Product: The Odyssey [VHS] (1997)
Rating: 5.0
Man and Goddess
In spite of lacking the Cattle of the Sun and the Sirens (I guess you can't have it all in one film, eh?), Konchalovsky and Coppola do an excellent job in this production, staying very close to the text, in most significant ways, and bestowing on all such scenes a rendition worthy of the bard's timeless song. Although the plot follows a chronological order (including even a concise narrative-with-highlights condensation of the Trojan War), rather than the in-medias-res order of the poem, the overall world of Homer's classic hero is conveyed not only by the gorgeous Mediterranean film locations but also by the daily activities of the bronze-age Hellene, such as sacrifice to and commune with the gods, which play such an important part in the ethical world of the original, since as Homer's classic notes, "All men need the gods" (3.48), a statement which the film dramatically iterates when Odysseus most eagerly entreats the sea god Poseidon to help him "understand." Also significant is how the film notes the sway which the gods hold over such pertinent issues herein as guest relations, which in the original, Odysseus makes known to the brutal Cyclops, saying, "Respect the Gods! . . . strangers are sacred--Zeus will avenge their rights!" (9.269-71), to which the Cyclops responds, "I'd never spare you in fear of Zeus's hatred" (9.277-78). Perhaps most important though is the relationship between Odysseus and Athena, the protectress, who never forsook Odysseus, as "He followed in her footsteps--man and Goddess" (2.406). The film adds grace to the belief that her divine favor was bestowed on this "man of twists and turns," the archetypal epic adventurer who, through his loyalty, bravery and ingenuity, proves himself worthy of such divine intervention.