Odyssey

Filmed on location around the Mediterranean, the film captures the perilous journey of Odysseus back to Ithica and his beloved Penelope. The glaring weakness of the script is attempting to condense the Trojan War into a half-hour. Nevertheless, Achilles' slaughter of Hector is awesome, and after all--the film isn't titled 'The Iliad'.

While the 7th graders enjoy the mysterious Aeolus (and his bag of winds), and less so Vanessa Williams' seductive Calypso (which gets a bit 'steamy'), there is simply nothing to compare to two scenes. First, the Scylla and Charybdis, which evoke all the surprise, blood, and special effects which today's teenager expects (without overdoing any of the three), and second, the concluding sequence where Odysseus is revealed to the wicked suitors who have "...stolen (his) world", and violated the most sacred of ancient Greek customs--hospitality. The bloodletting here is intense, but Homer would certainly have applauded the interpretation presented.

Not all of Odysseus' ten adventures are included in the film. For example, we do not see the lotus-eaters, the slaughter of the cattle of Helius, the rescue by the sea nymph Ino, etc. But what we do see is wonderful! One will never forget the belching and monstrous cyclops who (again) pictures for us the unavoidable punishment Greeks felt was certain to befall the inhospitable! Also missing is the death of Odysseus' faithful dog Argos upon beholding his master's return.

Finally, also missing is what would have been a great visual scene--Odysseus bound to the mast of his ship as he experienced the wonder of the deadly sirens' call--and lived to tell about it! I also found it just a bit disconcerting that although we see King Menelaus of Sparta, we see nothing of his wife Helen whose beautiful 'face launched a thousand ships' and started the whole darn Trojan War in the first place. And where is Paris...? (Oh yes, I forgot again--this is "The Odyssey"!)

For me, the highlight is Odysseus' trip to the underworld to seek the blind prophet's direction on how to get back home. Though combining two of four rivers of the underworld into one (the Styx, and the Phlegethon--river of fire), the sequence loses none of the magical mystery of the Greek conception of the afterlife. Even included is the haunting meeting of Odysseus and his mother who committed suicide, in believing her son would never come home.

Bernadette Peters' Circe sequence is as humerous as it is clever, and watching Odysseus' men turn back into men from animals is memorable. Nevertheless, character development is often sacrificed at the expense of trying to cover the many adventures, but I guess one can't have it both ways!

The special effects are great--especially the face of Poseidon in the waves as he strives to punish Odysseus for blinding his son (the cyclops), and (as one of my students pointed out)in reality, ends up making our hero a better man, by crushing his hubris, and teaching him the ultimate Greek lesson: "...man is nothing without the gods!"

Great movie! Whether they know the classic tale or not, the film will entertain teenagers (and most everyone else). But as a supplement to teaching the great literature pieces of Homer...ah, it doesn't get any better than this! Now, if the same director would only make "The Iliad"....


Ancient Adventure   March 21, 2003
Rebecca Johnson (Washington State)
49 out of 59 found this review helpful

After watching this movie, I realized how tedious it would have been if the director had filmed feast after feast or all the details of the original story. He focused more on the adventures. Listening to 11 compact discs to hear the entire story is quite an odyssey itself, so if you don't have a lot of time, the movie will save you a few hours.

The recording is about 12.5 hours in comparison with 165 minutes for the movie. There are many differences between the movie and the recorded book version. For one, Odysseus' son leaves to look for his father early in the original story and in the movie, he seems to leave much later. The movie focuses more on the suitors and sailors.

The adventures of Odysseus are dramatic, exciting and interesting even to a contemporary audience. It is a story of a great warrior who is cursed by the gods and must wander the seas for years after the Trojan War.

It is also a story of how a man wishes to return home to his faithful wife all while he is "forced" to enjoy the pleasures of the islands. Although goddesses of great beauty take care of him in the islands, he does not seem to really enjoy being away from home.

