The Odyssey 

The warrior King Odysseus leaves his idyllic life in the kingdom of Ithaca to fight in the Trojan War. After winning the war, he now must endure a lengthy, ten-year journey to return, and ... See full summary »

Stars:

Armand Assante, Greta Scacchi, Isabella Rossellini

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 3 wins & 24 nominations.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Armand Assante	...	Odysseus 2 episodes, 1997
Greta Scacchi	...	Penelope 2 episodes, 1997
Isabella Rossellini	...	Athena 2 episodes, 1997
Bernadette Peters	...	Circe 2 episodes, 1997
Eric Roberts	...	Eurymachus 2 episodes, 1997
Irene Papas	...	Anticleia 2 episodes, 1997
Jeroen Krabbé	...	King Alcinous 2 episodes, 1997
Geraldine Chaplin	...	Eurycleia 2 episodes, 1997
Christopher Lee	...	Tiresias 2 episodes, 1997
Vanessa Williams	...	Calypso 2 episodes, 1997
Nicholas Clay	...	Menelaus 2 episodes, 1997
Adoni Anastassopoulos	...	Perimedes 2 episodes, 1997
Paloma Baeza	...	Melanthe 2 episodes, 1997
Ron Cook	...	Eurybates 2 episodes, 1997
Reid Asato	...	Cyclops 2 episodes, 1997
Mark Hill	...	Orsilicus 2 episodes, 1997
Pat Kelman	...	Elatus 2 episodes, 1997
Vincenzo Nicoli	...	Antinous 2 episodes, 1997
Sally Plumb	...	Queen Alcinous 2 episodes, 1997
Roger Ashton-Griffiths	...	Polites 2 episodes, 1997
Katie Carr	...	Nausicaa 2 episodes, 1997
Marius Combo	...	Agelaus 2 episodes, 1997
Alan Cox	...	Elpener 2 episodes, 1997
William Houston	...	Anticlus 2 episodes, 1997
Oded Levy	...	Leocritus 2 episodes, 1997
Peter Page	...	Philotus 2 episodes, 1997
Michael J. Pollard	...	Aeolus 2 episodes, 1997
Alan Stenson	...	Telemachus 2 episodes, 1997
Stewart Scudamore	...	Antiphus 2 episodes, 1997
Tony Vogel	...	Eumaeus 2 episodes, 1997
Heathcote Williams	...	Laocoon 2 episodes, 1997
Michael Tezcan	...	Eurylochos 2 episodes, 1997
Richard Truett	...	Achilles 2 episodes, 1997
Yorgo Voyagis	...	Agamemnon 2 episodes, 1997
Peter Woodthorpe	...	Mentor 2 episodes, 1997
Derek Lea	...	Hector 2 episodes, 1997
Frederick Stuart	...	Hermes 2 episodes, 1997
Miles Anderson	...	Poseidon 2 episodes, 1997
Alan Smithie	...	Priam 2 episodes, 1997
Vernon Dobtcheff	...	Aegyptius 2 episodes, 1997
Josh Maguire	...	Young Telemachus 2 episodes, 1997

Storyline

The warrior King Odysseus leaves his idyllic life in the kingdom of Ithaca to fight in the Trojan War. After winning the war, he now must endure a lengthy, ten-year journey to return, and with all his wits, Odysseus must overcome deadly monsters, powerful forces of nature, seductive enchantresses, and even journey into the bowels of the Underworld.

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Plot Keywords:

epic | voyage | quest | underworld | war hero | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Fantasy | History

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for violent sequences and some sensuality

Details

Country:

UK Italy Germany USA Turkey South Africa

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 May 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Odyssey

Filming Locations:

Malta

Box Office

Budget:

$40,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

American Zoetrope, Beta Film, Hallmark Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

176 min (2 parts)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Irene Papas played Penelope in Franco Rossi's mini-series Odissea (1968).

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Goofs

As the soldiers run down the hill as Odysseus yells "Fight, fight, fight!", one can briefly see a crew member with a blue shirt and black sunglasses standing behind them.

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Quotes

Poseidon: My goal is not to kill you. You must understand.
Odysseus: What? What?
[shouts]
Odysseus: What do you want me to understand?
Poseidon: That without the gods, man is nothing.

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Connections

Featured in Fry's Planet Word: The Power and the Glory (2011)

User Reviews

Richly crafted, supremely entertaining epic

This is a fine, beautifully crafted version of Homer's The Odyssey. Armand Assante gives a sterling performance as the King of Ithica, who's journey to return from the siege of Troy leads him on a 20-odd year quest to find his way home to his beloved wife Penelope.

If you have read The Odyssey, you will know what kind of challenge it would have been to adapt it into a coherent film and the filmmakers here did a superb job. In capturing all of the excitement, enticement and rollicking adventure of the epic, they brought to life a superlative story rich in imagination.

Kudos to the fine cast, including Eric Roberts as Eurymachus, Greta Scacchi as Penelope and an arresting cameo by Christopher Lee as the blind prophet Tiresias. Eduard Artemyev melodious score only adds to the epic feel.

Not without flaws (Troy is skimmed by a little too fast, and some of the visual effects are a little clunky), but the human element of the story is well dramatized. A supremely entertaining epic.