Home: Finding Ourselves in The Odyssey (1997)

There have been many film adaptations of Homer’s epic poem “The Odyssey.” Most tend to be quite hammy (Ulysses (1954)), and others have loosely adapted it to tell altogether new stories (O Brother Where Art Thou (2000)), Spongebob Squarepants Movie (2004)). I revisited Andrei Konchalovsky’s adaptation, The Odyssey (1997) during the COVID-19 pandemic and was surprised to find this relic of the 90s so very heartwarming. With its direction and heartfelt acting, Konchalovsky’s The Odyssey makes accessible an ancient story of resilience, making for a modern comfort that reminds us we can heal from any difficult journey, and for all of us that’s the pandemic.

 Airing on NBC in 1997, Andrei Konchalovsky’s two-episode made-for-TV movie tells the story of the Greek soldier Odysseus (played by Armand Assante) who is forced to abruptly leave his happy life and family in Ithaca for the Trojan War. Upon his triumphant return home, Odysseus encounters bad-tempered Poseidon who derails the course of Odysseus’ life by sending him into treacherous waters for twenty years. Fast-moving scenes take us through Odysseus’ traumatic journey home.

 My favorite element of this film, and what makes it stand out over other Odyssey adaptations is how the narration enriches the film’s plot. Konchalovsky stated in 1997 that his goal for this project was to bring emotion to the film’s historically accurate nature, with influences of Greek mythology and set in Ancient Greece. It is clear that Konchalovsky knew the value of voice-over narration to bring emotion to the film’s story. Offering insight into Odysseus’ internal thoughts imparts feelings of compassion, emphasizing the psychological impact of traumatic events. I was reminded of stories I’ve heard about The Odyssey being applied in psychotherapy to help, for EG, combat veterans with PTSD. Elaborating on this concept, the film raises a question of memory and healing. Assante’s non-diegetic past-tense narration helps the audience reflect with Odysseus at the same time as the film unfolds in chronological order. This allows the audience to reach Ithaca with Odysseus as he simultaneously finds peace in himself, perhaps redefining “home” as not only a physical place but also a psychological state of healing. Psychologists say that the value of talk therapy lies in reflecting with others to impart empathy. In the opening scene, while Odysseus switches his gaze from his newborn son to warships ominously pulling up to shore, he reflects, “in that moment, our world would be changed forever.” I couldn’t help but think of the value of dialoguing and how reflecting with others about the pandemic (especially as we emerge from social isolation) could help empathize with each other and bring collective healing in the post-pandemic era.

Assante, an absolutely underrated actor, gives a charismatic performance. Grounded, confident, sincere delivery along with controlled gazes, pauses, body stance takes a melodramatic script and cheesy visual effects to heartfelt levels of human feeling without exaggerated yells, writhes, looks, etc. While the special effects have aged, some scenes are still effective due to overall great acting from all of the cast. 

The best scene uses fantastical puppets (by Jim Henson Creature Shop) to show Odysseus’ crew being terrorized by the horrible monsters Scylla (six-headed monster) and Charybdis (whirlpool). Great closeups of terrified Odysseus and his men impart feelings of anxiety, succeeding in conveying Scylla and Charybdis’ symbolism: choosing the lesser of two evils. 

 In those scenes I was reminded of scenarios during the pandemic where we often found ourselves anxiously stuck between a rock and a hard place (how in the time before vaccines, health workers necessarily made difficult patient prioritization decisions; essential workers with few safety nets were obligated to work while COVID-positive or else risk losing employment; and so on).

 The cinematography is beautiful, and creates surprising ways to reflect on home. One jarring scene in which Odysseus’ mother gracefully walks into the sea off the shore of Ithaca, drowning herself because she is overwhelmed by her son’s absence, wide angles of the sea and beautiful shots of surrounding nature in Turkey create an unsettling, thought-provoking reflection about the effects of isolation in the comfort of home. One of two sophisticated scenes of a lonely Penelope (Greta Scacchi as Odysseus’ wife) coping with the absence of her husband by essentially masturbating is drenched in deep hues of blue, rendering an insightful view of isolation.

“The Odyssey” is a story well-known for its universality. Konchalovsky’s goal to render emotion from this old classic tale succeeds in making his adaptation a modern comfort for current post-pandemic era viewers. If nothing else, The Odyssey (1997) is a fun nostalgic watch for Millennials or anyone who saw this in high school English.