Odissea (1968– )

Odysseus' journey told in Homer's Iliad and Odyssey. After fighting in the Trojan War, Odysseus spends years trying to return home to Itaka.

Stars:

Bekim Fehmiu, Irene Papas, Renaud Verley

Cast

Series cast summary:
Bekim Fehmiu	...	Ulisse (8 episodes, 1968)
Irene Papas	...	Penelope (6 episodes, 1968)
Renaud Verley	...	Telemaco (6 episodes, 1968)
Barbara Bach	...	Nausicaa (6 episodes, 1968)
Marina Berti	...	Arete (5 episodes, 1968)
Marcella Valeri	...	Euriclea (4 episodes, 1968)
Roy Purcell	...	Alcinoo (4 episodes, 1968)
Karl-Otto Alberty	...	Eurimaco (4 episodes, 1968)
Maurizio Tocchi	...	Leocrito (3 episodes, 1968)
Scilla Gabel	...	Elena (2 episodes, 1968)
Samson Burke	...	Polifemo (2 episodes, 1968)
Corrado Monteforte	...	Anfinomo (2 episodes, 1968)
Fausto Tozzi	...	Menelao (2 episodes, 1968)
Constantin Nepo	...	Antinoo (2 episodes, 1968)
Andrea Saric	...	Melanto (2 episodes, 1968)
Ivica Pajer	...	Euriloco (2 episodes, 1968)

Storyline

Odysseus' journey told in Homer's Iliad and Odyssey. After fighting in the Trojan War, Odysseus spends years trying to return home to Itaka.

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Plot Keywords:

odysseus | trojan war | odyssey | cyclops | homer's odyssey | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Fantasy

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Certificate:

GP

Details

Country:

Italy France West Germany

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

24 March 1968 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Avanture odiseja

Filming Locations:

Dino De Laurentiis Cinematografica Studios, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dino de Laurentiis Cinematografica, Radiotelevisione Italiana (RAI), Office de Radiodiffusion Télévision Française (ORTF)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min 109 min (theatrical) 55 min (8 episodes) 91 min (theatrical)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

The series was aired in Italy together with an introduction of poet Giuseppe Ungaretti reading a few lines of the epic poem.

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Goofs

When the bow of Ulysses is taken form the storage room it is clearly strung. Bows have to be stored unstrung or they lose their strength over time (and this one is said to have not been touched for 20 years). As a result the movie deviates from the epic in the essential part that in the epic the bow is useless to the suitors because they are unable to string it (either due to lack of strength or not knowing that a composite bow is strung backwards). The movie on the other hand shows the suitors (rather unconvincingly) unable to simply draw the bow.

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Connections

Version of O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)

User Reviews

It will never be better than this... but will it be seen again?

In all honesty, this series is as much a classic (as television goes) as the original poem is to the world's literature. Far from being crassly exploitative, it is a beautiful and respectful rendering of one of the western culture's defining texts.

I was moved by the plight of Odysseus and his followers; touched by the drama of the fall of Troy (which was felt but not seen); intrigued by the way the gods played with the fate of mortals. (It should be mentioned that the gods appearing here are not ridiculous CGI creatures flitting around on their ankle wings, or poorly-cast fashion models in bikinis. As in Homer's work, they act through mortal agents or, rarely, are represented by classical statuary).

It's a pity it's not available in DVD, especially given the vastly inferior and cheesy adaptations of the Odyssey that one can find in video stores.