Marco Polo (1982– )

The life and experiences of the 13th-century explorer, who sought to connect the civilizations of China and Europe through trade.

Stars:

Ken Marshall, Denholm Elliott, Tony Vogel

Won 2 Primetime Emmys. Another 7 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Ken Marshall	...	Marco Polo (8 episodes, 1982-1983)
Denholm Elliott	...	Niccolò Polo (8 episodes, 1982-1983)
Tony Vogel	...	Matteo Polo (8 episodes, 1982-1983)
David Warner	...	Rustichello (7 episodes, 1982-1983)
F. Murray Abraham	...	Jacopo (6 episodes, 1982-1983)
Mario Adorf	...	Giovanni (6 episodes, 1982-1983)
Patrick Mower	...	Brother Damian (6 episodes, 1982-1983)
Ruocheng Ying	...	Kublai Khan (5 episodes, 1982-1983)
Beulah Quo	...	Empress Chabi (4 episodes, 1982-1983)
Junichi Ishida	...	Prince Chinkin (4 episodes, 1982-1983)
James Hong	...	Phags-pa (4 episodes, 1982-1983)
Gordon Mitchell	...	Arnolfo (4 episodes, 1982-1983)
Leonard Nimoy	...	Achmet (3 episodes, 1983)
Bruno Zanin	...	Giulio (3 episodes, 1982)
Lin Lao	...	Bayan (3 episodes, 1983)
Ian McShane	...	Ali Ben Yussouf (2 episodes, 1982)
Sada Thompson	...	Aunt Flora (2 episodes, 1982)
Tony Lo Bianco	...	Brother Nicholas (2 episodes, 1982)
Soon-Tek Oh	...	Wang Zhu (2 episodes, 1983)
Zaibao Yang	...	Yang Ku (2 episodes, 1983)
Shaokang Yu	...	Caidu Khan (2 episodes, 1982-1983)
Riccardo Cucciolla	...	Uncle Zane (2 episodes, 1982)
Erkang Zhao	...	Nayan (2 episodes, 1983)
Hesen En	...	Bektor Khan (2 episodes, 1982-1983)
Hal Buckley	...	Brother William (2 episodes, 1982)
Georgia Slowe	...	Caterina (2 episodes, 1982)
Kathryn Dowling	...	Monica (2 episodes, 1983)
Agnes Chan	...	Mai Li (2 episodes, 1983)
Tetsurô Tanba	...	Saiamon (2 episodes, 1983)
Bruno Corazzari	...	Agostino (2 episodes, 1982)
Gino Santercole	...	Giuseppe (2 episodes, 1982)
Zhengyin Cao	...	Governor (2 episodes, 1983)
Terry Raven	...	Talib (2 episodes, 1983)
Xiaolei Huang	...	Chen Pao (2 episodes, 1982-1983)
Renato Miracco	...	Bartolomeo (2 episodes, 1982)
Vernon Dobtcheff	...	Pietro d'Abano (2 episodes, 1983)
John Dicks	...	Brother Philip (2 episodes, 1982-1983)
Nanni Massa	...	Messer Paolo (2 episodes, 1982)
Sun Shulin	...	Argan (2 episodes, 1983)
Salvatore Puntillo	...	Messer Andrea (2 episodes, 1982)
Renhua Na	...	Princess Kokachin (2 episodes, 1983)
Giulio Gaslini	...	Messer Lorenzo (2 episodes, 1982)
Maria Pia Colonnello	...	Caterina's Nurse-Maid (2 episodes, 1982)
Ma Qiang	...	Yeli Shue (2 episodes, 1983)

Storyline

The life and experiences of the 13th-century explorer, who sought to connect the civilizations of China and Europe through trade.

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Plot Keywords:

explorer | china | 13th century | power play | mongolian | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Biography | Drama | History | War

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Details

Country:

Italy USA Japan China

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

16 May 1982 (USA)

Also Known As:

Marco Polo - Viagens E Descobertas

Filming Locations:

Beijing, China

Company Credits

Production Co:

Vides Cinematografica, Radiotelevisione Italiana (RAI), National Broadcasting Company (NBC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

504 min 270 min (edited) 600 min 480 min (TV)

Sound Mix:

Mono Dolby Digital (2.0 Stereo)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

4:3 full frame

Did You Know?

Trivia

Peter Firth, Michael Ontkean and Mandy Patinkin all turned down the lead role.

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Connections

Referenced in Biography: Leonard Nimoy: Spock and Beyond (1996)

User Reviews

One of the best miniseries produced - ever.

This DVD needs to be produced in DVD format. This epic story line is excellent and well written. There can not be enough said about this production as the all-star cast weaves the tale of the Marco Polo's life, the political and economic reasons began his journey, and the problems he encountered the from start to finish. Ken Marshall's portrayal of Marco Polo developing from young Marco beginning his journey to a more mature Marco through the friendships and experiences that he encounters is excellent. I remember Sada Thompson's great performance as Marco's Aunt Flora. The location shots will take the watcher round the world without ever leaving a seat. The richness of costumes and many locations thrust the watcher back into the time of Marco Polo. It has been a while since I have watched Marco Polo, but I still remember the pageantry, the great performances of each actor, and the the fact that this could also be a documentary -drama about Marco Polo. The watcher can truly develop a picture of the life and times of Marco Polo. NBC really needs to find this in its archives and re-issue this Emmy winning epic in DVD, perhaps for a 25 year anniversary!