Marco Polo

Chronicle. Colors. Feelings. Waters of events. Way. A young Venitian and essence of a wonderful universe. For my childhood, this movie was Wikipedia and cartoons in same skin. Images of far land and adventures of Marco Polo, smell of freedom and lessons about fundamental values are yet precious. It was more than a movie. Encyclopedia, trampoline, fairy tale, key to a form to know and feel, ingredient of escapes and show. One film for empathic travel, masterpiece in art to give elements from civilization and to teach science of dialog between different cultures. Ken Marshall is axis of an extraordinary trip. Ruocheng Ying is perfect Khan. So, a biographic movie is, in this case, a kind of palace, docu-drama and slice of delight in same time, in same measure.

This is one of the most beautiful mini-series ever filmed. The script was good, the casting was beautiful, the music was wonderful. When TV is good, it is very, very good! This is a jewel, savor it, play it again, and marvel at the wondrous world of Marco Polo.

...and it's a true shame this wonderful miniseries hasn't been reissued on DVD or even on video. I was fortunate enough to record it the one time it repeated on NBC (in 1984), and I recently transferred that copy to SVHS in an attempt to preserve it a bit longer. I really hope some day the studios will get their acts together and give this wonderful miniseries the legacy it deserves: on DVD.

Filmed on location, the 1982 version of "Marco Polo" must certainly be the most authentic representation ever made of the travels of Marco Polo. While viewing, it is ever so easy for one to astrally project into the film, thus becoming part of history. The cinematography was second to none. The score was hauntingly beautiful. The casting for each part was perfectly matched to each character, and each role was played at the peak of perfection. The mini series was evenly paced and seemed to hold the viewer spellbound for the next adventure. This film would certainly qualify as an educational tool for kids in junior high and above. I would love to purchase the series, but after years of searching, I have not located a seller.

Soon after finding out what IMDb was, only about a year ago, one of the first things I did was to look up Marco Polo in an attempt to find out something about this series on video. How surprised I was to find various contributors bemoaning the fact that they had not been able to track down any version of this magnificent production. For this is what Marco Polo – beware! 1982 version – is. A wondrous work of art; a beautiful piece of story-telling based on this medieval traveller's experiences as he followed the silk route caravans deep into Persia, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan and reaching China.

Although nearly twenty years old and with no way of seeing it again since then, memorable scenes from this tremendous production still come to my mind, accompanied by that glorious music – one of Ennio Morricone's crowning achievements. Haunting, exciting scenes, so beautifully filmed by Pasqualino de Santis you could almost smell the thronged streets and cooking turms, the obstinate camels and ragged beggars, and through it all one of the best scores to have ever been written for any TV series.

Oh, how I wish I had had VHS back in those days!

Superb directing by Giuliano Montaldo, who for me is a complete unknown, such that the acting is of the best to be seen anywhere. And what a surprise to see further down the list names such as Anne Bancroft, Sir John Gielgud, Burt Lancaster, Leonard Nimoy and even F. Murray Abraham, could you ever believe that?

Marco Polo in this production was a gigantic production by the Italian RAI. This superb work should be repeated, like any other great work of art; it should be made available on VHS and DVD; it should be shown in cinemas; this fine epic is not like Kleenex – to be used once and thrown away.

Some paltry excuse of copyright would seem to be the problem. But I argue that if other TV mini-series are repeated, why not this one? The only other magnificent TV mini comparable to Marco Polo that I can recall was 'Nostromo' (1996), another European co-production, based on Joseph Conrad's exquisite novel of the same name.

At last, now in 2005 I have managed to get this wonderful series on DVD: more than twenty years waiting for it!