Here is information about some of the best and most noteworthy film adaptations of Homer’s The Odyssey:

The Odyssey

1997

Director: Andrei Konchalovsky

Rated: PG-13

This made-for-TV adaptation of The Odyssey features impressive special effects and occasionally includes accurate scenes, but does not provide a reliable account of the original work. (It even skips the scene with the tempting Sirens!) The film stars Armand Assante as a brooding Odysseus, Isabella Rossellini as a luminous Athena, and Vanessa Williams as a captivating Calypso. Frances Ford Coppola was the Executive Producer, and Director Andrai Konchalovsky won an Emmy Award for the film, for Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries or a Special.

Ulysses

1955

Director: Mario Camerini

Not Rated

The adaptation of Homer’s The Odyssey (Ulysses is the Latin translation of Odysseus), features some pretty cheesy special effects, but is still nonetheless a surprisingly literate version. Although condensed, the film stays mostly true to the spirit of the original work. Features impressive acting by the inimitable Kirk Douglas as Ulysses, and Anthony Quinn as Antinous, the most persistent of Penelope’s suitors.