The Odyssey (1997– )

This lavish small-screen adaptation of Homer's ancient epic--replete with exotic Maltese and Turkish locations, state-of-the-art special effects, and many bronzed muscles gleaming with ... See full summary »

Stars:

Armand Assante, Greta Scacchi, Isabella Rossellini

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 2 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Armand Assante	...	Odysseus
Greta Scacchi	...	Penelope
Isabella Rossellini	...	Athena
Bernadette Peters	...	Circe
Eric Roberts	...	Eurymachus
Irene Papas	...	Anticleia
Jeroen Krabbé	...	King Alcinous (as Jeroen Krabbe)
Geraldine Chaplin	...	Eurycleia
Christopher Lee	...	Tiresias
Vanessa Williams	...	Calypso
Nicholas Clay	...	Menelaus
Adoni Anastassopoulos	...	Perimedes (as Adoni Anastasse)
Paloma Baeza	...	Melanthe
Ron Cook	...	Eurybates
Reid Asato	...	Cyclops

Storyline

This lavish small-screen adaptation of Homer's ancient epic--replete with exotic Maltese and Turkish locations, state-of-the-art special effects, and many bronzed muscles gleaming with sweat--chronicles the voyage home of a Trojan hero, Odysseus King of Ithaca, and includes many more scenes of his faithful, beautiful wife Penelope dodging leering suitors at home than Homer ever composed!

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Plot Keywords:

voyage | seduction | quest | sword | impalement | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Fantasy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for violent sequences and some sensuality

Details

Country:

Italy UK Germany Greece USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 May 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

Homer's Odyssey

Filming Locations:

Malta

Company Credits

Production Co:

American Zoetrope, Beta Film, Hallmark Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

176 min 176 min (2 parts)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

When Odysseus sees his time-worn ship half-buried in the sand on Circe's island he is overcome with grief and falls to the ground on his knees. The deep indentation of his knees is already worn into the ground before he actually kneels - either from a previous take, or to protect Armand Assante from hurting his knees.

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Quotes

Achilles: I killed Hector! I will bury Troy!

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Connections

Referenced in Mermaid Chronicles Part 1: She Creature (2001)

User Reviews

Coherent adaptation of the epic poem

Having been forced to read The Odyssey several times throughout school in clunky and stale translations, it was very refreshing to see the story brought to life like an action movie. I don't want to sound shallow by emphasizing that aspect of the epic because I do understand and appreciate the subtler nuances and motifs of Homer's poem. However, to take it out of the classroom and turn it into a popcorn movie does not do it injustice. In fact, it gave me a better appreciation of the story and a shot in the arm to give the print version another try. Which I did. And I really enjoyed it this time. Probably the fact that I didn't have an essay assignment breathing down my neck on my last reading helped immeasurably.

Anywho, I think Armand Assante was an inspired choice for Ulysses and the supporting cast was very well-chosen too, especially Greta Scacchi and Nicholas Clay. The Scylla/Charibdis and Hydra segments were the most thrilling. Perhaps the FX weren't always top-notch, but this is TV, folks. It definitely had a storybook feel to it with the bright colors and understandable dialogue. Now, if they will only make a TV miniseries of The Iliad......