Product: The Odyssey [VHS] (1997)
Rating: 5.0
Turns the ancient tale into real adventure!
I always teach a mythology unit to my students. I have taught Greek Mythology to 6th, 7th, and 8th graders and it always starts out a spider web of names and places until I show this movie. The director follows Homer's story so well (though some things are left out, but otherwise it would be a 5 hour film!) and sucks in the students immediately. There are never any side conversations during the movie as they gasp and scream their way through the entire film being scared by monsters and fascinated by heroic actions. My students are thoroughly entranced as characters and places come alive on the screen. I would definitely recommend this film to any teacher who goes through The Odyssey and/or the Illiad as it starts with a great portrayal of The Trojan Horse and the end of the war. It's so hard to find a film that really captures a novel or epic story that is showable in a classroom, but this one really nails it!