Odysseus seems to have a girlfriend on every island and yet we forgive him and admire his wife. While he is enjoying the pleasures of the islands, his wife sits at home defending her very existence from a group of suitors bent on pursuing her to the end of time.

When considering a critical analysis of this movie, I had to look at the "acting" and "special effects." There is beautiful scenery in Turkey and of course you have ships at sea and goddesses and gods causing havoc with the humans. Some of the more complex scenes were filmed in Malta. This was where they had a huge tank set up for the sea adventures. What they did with the special effects is pretty impressive.

The acting gets better as the story progresses. What you will notice is some "overacting" when the characters emphasis their emotions so strongly that the effect only causes you to laugh. Imagine a bunch of wrestlers hugging and crying. Yes, that funny. You should not be laughing when characters are crying, however, that is the effect because the overplaying of emotions becomes almost comical.

Andrei Konchalovsky's obviously had a vision for how he wanted the emotions to be played out onscreen although I think he dipped too far into extravagance and the viewer might consider it more insincere than tragic. However, if you consider how the individuals really might have acted, this is perhaps more true to ancient life. It is true that in the original Odyssey, men cry pitifully (passionate sobbing) and show their feminine side freely.

I especially loved seeing all the gods and goddesses in the movie. I loved Isabella Rossellini as the "clear eyed" goddess Athena. She was definitely a highlight in this movie. It seems she is rather fond of Odysseus, the king of Ithaca (Armand Assante) and with a twinkle in her eye, she sends him off to be brave. Her eyes are just amazingly beautiful in this movie. Some of the goddesses in this movie had dark hair and in the original they were "fair-haired" goddesses.

There is a creative use of waves to display the anger of Poseidon when Odysseus doesn't give the gods credit for his successes. He is cursed and must wander on the ocean until the end of time.

Another highlight is the horse and ships. The Trojan Horse makes its appearance and is very well made, as are all the ships which were built in England. You will also be amazed by the special effects in Hades. As Odysseus descends into "hell/Hades" he is almost overwhelmed with the heat.

Some of the most bloody scenes I've ever seen occur in this movie, although they are not quite "horror." Imagine bodies being gobbled up by hungry sea creature and blood splattering on a wooden deck or a Cyclops tearing a body apart to devour it. Because it happens during the daytime, the effect is not as intense.

The scenes in Troy are also fairly violent. There is also a fairly long scene at the end where men are locked up in a room and systematically slaughtered. This is for revenge so seems to have a point.

What I kept waiting for was a scene where Odysseus is bound to the ship's mast as the sirens call to him and his men. This is a very short section in the original story, so they must have felt it was not as significant. However, it would have been spectacular on film.

Recommended to those who love Greek Mythology or who want to have a visual reference in your mind when ready or listening to the translation of The Odyssey by Homer.

If you are trying to decide if you like the Odyssey or the Iliad: The ending of the Odyssey is much more romantic and there is far more romance and beauty in the Odyssey. The Iliad ending will appeal more to men and the story seems to contain more "war" violence and has a much more definite focus on war.

Main message of this movie seems to be: "Man is nothing without the gods" or "never give up on your dream no matter if the gods try to stop you, you are captain of your fate in the end."

The movie is more entertaining than listening to 12.5 hours of an Audio Book, yet if you watch the movie and then listen to the Audio Book, it takes on a new meaning. You then have a visual reference for all the adventure sections. I can recommend the movie for that aspect alone.

~The Rebecca Review


When The Gods Are No Longer Needed   September 1, 2005
Brian E. Erland (Brea, CA - USA)
18 out of 20 found this review helpful

What happens when mankind begins to look within himself for guidance and the meaning of life rather than outwardly towards some personification of divinity or abstract supernatural power?

This is the authentic journey of adventure and discovery awaiting Odysseus in this excellent made for television mini-series. It's not the epic wars of men, nor the destructive natural forces with which he must contend. It's not even the capricious whims of the Gods, Goddesses and assorted monsters populating the mythical landscape of ancient Greece and the surrounding Mediterranean. They are all nothing more than the externalization of ongoing internal processes yet to be resolved within the human soul.

