageless fantasy or old soap?
posted on 25 Nov 2005Very good work actually. Although sadly Armand Assante seems to be mis-cast. I say sadly because he's a great actor however perhaps it's because we've been so brainwashed by imagery from 2000-year old marble statuary onwards into thinking the 'ancients' must all 'look' heroic - like Arnie, or Sly that Armand just doesn't 'fit' in the scene.
Very respectable telling of the Odyssey.
posted on 14 Jan 2009I should've been doing a number of other things when this two part television special aired many years ago. But the scope and authenticity of the production had me hooked. As with all translations of literature to the screen (big and small) there is some reworking of the root tale, and Hallmark Entertainment's offering of "The Odyssey" is no different.But, if you can ignore the truncation of the prequel "The Illiad", and the truncation of characters (Patrokles comes to mind), then you, as an English speaking audience member, should be able to enjoy this very lavish and very wide of scope television production.This is not a Greek fantasy epic of old Hollywood, where sets, costumes and social undercurrents of Greek society are cleansed for a general middle American audience. No. This production shows the Greek tale as it might have been imagined during the time it was originally told. The dirt floors of primitive dwellings, the simple skins, armor and weapons used, along with some of the musical and other artistic endeavors of the time. Classic Greek mythology is presented within an authentic Classic Greek setting.The tale tells mostly the events from the epic poem, but also gives a more down to Earth and contemporary spin by presenting the test the ancient Greek gods put forth to both King Odesseus and Queen Penelope. Admittedly because of the masculine nature of the classic tale, husband and wife are given different focuses, but both are driven to and beyond the point of temptation while still maintaining their deep love for one another.I have no real complaints about this film. Some of it was shot on Betacam and transferred to 35mm (possibly a high grade 16mm), and it shows in some of the shots. But scope of the film makes up for a minor technical quibble.A fairly good watch, and unexpected production value from a made for TV movie. The DVD could've been more complete with subtitles, and perhaps a music only audio track or commentary. But as it stands now it's enough to have this minor gem preserved on optical media.Enjoy :-)