The Odyssey (1997) (TV)

Director:

Andrei Konchalovsky

Writers (WGA):

Homer (epic poem)
Andrei Konchalovsky (teleplay) ...

Release Date:

18 May 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Fantasy | Drama

Plot:

This lavish small-screen adaptation of Homer's ancient epic--replete with exotic Maltese and Turkish locations...

Plot Keywords:

Beautiful Woman | Greek Mythology | Cyclops | Impalement | Blood

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 2 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

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

Also Known As:

Abenteuer des Odysseus, Die (Germany)
Homer's Odyssey
Odysseia (Greece)
Odyssée, L' (Canada: French title) (France) [fr]
Odisea, La (Spain) [es]
Odisseia (Portugal) [pt]
Odysséen (Sweden) [sv]
Odysseia (Finland) [fi]

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for violent sequences and some sensuality.

Runtime:

176 min (2 parts)

Country:

Italy | UK | Germany | Greece | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Germany:12 | Spain:13 | UK:12 (video rating) | USA:PG-13 | Canada:PG (Manitoba) | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Malta

Company:

American Zoetrope

Goofs:

Continuity: When Odysseus and his men offer the Cyclops cheese, the soldiers with him switch positions between shots.

Quotes:

Achilles: I killed Hector! I will bury Troy!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Cruise (1998)

Richly crafted, supremely entertaining epic

This is a fine, beautifully crafted version of Homer's The Odyssey. Armand Assante gives a sterling performance as the King of Ithica, who's journey to return from the siege of Troy leads him on a 20-odd year quest to find his way home to his beloved wife Penelope.

If you have read The Odyssey, you will know what kind of challenge it would have been to adapt it into a coherent film and the filmmakers here did a superb job. In capturing all of the excitement, enticement and rollicking adventure of the epic, they brought to life a superlative story rich in imagination.

Kudos to the fine cast, including Eric Roberts as Eurymachus, Greta Scacchi as Penelope and an arresting cameo by Christopher Lee as the blind prophet Tiresias. Eduard Artemyev melodious score only adds to the epic feel.

Not without flaws (Troy is skimmed by a little too fast, and some of the visual effects are a little clunky), but the human element of the story is well dramatized. A supremely entertaining epic.