L'Odissea
Encyclopedia
L'Odissea was an Italian TV miniseries broadcast on RAI
(Italian state TV) in 1968 and based on Homer
's Odyssey
. An Italian, Yugoslavian, German and French (Radiodiffusion-Télévision Française) coproduction, it was directed by Franco Rossi
, Piero Schivazappa and Mario Bava
; the cast included Bekim Fehmiu
as Ulysses and Irene Papas
as Penelope
.
Each episode was preceded by an introduction in which Nobel prize-winner poet Giuseppe Ungaretti
read some verses of the original poem. The adaptation was quite faithful, apart the absence of the passage of the strait of Messina
and the encounter with Scylla and Charybdis
.
Special effects were designed by Mario Bava (who, in particular, directed the episode of Polyphemus
) and Carlo Rambaldi
. The show ran on television in Europe between 1968 and 1970: in the 1970s, it ran in U.S. markets beginning with a run on the CBS Late Movie in 1972.
RAI
RAI — Radiotelevisione italiana S.p.A. known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane, is the Italian state owned public service broadcaster controlled by the Ministry of Economic Development. Rai is the biggest television company in Italy...
(Italian state TV) in 1968 and based on Homer
Homer
In the Western classical tradition Homer , is the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, and is revered as the greatest ancient Greek epic poet. These epics lie at the beginning of the Western canon of literature, and have had an enormous influence on the history of literature.When he lived is...
's Odyssey
Odyssey
The Odyssey is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is, in part, a sequel to the Iliad, the other work ascribed to Homer. The poem is fundamental to the modern Western canon, and is the second—the Iliad being the first—extant work of Western literature...
. An Italian, Yugoslavian, German and French (Radiodiffusion-Télévision Française) coproduction, it was directed by Franco Rossi
Franco Rossi
Franco Rossi was an Italian film screenwriter and director, mainly known for having directed the six hour long Italian-German-British-Swiss TV mini-series Quo Vadis? in 1985....
, Piero Schivazappa and Mario Bava
Mario Bava
Mario Bava was an Italian director, screenwriter, and cinematographer remembered as one of the greatest names from the "golden age" of Italian horror films.-Biography:Mario Bava was born in San Remo, Liguria, Italy...
; the cast included Bekim Fehmiu
Bekim Fehmiu
Bekim Fehmiu was a Yugoslavian theater and film actor of Albanian ethnicity. He was the first Eastern European actor to star in Hollywood during the Cold War.-Background:...
as Ulysses and Irene Papas
Irene Papas
Irene Papas is a Greek actress and occasional singer, who has starred in over seventy films in a career spanning more than fifty years.-Life:...
as Penelope
Penelope
In Homer's Odyssey, Penelope is the faithful wife of Odysseus, who keeps her suitors at bay in his long absence and is eventually reunited with him....
.
Each episode was preceded by an introduction in which Nobel prize-winner poet Giuseppe Ungaretti
Giuseppe Ungaretti
Giuseppe Ungaretti was an Italian modernist poet, journalist, essayist, critic and academic. A leading representative of the experimental trend known as Ermetismo , he was one of the most prominent contributors to 20th century Italian literature. Influenced by symbolism, he was briefly aligned...
read some verses of the original poem. The adaptation was quite faithful, apart the absence of the passage of the strait of Messina
Strait of Messina
The Strait of Messina is the narrow passage between the eastern tip of Sicily and the southern tip of Calabria in the south of Italy. It connects the Tyrrhenian Sea with the Ionian Sea, within the central Mediterranean...
and the encounter with Scylla and Charybdis
Scylla and Charybdis
Being between Scylla and Charybdis is an idiom deriving from Greek mythology. Several other idioms, such as "on the horns of a dilemma", "between the devil and the deep blue sea", and "between a rock and a hard place" express the same meaning of "having to choose between two evils".-The myth and...
.
Special effects were designed by Mario Bava (who, in particular, directed the episode of Polyphemus
Polyphemus
Polyphemus is the gigantic one-eyed son of Poseidon and Thoosa in Greek mythology, one of the Cyclopes. His name means "much spoken of" or "famous". Polyphemus plays a pivotal role in Homer's Odyssey.-In Homer's Odyssey:...
) and Carlo Rambaldi
Carlo Rambaldi
Carlo Rambaldi is an Italian special effects artist who is most famous for designing the title character of the 1982 film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and the mechanical head-effects for the creature in Alien...
. The show ran on television in Europe between 1968 and 1970: in the 1970s, it ran in U.S. markets beginning with a run on the CBS Late Movie in 1972.