29/22
Odysseus: For some, war becomes home
Synopsis
After 20 years, Odysseus finally returns to Ithaca, where he finds his wife held captive by suitors vying to become king, and his son facing death at their hands. To win back his family and all he has lost, Odysseus must rediscover his strength. This is the third time Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche have starred in a film together. They previously worked together in Wuthering Heights (1992) and Engleski pacijent (1996).. Penelope: How can men find their way to war but not their way home?
It tells the story of Odysseus’ attempt to return home to Ithaca after the Trojan War
One of the great works of Western literature, Homer’s THE ODYSSEY has been told on film many times and in many ways. He is beset by obstacles from the start in the form of monsters, a witch, sirens, lotus eaters, cannibals, etc. Previous versions of this story have focused on the spectacular and sensational elements, most notably 1954’s ULYSSES starring Kirk Douglas. (For that film Odysseus was renamed Ulysses for some unknown reason.) This version is different in that it focuses on the human elements of the story when Odysseus finally returns to Ithaca after 10 years of hard fighting, only to find his kingdom in serious decline and his wife at the mercy of thugs who try to marry her to get her money and kingdom because everyone thinks Odysseus is dead. They threaten to take her and Ithaca by force if she doesn’t choose one of them as her husband.
But much of the film has no dialogue
After 10 years, Odysseus is unrecognizable and must assess the situation before planning his strategy to get rid of these vile men who are bleeding his land dry and take his rightful place as king. He disguises himself as a tramp until he can reveal himself and act. This is not a film laden with CGI special effects and aimed at teenage boys; it is aimed at intelligent adults with adult emotions and rationality. The literary screenplay by the late Edward Bond, John Collee and Uberto Pasolini is a joy to listen to, especially when performed by first-rate actors. The actors do a lot with “subtext”, especially the brilliant Juliette Binoche as Penelope.
She gives a refined and complex performance
Ralph Fiennes gives the best performance I have seen him give to date. Mr. Pasolini is also the director of the film and does a fine job of keeping it focused and suspenseful. The cinematography is by Marius Panduru, who is aided wonderfully by the beautiful settings of the island of Corfu. The effective and understated score is by Oscar winner Rachel Portman.
Fiennes quite early in the film)
In case this bothers you, I warn you that the film contains a lot of blood and gore, and quite a bit of nudity (including a long Full Monty by Mr. I am so grateful to the producers for having the courage to make a film aimed at intelligent adults. I hope it gets enough support from the public to encourage others to do the same.