"Marco Polo" (1982) TV mini-series

User Rating:

7.9/10   

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

16 May 1982 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Biography | Drama | History | War

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

13th Century | China | Explorer | Cavalry | Mongolian

Awards:

Won 2 Primetime Emmys. Another 7 nominations

Cast

Ken Marshall	...	Marco Polo (1 episode, 1982)
Denholm Elliott	...	Niccolo Polo (1 episode, 1982)
Tony Vogel	...	Matteo Polo (1 episode, 1982)
F. Murray Abraham	...	Jacopo (1 episode, 1982)
Anne Bancroft	...	Marco's Mother (1 episode, 1982)
Riccardo Cucciolla	...	Uncle Zane (1 episode, 1982)
John Gielgud	...	Doge of Venice (1 episode, 1982)
John Houseman	...	Patriarch of Aquileia (1 episode, 1982)
Burt Lancaster	...	Pope Gregory X / ... (1 episode, 1982)
Tony Lo Bianco	...	Brother Nicholas (1 episode, 1982)
Ian McShane	...	Ali Ben Yussouf (1 episode, 1982)
Leonard Nimoy	...	Achmet (1 episode, 1982)
Ruocheng Ying	...	Kublai Khan (1 episode, 1982)
Sada Thompson	...	Aunt Flora (1 episode, 1982)
David Warner	...	Antonio 'Rustichello' Rustico (1 episode, 1982)
Mario Adorf	...	Giovanni (1 episode, 1982)
Hal Buckley	...	Brother William (1 episode, 1982)
John Dicks	...	Brother Philip (1 episode, 1982)
Georgia Slowe	...	Caterina (1 episode, 1982)
Marilù Tolo	...	Fiammetta (1 episode, 1982)
Patrick Mower	...	Brother Damian (1 episode, 1982)
Lin Lao	...	Bayan (1 episode, 1982)
Gordon Mitchell	...	Arnolfo (1 episode, 1982)
Sun Shulin	...	Argan (1 episode, 1982)
Jack Watson	...	Sailor (1 episode, 1982)

Runtime:

Brazil:270 min (edited version) | USA:600 min (including commercials) | Sweden:480 min (TV version)

Country:

Italy

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Beijing, China

Company:

Cristaldi-Labella

Trivia:

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

Movie Connections:

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

Absolutely loved it

This movie kept my interest throughout every single last minute, from the opening credits the night of the first episode, to the closing credits the night of the final episode. One might think that somewhere in there, your attention would wander, but not with this movie. It was absolutely wonderful and the way it combined all aspects of the story and the characters - love, adventure, compassion, greed, war, in-fighting, etc. - was marvellous. It seems that nearly all of the TV mini-series are available on video, but I can't find this. The highest compliment a movie can get from the viewer is their time and I will say that I would watch this over and over and over again. I give it a 10!!!