16/14
To reclaim his family and all he has lost, Ulysses must rediscover his strength
Plot
After 20 years, Odysseus finally returns to Ithaca, where he finds his wife captured by suitors seeking the title of king and his son facing death at their hands. This is the third time Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche have starred in a film. They previously worked together in The Flying Heights (1992) and The English Patient (1996: How Men Can Find Their Way to War, But Not Their Way Home). Ulysses: For Some, War Becomes Their Home, Homer’s ODYSSEY, one of the greatest works of Western literature, has been retold on film many times and in many ways. It tells the story of Odysseus’ attempt to return home to Ithaca after the Trojan War.
He disguises himself as a tramp until he can reveal himself and act
From the very beginning, he is plagued by obstacles in the form of monsters, witches, mermaids, lotus eaters, cannibals, etc. Previous versions of this story have focused on the grand and sensational elements, most notably the 1954 film Ulysses, starring Kirk Douglas. (For this film, Ulysses was renamed Ulysses for unknown reasons.) This version is different in that it focuses on the human elements of the story, as Ulysses finally returns to Ithaca after 10 years of brutal fighting, only to find that his kingdom is in serious decline and his wife is at the mercy of thugs who are trying to marry him off to get his money and kingdom, since everyone thinks Odysseus is dead. They threaten to take her and Ithaca by force if he doesn’t choose one of them as his husband. After 10 years, Odysseus is unrecognizable and must assess the situation before he can plan his strategy to rid himself of these vile men who are bleeding his country and take his rightful place as king.
She gives a beautiful and complex performance
This is not a film full of CGI special effects aimed at teenagers; it is aimed at intelligent adults with mature emotions and rationality. The literary script by the late Edward Bond, John Collee and Uberto Pasolini is a pleasure to listen to, especially when delivered by top-notch actors. But much of the film has no dialogue at all. The actors play a lot with “subtext,” especially the brilliant Juliette Binoche as Penelope. Ralph Fiennes gives the best performance I have seen from him yet.
Fiennes quite early in the film)
Mr. Pasolini is also the director of the film, and he does a great job of keeping it focused and suspenseful. The cinematography is by Marius Panduru, who is wonderfully helped by the beautiful scenery of Corfu. The effective and understated soundtrack is by Oscar winner Rachel Portman. If these things bother you, I warn you that the film contains a lot of blood and violence, as well as some nudity (including a full-length Monty from Mr.
I hope it receives enough public support to encourage others to do the same
I am very grateful to the producers for having the courage to make a film aimed at intelligent adults.