If you are searching for an extensive course in ancient Greek mythology, there is perhaps

no better choice of reading material than the exciting epic poem “The Odyssey.”, which
is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. The details of
Odysseus’ heroic journey home from the Trojan War were kept alive through oral
tradition for hundreds of years before Homer ever set pen to paper—which means every
detail works together to weave a fascinating and rhythmic tale. Otherwise, if you are
seeking a visual form of the Greek legend, you can watch the film adaptation (1997) of
“the Odyssey” which is regarded as a made-for-TV miniseries. This adaptation features
impressive special effects and includes accurate scenes. The film stars Armand Assante
as a surprisingly terrific Odysseus. Frances Ford Coppola was the Executive Producer,
and Director Andrei Konchalovsky won an Emmy Award for the film, for Outstanding
Directing for a Miniseries or a Special. After reading and watching the epic poem and the
movie, we have noticed that there are several similarities and differences between the
two.

Basically, the movie Odyssey keeps many similar aspects in comparison to the epic poem
by Homer that includes the setting, characters, conflicts, main events, themes, Greek
mythological elements and the focusing on characters and heroism. Firstly, the Odyssey
was set in Bronze Age (approximately twelfth century B.C.E.); the Odyssey begins where
the Iliad ends and covers the ten years after the fall of Troy. The Odyssey takes place
most in the sea when Odysseus’s wanderings cover the Aegean and surround the sea
(Mediterranean Sea) and eventually end in Ithaca, in northwestern Greece; Telemachus
travels from Ithaca to southern Greece. Secondly, character personality traits and
conflicts are very similar between the book and movie of the Odyssey. For example,
Odysseus's character is very much the same in the book and movie because he is very
smart and witty in battles. He also has a problem with women along his journey back
home. Penelope is another character that is very similar in the book and movie. She is
very emotionally strong and patient in how she waits twenty years for Odysseus to return
and has faith that he is still alive. There are also similarities between the conflicts in the
movie and book. Odysseus still faces Scylla and Charybdis in his long journey home and
how Penelope's internal feeling of Odysseus being gone for so long is the same and many
minor characters. In addition, the main events in the poem are rebuilt in the movie such
as the miserably hard journey of the hero Odyssey returning home after the ten-year
Trojan War; Odyssey comes back to his homeland – Ithaca; Odyssey and his son -
Telemachus slay suitors and reunite with his wife – Penelope. Moreover, there are some
themes which are recognized from both the poem and the movie such as the power of
cunning over strength, the pitfalls of temptation, the tension between goals and obstacles,
the misery of separation, maturation as a journey. Furthermore, the Greek mythological
elements are portrayed in parallel in the poem and the film. The gods and goddesses
throughout the film and poem use their powers for many different and important roles.
Through Odysseus' journey, several of the gods play many beneficial roles in order to aid
him getting back to his homeland of Ithaca. The god Zeus seems to have the ultimate
power-the power to make the other gods do what he tells them. In comparison to the epic
poem, the movie focuses on the characters and heroism as well. Odysseus has the
defining character traits of a typical Homeric leader and a Greek hero: strength, courage,
nobility, a thirst for glory, and confidence in his authority. His most distinguishing trait,
however, is his sharp intellect. Odysseus’s quick thinking helps him out of some very
tough situations, as when he escapes from the cave of the Cyclops, or when he hides his
slaughter of the suitors by having his minstrel strike up a wedding tune in. He is also a
convincing, articulate speaker and can win over or manipulate his audience with ease.
When he first addresses Nausicaa on the island of Scheria, for example, his suave
performance, comforting approach quickly wins her trust.

Apart from the similarities, several differences can be recognized.

Comparing the book and the movie of the Odyssey, there are many new scenes added in
the movie or scenes that were completely cut out or changed. One of the scenes in the
text that was changed in the movie is the Lotus Eaters scene. In the text, Odysseus and
his men went to an island with Lotus Eaters while in the movie, the lotus blossoms were
given by Circe which made him and his men stay longer with Circe for five years. That is
also different from the text because in the text, Odysseus and his men only stayed with
Circe for a year, not five years.

The first major difference is the fighting between Odysseus and Polyphemus –the
Cyclops. Foremost, there is a difference about the time when Odysseus and his men are
in the cave. In the epic poem, Odysseus and his men wait in the cave for one full night
before striking. In other words, they stayed in the cave for one night and one morning
until Cyclops returned the next day. In the movie, however, the entire event of the eye-
stabbing and escaping happened within the same night.

Also, the number of the crew attacked by the Cyclops is different. Only two men are
devoured in the movie when in the poem, six are. The first two are sacrificed in the first
evening, two more for breakfast, and two more for the following evening when Odysseus
plans his escape. Cyclops in the movie also does not let any of his sheep into his cave,
and therefore, Odysseus and his men do not escape like the way they do in the book- by
riding on the belly of one sheep chained to two other ships. In the movie, he escapes by
putting sheep fur on top of his body. Cyclops, of course, do not touch any of the sheep's
head the way he touches it in the poem. The director seems to limit horrid and creepy
scenes. Thus, there are just two men are devoured, and four men to stab the eye of the
Cyclops. Whereas, in the original text, we can witness fierceness as well as barbarity of
the Cyclops when there are six men devoured.

