Jason and the Argonauts 

One of the most legendary adventures in all mythology is brought to life in Jason and the Argonauts, an epic saga of good and evil. As a mere boy Jason, the heir to the kingdom of Ancient ... See full summary »

Stars:

Derek Jacobi, Olivia Williams, Angus Macfadyen

Nominated for 2 Primetime Emmys. Another 8 nominations.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Derek Jacobi	...	Phineas (2 episodes, 2000)
Olivia Williams	...	Hera (2 episodes, 2000)
Angus Macfadyen	...	Zeus (2 episodes, 2000)
Dennis Hopper	...	Pelias (2 episodes, 2000)
Jolene Blalock	...	Medea (2 episodes, 2000)
Brian Thompson	...	Hercules (2 episodes, 2000)
Adrian Lester	...	Orpheus (2 episodes, 2000)
Ciarán Hinds	...	King Aeson (2 episodes, 2000)
Diana Kent	...	Polymele (2 episodes, 2000)
David Calder	...	Argos (2 episodes, 2000)
Mark Lewis Jones	...	Mopsus (2 episodes, 2000)
James Callis	...	Aspyrtes (2 episodes, 2000)
Hugh Quarshie	...	The Centaur (2 episodes, 2000)
Olga Sosnovska	...	Atalanta (2 episodes, 2000)
Kieran O'Brien	...	Actor (2 episodes, 2000)
Tom Harper	...	Acastus (2 episodes, 2000)
Omid Djalili	...	Castor (2 episodes, 2000)
John Sharian	...	Pollux (2 episodes, 2000)
Rhys Miles Thomas	...	Zetes (2 episodes, 2000)
Mark Folan Deasy	...	Iphicles (2 episodes, 2000)
Elliot Levey	...	Canthus (2 episodes, 2000)
Xavier Anderson	...	Phanos (2 episodes, 2000)
Charles Cartmell	...	Laertes (2 episodes, 2000)
Dodger Phillips	...	Tiphys (2 episodes, 2000)
Peter Gevisser	...	Budes (2 episodes, 2000)
Norman Roberts	...	Echion (2 episodes, 2000)
Greg Hicks	...	Priest (2 episodes, 2000)
Adam Cooper	...	Eros (2 episodes, 2000)
Micky Churchill	...	Boy Jason (2 episodes, 2000)
John Bennett	...	Idas (2 episodes, 2000)
Andrew Tansey	...	Aertes 1st General (2 episodes, 2000)
Richard Bonehill	...	Aertes 2nd General (2 episodes, 2000)
Freda Dowie	...	Hera as Old Peasant Woman (2 episodes, 2000)
Zeta Graff	...	Hypsipyle 1st General (2 episodes, 2000)
Zoë Eeles	...	Actor's Lemnite Girl (2 episodes, 2000)
Alit Kreiz	...	High Priestess (2 episodes, 2000)
Andrew Scarborough	...	Aeson's Soldier (2 episodes, 2000)
Alan Stocks	...	Pelias Bodyguard (2 episodes, 2000)
Suzanne Harbison	...	Mopsus Lemnite Girl (2 episodes, 2000)
Natasha Henstridge	...	Hypsipyle (2 episodes, 2000)
Frank Langella	...	Aertes (2 episodes, 2000)
Jason London	...	Jason (2 episodes, 2000)

Storyline

One of the most legendary adventures in all mythology is brought to life in Jason and the Argonauts, an epic saga of good and evil. As a mere boy Jason, the heir to the kingdom of Ancient Greece, witnesses the murder of his father at the hands of his ruthless uncle, Pelias. After narrowly escaping death, Jason flees his home and returns twenty years later to reclaim the throne. Upon learning of his return, Pelias sentences him to death. To save his life, Jason promises to deliver the most coveted gift of the gods to his uncle - the Golden Fleece. Joined by the Argonauts, a stout-hearted crew of sailors, he embarks on a perilous voyage to capture the Fleece and fulfill his destiny.

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Plot Keywords:

argonaut | golden fleece | ancient greece | sword and sorcery | tv mini series | 

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Taglines:

A Man of Passion A Warrior of Courage A Hero of Destiny

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Genres:

Adventure | Fantasy

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Certificate:

12

Details

Country:

USA Turkey

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 May 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

Jason

Filming Locations:

Antalya, Turkey

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hallmark Entertainment, Panfilm

Technical Specs

Runtime:

180 min (2 episodes) 90 min (2 episodes) 172 min (2 parts) (TV)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Colchis, the location of the Golden Fleece, is an actual place on the eastern coast of the Black Sea, western Georgia.

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Connections

Version of Jason and the Argonauts (1963)

User Reviews

Ha ha ha

It's a good indication of just how bad television is becoming when one spends four hours watching such reprehensible ineptitude as this. As a guy who has grown up with Greek myth since I could understand language it's difficult to express how insulted I was by this ludicrous film. Taking liberties with a storyline is one thing. Reinventing it to fit a Hollywood formula is something different: the inclusion of blacks and women among the Argonauts is inexcusable no matter what the producer's motives--not because Atalanta wouldn't have made a good Argonaut, but because she wasn't, and Orpheus was Greek, not Ethiopian. The involvement of Hercules for the entire voyage instead of for only part of the first stage like in the real legend is almost forgiveable after that. For all of that however, the biggest beef with "Jason and the Argonauts" is not that it leaves out huge slabs of the journey, makes up new parts and juggles characters to suit itself. In fact, it gets some parts right: sending the dove between the clashing rocks for example, and Jason's relationship to Pilias among little else. Overall, this film is just lame, a poor, typically made-for-television sham of a cracking good story, exploiting all the best bits for all their worth and completing omitting or changing others. For those who only know the legend from this film: Orpheus wasn't black, Atalanta wasn't an Argonaut, Medea was a cold-blooded conniving bitch who cut up her own brother and fed him to the sharks and Hercules quit the voyage early on to go searching for his gay lover who got spirited away by river nymphs. Let's hope that, one day, some film producer has the guts to tell this story the way is was supposed to be told--and maybe use Hercules' real Greek name (Heracles) to boot.