When Odysseus, King of Ithica sails off to war he does so with more in mind than just honoring a treaty between kings. He is seeking something more personal and lasting, he is in search of immortality. Greatness in battle was to be the vehicle by which he hoped to achieve this goal. Endeavoring to prove himself to be a God among men, he hoped to so impress the Gods of Olympus with feats of valor that he would be accepted into their eternal company.

However when the God's turn on Odysseus for his hubris he becomes angry and begins to re-evaluate man's need for Gods' at all. As he struggles for the next ten years to find his way back to his wife Penelope and son he slowly begins to see through lifes' veil of illusion and eventually discovers that his path to eternal life was waiting for him back in Ithica all along. True immortality is found only within familial love and the continuation of that part of yourself that lives on in your sons and daughters. When he finally makes it home he must face one last threat to ensure the perpetuation of his legacy.

The special effects are extremely well done, specially for a made-for-television production and the Mediterranean scenery is absolutely breathtaking. My two favorite sequences in the film are the ghostly vision of Hades counterbalanced by the incredibly beautiful Isle of Calypso. Armand Assante is fantastic as the brave, yet introspective Odysseus and Greta Scacchi is perfect for the part of the beautiful, long suffering Penelope. What really sets this movie apart and makes it so special is Director Andrei Konchalovsky's ability to give the viewer more than just a classic action/adventure. He delivers an insightful examination into the soul of the mythic Odysseus as he searches for the true meaning of life.



Climbing The Rocks To The Top   January 6, 2000
Nidal (Computer Lab, Goochland Middle School, Goochland, Virginia, USA, World, Milkyway Galaxy)
17 out of 17 found this review helpful

When was the last time you saw a good movie? The last time I saw a good movie was when I viewed the Odyssey. Following the original epic by Homer, Andrei Kanchalovsky's translation was excellent and hypnotizing. The movie started out on the rocks, trying to depic the entire Trojan War in about thirty minuites. There was much backround to tell. It climbed those rocks as the movie continued and got better and better. The movie had great actors, grotesque monsters, powerful gods, and realistic scenery.

Along with the wonderful role playing by the actors, the special effects were awesome. The Cyclops looked Disgustling real and had me wondering if they really exist. Running right along Cyclops for most creative costume, was Poseidon, god of the sea. The concept of him appearing on every wave is briiliant and showed how powerful he was thought to be. The scenes in Odysseus' house were also well done. It showed what homes were like, dining manners or lack of, and strange courting coustoms of that time.

The movie sparks interest to read the book if someone has not. For those who read it, it would probably clear up any questions because it does depict customs we are not familiar with. It gets a five star rating in my book!


Dear Lord, Homer must be turning in his grave...   October 20, 2002
14 out of 18 found this review helpful

This movie was so bad that it was good. Almost everything seemed unrealistic, down to the sock puppet "Scylla" and the blatantly fake backgrounds. The music was redundant and annoying and the actors couldn't act worth [anything]. It also completely messed up the actual poem, which is scary because more people will see this movie than will read the book. Here are some things to look for the next time you see this movie:
1. Scylla looks like a sock puppet Venus fly trap
2. Telemachos sounds like a whiny English schoolboy
3. They skipped the entire cow seen
4. All of the shades in Hades are transparent except for Odysseus' mother and Teiresias.
5. Odysseus's beard keeps changing color
6. The Cyclops' eye blinks so much that it looked like it was talking.
7. All of the actors have different accents
8. Athena had blue eyes and Menelaus had black hair.
9. Aiolos, the wind god, appears as a face in a waterfall and sounds like Face from Nick Jr.
10. Penelope looks like she is...ahem...pleasuring herself on the shores of Ithaca in the middle of the night
11. The entire movie felt like an expedient of random scenes put together with glue with no clear transitions between any of the scenes.
Okay I am done now...