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| Director: Andrei Konchalovsky
Actors: Armand Assante, Greta Scacchi, Isabella Rossellini, Bernadette Peters, Eric Roberts
Studio: Hallmark Entertainment
Buy Used: $15.00
New (5) Used (15) Collectible (5) from $15.00
Rating:  225 reviews
Sales Rank: 4862
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Ntsc
Languages: English (Unknown), English (Original Language)
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Media: VHS Tape
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 165 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 7.3 x 4.2 x 1.1
ISBN: 1574924494
UPC: 707729753032
EAN: 9781574924497
ASIN: 1574924494
Theatrical Release Date: May 18, 1997
Release Date: January 27, 1998
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 The Women of the Odyssey March 18, 2002
R. M. Fisher (New Zealand = Middle Earth!)
12 out of 18 found this review helpful
The Odyssey tells the story of Odysseus, the King of Ithaca who, on the very day of his son's birth is called away to the Trojan War. Forced to leave his son, his kingdom and his beloved wife Penelope behind, Odysseus fights the ten year siege of Troy, which finally ends when he comes up with the idea of the Trojan Horse, which gets him and his men inside the citadel.
With Troy finally defeated, Odysseus is free to sail home, but mistakenly insults the god of the sea - Poseidon, who vows he'll never return home. For the next ten years, Odysseus and his men voyage home, but come face to face with many dangers on the way. As you may have guessed - it's a very long movie, and since it drags a bit through some parts, it may be best not to try and watch it in one big go.
However, it does have it's merits - good scenery, costumes, special effects and acting, but standing out for me are the preformances of all the women, and their individual relationships with Odysseus (adequately played by Armand Assante) There is the goddess of wisdom Athene (Isabella Rossellini) who appoints herself as Odysseus's protecter, Anticlea (Irene Papas) Odysseus's fierce mother, Eurycleia (Geraldine Chaplin) Odyssues's nurse who cares for his son and is loyal to both of them, the witch Circe (Bernadette Peters) who uses potions, charms and magic to bend Odysseus to her will, and Calypso (Vannessa Williams) the nymph who claims Odysseus for her own when he lands on her island. But standing out even more is Penelope (Greta Scacchi) Odysseus's devoted wife who manages the kingdom, raises their son and keeps the many suitors who come seeking her hand at bay in her husband's absence. She is an inspiring woman, who maintains her dignity and strength throughout, and trying never to give up hope that her husband maay still be alive. The most powerful scenes of the entire show do not centre around Odysseus at all, but Penelope, helplessly trapped in her own home as the suitors take over. Watch out especially for the scene in which she tries to stop her mother-in-law from committing suicide, and when the leader of the suitors Eurymachus (Eric Robert) attempts to seduce her. "They will have none of Odysseus's things," she says. "Not his kingdom and *not* his wife."
I watch this movie, not as much for Odysseus's adventures, but for the strength of the female characters around him.
 black holes in the dryer, space time continuems in kitchen April 6, 2003
Raymond Spiotta (Purgatory, Underworld)
12 out of 20 found this review helpful
Intoxicated, I had just finished The Iliad and The Odyssey. I came to the conclusion that I still hold, that Homer is one of the greatest poets of all time, (and to his merit, I deduce this from a translation, and even very good translation saps a massive percentage of goodness from almost any poetry).
Then, a few days later, upon entrance into the incandescent crucible of Freshman English class, we started "studying" the Odyssey, and to the stupid pleasure of my classmates, our teacher in her benevolence announced that we would be watching this piece of worthless crap supplementing our piecemeal "study" of the Odyssey. I was skeptical, but I could not have been prepared for the ensuing blasphemy. I am not inclined to waste my time recalling every freakish perversion of plot, travesty of drama as an art form, embarrassment to the special effects crew, and overall mockery of Homer that this film contained, but let it suffice to say that there was not one well done instant in the whole film, not one moment that gave me anything akin the orgasmic mythopoeic thrill I encountered in the poem itself.
This is not to say that I did not enjoy the film- far from it. During the few minutes when my head was not hooded and submerged under my desk, during the hilarious moments when my ears were not frantically plugged, I had about as much comic relief to the perdition of high school as a boy can ask for. After hearing Aelous, I relished thoughts of mutilating the "brains" behind this catastrophe. And I suppose I have a soft spot for patently fake gore and cheesy pseudo-Gothic atmospheres of "terror", and the Scylla scene pandered to that. I pretended I was watching Monty Python and the Holy Grail, and enjoyed myself. I LOVE crappy special effects!!