Moreover, the appearing of the Cyclops in the film and the book differs. In the poem,
with writer’s pen, readers can recognize that he comes in the cave with a huge load of dry
firewood to light the fire for his meal. When finishing his meal, he rolls the huge stone to
the mouth of the cave and then he realizes the presence of the strangers. However, in the
movie, the Cyclops comes to the cave without caring anything, and discovers
immediately Odysseus and his men. Another difference is the people five people take part
in destroying Cyclops’s eye. Specifically, four men are chosen by lot and Odysseus
makes himself five. Finally, when Odysseus and his comrades escape the jaws of death,
in the book, the men then take the sheep with them, whereas in the movie, they just leave,
and taunt Poseidon on the way. Also, in the book, the story of the Cyclops ends at night,
where Polyphemus "stretched his hands out in his darkness toward the sky of stars", and
in the movie, it is seen as daylight

The fact that Odysseus returned his homeland-Ithaca also has several differences. The
movie is shortened once more time. With full of emotion, Odysseus reminds his son-
Telemachus about what he does when Telemachus is a little. They embraced joyfully.
With the help of Athena, Odysseus becomes a beggar and his son takes him to come back
their house without difficulty in the street. However, in the poem, Homer makes
Odysseus get troubles. He goes to town with a swineherd - Eumaeus. When they come to
the fountain, they encounter Melanthius who insults Odysseus with unseemly saying and
sniffy attitude. The writer seems to want readers to know how patient and endurable
Odysseus was when he let Melanthius attack Odysseus with a kick on the hip.. Beside
that, fighting of suitors in Ulysses’s house are completely different. In the screen, the
audience witness a fight between Telemachus and Antinous. Throughout this
fight,Telemachus seemed to be more mature and also brave, and learned how to endure
like his father.In contrast,in the poem, the fight happened between Ulysses and Irus.With
this fight, Ulysses could have an opportinity to work off his spleen.Apprantely,he
defeated his opponent successively. Once more the fact that is worth mentioning.
Odysseynot only was gibed by suitors but also by maids in his house. All of them
considered him as a old begger,they uttered outrageous words.Nonetheless,this does not
appear in the screen.Futhermore, in the movie,the number of suitors decreased, and when
Ulysseskilled them,he closed the door. However, this was not mention in the poem.In
exactly number,there were 108 suitors,Finally, the difference happened with the reunion
of Ulysses and his wife.Penelope did not give any task for Ulysses in recogizing each
other in the screen. This is opposite, in the poem Ulysses had to tell about the secret of
the bed,his wife still accepted.

The third major difference between the movie and the epic poem is that in the movie the
suitors treat Penelope horribly while in the epic they treat her better. Penelope’s suitors
wear out their welcome in her palace and she wants them to leave but they will not. In the
epic the suitors tried to get on Penelope’s good side to become her new husband and to
become king. Penelope and Telemachus are both treated with disrespect when it comes to
the suitors.

The narrative of the poem and the movie is recognizably different. In the movie, the story
is told from the very beginning as Penelope gives birth to Telemachus and Odysseus is
about to depart for the Troy war. After that, he returns her hometown with obstacles on
the rough journey home and has a family reunion. The set of events is following a
chronological structure. However, in epic poem, the story is set as Odysseus is being
trapped in the nymph’s island Calypso when some of events are done such as the Troy
war, the fight with the Cyclops, the staying with Circe.
We and other friends just read the Odyssey together and this film was such a wonderful
visualization! The settings, the sea, the magical gods' voices and appearances were
absorbing and credible. We especially enjoyed the costuming; we see frozen images of
people in ancient Greek dress but they moved with the wearers, just as our clothes do,
and they helped create a very sensual impression of ancient Greek life. Although the
interiors were a little bare, they were believable too and we enjoyed the colors and
paintings that gave life to otherwise stony buildings . One of my favorite scenes would be
the Cyclopes scene because it demonstrated very well how the Cyclopes are and their
way of living and how Odysseus tricks the Cyclopes by telling him his name is Nobody.
The actors were also believable, especially Assant as Odysseus, conveying both drama
and excitement. If there is a problem with this film, it is that by cutting out some of the
rituals, travel, adventures and takes away much of the scale, grandeur and 'epic'ness of it
all. However, altogether this is a fabulous film ever!

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118414/reviews
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Story_of_Film:_An_Odyssey
http://www.emlynchand.com/2010/12/book-review-the-odyssey-by-homer/
http://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/o/the-odyssey/study-help/film-versions-of-homers-
the-odyssey