jallen-4

Recommended to those who wish to see a medieval period story where good acting and action keep in balance. Not as 'heroic' as El Cid nor as 'stagey' as Beckett, more gritty then The Lion in Winter. Heston is very good. He is free of the burdon of being an historic hero. also very good in Will Penny.

Although I have not seen this mini-series in over twenty years I can still remember how the balance between character,plot and tale of marvelous adventures succeeded. The use of special effects was restrained making a more poetic rather than literal telling of the story. The two versions I've seen were dubbed (English and French)but the actors appear to speak their own language not just Italian so there is a synchronization problem. It does not spoil the story telling. Among the cast Irene Pappas as Penelope is the most recognizable to North Americans. Recommended to all followers of Odysseus' ever returning.