Product: The Odyssey [VHS] (1997)
Rating: 4.0
Good, faithful adaptation
In the comentary, the director upfront admitts wishing to focus on the most entertaining parts of the Odyssey and this he does. I do not believe their is much to criticize (although there are some to be done) given the fact that even with scenes removed the runtime of the film is close to four hours. Therefore credit is due for fitting as much as they did.The real strength of the movie is its staying true to the core story. Unlike myth/ancient history movies that have come up in the last few years such as Gladiator, Troy, and Alexander, which are mostly rationalized assumptions of the stories they are supposed to tell, the Odyssey stays true to the events that are written. Even little things that really don't bear a great deal on the movie (e.g. Athena being Mentor, the scar on Odysseus' leg, and Nausika finding Odysseus on the shore) are kept to ensure the purity of events.Another nice point is the talent used in this movie. Despite the effects being about 10 years old, they do not overly dominate like most multi-million dollar effects movies today. Unlike the before mentioned movies who star the current most-popular eye candy of the time to garner support for the movie, such as Orlando Bloom, Brad Pitt, and Angelina Jolies, the performers have more a theatre (and thus more credible ability) background.Isabella Rossillini stays true to Athena's playful toying part, Bernadette Peters is sassy and seductive as Kirke ought to be, and Vanessa Williams, though not the "fair-haired" as her epitath always calls her, but is exotic enough to make a convincing Kalypso.As for the critiques, they are few, and mostly scene modifications.1) Poseidon's grudge against Odysseus is his blasphemy, though in the book it is primarily the blinding of Polyphemus. This is touched in the movie, when the Kyklops calls his father to avenge him, but is never addressed. It would have been better to keep it so.2)The sheep of Helios is missing, but I believe that Karybdis is a much better effect, so that omisssion is more than forgivable.3) We always see the olive tree, but its importance should have been stressed. Penelope uses it to test Odysseus when he comes home. They could have cut out some of the lovey-duvey dialogue at the end to add that scene-it would only take about 30 seconds.4) The scene where Ares and Aphrodite are caught in bed by Hephestatus is a funny scene, and helps to explain why Odysseus eventually makes it home without Poseidon's interference. The movie on a whole does all its sex scenes tastefully, and this one could have been as well, unlike Rome and Troy where it is graphic sex for the sake of gratuitous sex.5) They might have thrown in Odysseus' conversation with Agamemnon in the underworld about being stabbed in the back by his wife, Klytemnestra, as it would help the drama when later Odysseus admits misgivings about Penelope's faithfulness to him to Athena. On the other hand, the scene in the underworld from the book is mostly a list of the procession of Persephone and the movie captures the most important parts of the chapter.Finally there are the sets. The boats are modeled after realistic triremes, and the paintings on the houses, especially Menalaus', are close to accurate. The layout of Odysseus' home complete with the Andron, and the women's quarters upstairs, and the bouletarion with Odysseus' throne shows that their set designer actually did some research (another trait often lacking in blockbuster films on ancient epics)All in all, one of the best examples of ancient epic/mythology in the media out. It stays more close to the original material, and anytone who is familiar with the work of Homer will enjoy it. Academic it may not be, but it is sucessful being entertaining as promised, but also telling the story as Homer probably wanted it to be told.