I was shocked to learn that this was made in 1997. I truly believed this was made in the 60's.
Homer, I praise thee, and maybe I shall avenge thy memory.
 Overall, pretty well done October 21, 2002
D. Roberts (Battle Creek, Michigan United States)
11 out of 15 found this review helpful
This film can be broken up into 3 parts. The first 2 parts detail scenes from Homer's ILIAD and Virgil's AENEID. The 3rd part, as is likely surmised, covers stories taken from Homer's ODYSSEY. The latter comprises 90% of the film.The weakest part of the film is early section of ILIAD material. For one, the actor who plays Achilles is simply not big enough or brawny enough to be believable as what was supposed to be the greatest warrior who ever lived. Even worse, his showdown with the Trojan champion Hector (one of the climactic scenes from the ILIAD) is sadly disappointing. It would have been better to omit this episode altogether rather than water it down as much as they did. As a minor criticism, it is unfortunate that the audience of the film is never told WHY all of Greece went to war with Troy. No mention is made of Paris' abduction of Helen of Laconia. The movie makes it seem like the Greeks one day just got up and arbitrarily decided to invade Troy. The Trojan's violation of Xenia is not divulged as a just reason for the actions of the Greeks. Those criticisms aside, the rest of the movie is splendid, for the most part. The episode of the Trojan horse (from the AENEID) is well done and follows Virgil fairly closely. The TELEMACHIA is touched on with brevity, but it is included. And, of course, Odysseus' famous adventures in "la la land" are there for all to see. Armand Assante is a good pick as the clever and sagacious king of Ithica. He is a great warrior, but not the best. He's a man who tends to rely much more on insidious cunning than brute strength. His feud with Poseidon is brought out nicely, and the depiction of Poseidon is very impressive. This film is highly recommended for those who have read Homer, those who have not read Homer & those who've not yet read the Greek bard, but someday want. The special effects on the DVD are dazzling & bring Greek mythology to life (particularly the Underworld sequence). The epic poem is recommended to all as well. However, if you don't ever get around to reading it, this film does do a credible job of capturing some of the flavor and magic of a classic work that is over 2,500 years old.
Could not be worse November 27, 2002
Robert Alpert (Newton, MA United States)
11 out of 22 found this review helpful
This film has nothing to do with Homer's epic, save that the names of the characters are kept as well as the bare outline of the story. Book 9 (The cylcops episode) perhaps he greatest book of the poem is reduced to [junk](oh by the way Odysseus does not kill Hector- Achillles does).And Achilles would never lead his men into a cave and steal food in the first place, Anyway the poem among many other things explores the nature of KLEOS--(reknown) and Odysseus's kleos does not fit any of he conventional definitions. 1 He is a Bowman (not pictured in the film)--which means he gets to fight behind the lines of the hoplites 2 He is self-serving--almost hubristic as he himself reveals in Books 9-12 the longest sustained 1st person narration in epic (Virgil ties to copy it) 3 He constantly gets his shipmates into trouble (not a great commander). He is a liar and the opposite of the traditional Greek Hero (This is why Ajax turns his back on him in the underworld) He is however a great storyteller--and that itself is a kind of KLEOS. The language of Book 9 is so replete with puns and formulae whose natures become ironically charged coming from Odysseus mouth, that it is one of the most subtle exploations of tradition ever composed. One (and this includes Sophocles) does not know what do make of him--do we admire him or hate him? He is finally sui generis which is why he has been depicted in so many ways throuhout history. This is the CORE of the poem--a center which the film ignores. For a good rendition of the Odyssey watch O Brother Where art Thou? Or read Joyce's ULYSSES.
Great subject & spec effects; could've been truer to Homer. July 1, 1999
9 out of 10 found this review helpful
Being a fan of Homer, the Trojan War, et al, I had to watch the flick; however, I was somewhat disappointed with the overall treatment of the story; although the props, for the most part, seemed historically correct, the writers had to make changes that deviated from the Homeric epic. For instance, the battle scene with Ahkilleus and the death of Hektor was far-removed from the actual lines (kind of like how they reinvented "Helen of Troy." From recollection (since I've yet to find the video or see a rerun in over 20 yrs) "Ulysses" with Kirk Douglas, is by far, the best rendition of the Odyssey.
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