17/24
Odysseus: For some, war is home
Tale
After 20 years, Odysseus finally returns to Ithaca, only to find his wife held captive by rival suitors for the throne, and his son facing death. To reclaim his family and all he has lost, Odysseus must rediscover his strength. Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche have starred together for the third time in a film. They previously worked together in Wuthering Heights (1992) and The English Patient (1996). Penelope: How can men go to war but never return home?
It tells the story of Odysseus’s journey to return home to Ithaca after the Trojan War
One of the great works of Western literature, Homer’s THE ODYSSEY has been retold on film in many different ways. From the beginning, he is beset by obstacles: monsters, a sorceress, sirens, lotus eaters, cannibals, etc. Previous versions of the story have focused on the spectacular and sensational elements, most notably the 1954 film ULYSSES, starring Kirk Douglas. (In this film, Odysseus was renamed Ulysses for some unknown reason.) This version differs in that it focuses on the human elements of the story, when Odysseus finally returns to Ithaca after 10 years of struggle to find his kingdom in serious decline. and his wife, who has been betrayed by the men who are watching and trying to marry her to get the money and the kingdom, because everyone thinks Odysseus is dead.
But most of the film has no dialogue
They threaten to forcibly kidnap him and Ithaca if he does not choose one of them as a husband. After 10 years, Odysseus is unrecognizable and must assess the situation before he can devise a strategy to rid himself of these vile men who are bleeding his land and take his rightful place as king. He disguises himself as a vagabond until he can reveal himself and act. This is not a CGI-heavy special effects movie aimed at teenage boys; it is aimed at intelligent adults with adult emotions and rationality. The literate script by the late Edward Bond, John Collee and Uberto Pasolini is a joy to listen to, especially when narrated by top-notch actors.
She gives a delicate, complex performance
The actors deal a lot with "subtext" especially the brilliant Juliette Binoche as Penelope. Ralph Fiennes gives the best performance I have seen from him yet. Mr. Pasolini is also the director of the film, and he does a great job of keeping it focused and tense. The cinematographer is Marius Panduru, who is wonderfully helped by the beautiful locations of the island of Corfu.
Fiennes’ long, full Monty quite early in the film)
The effective and unobtrusive musical score is by Oscar winner Rachel Portman. In case such things bother you, I will warn you that there is a lot of blood and violence in the film, and there is nudity (including Mr. I am very grateful to the producers for having the courage to make a film for intelligent adults. I hope it receives enough support from the audience to encourage others to do the same.
