# The Odyssey (1968)

> Odysseus struggles for years to return home to Itaka after the Trojan War in this eight-episode adaptation of Homer's epic.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/17921

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 8
- Episode runtime: 50 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: drama, adventure, fantasy
- Created by: Piero Schivazappa, Franco Rossi, Mario Bava
- Network: Rai 1, ORTF Télévision
- Cast: Bekim Fehmiu, Irene Papas, Renaud Verley, Roy Purcell, Marina Berti, Scilla Gabel, Barbara Bach, Juliette Mayniel
- TMDB rating: 8.4/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064750/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: epic, wistful, mythic, melancholic, adventurous

## Synopsis

The Odyssey (1968) is an Italian-French television miniseries created by Piero Schivazappa, Franco Rossi and Mario Bava for Rai 1 and ORTF Télévision. Adapting Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, it follows Odysseus, played by Bekim Fehmiu, as he struggles for years to return home to Itaka after fighting in the Trojan War. Irene Papas plays Penelope, the wife who waits for him at home, while Renaud Verley appears as Telemachus, the son searching for his father. Across eight 50-minute episodes, each stop on the voyage presents a new trial: encounters with sorceresses, monsters, and hospitable island courts that test his wits and endurance. The story moves at the pace of a classical epic, with stately dialogue and sweeping adventure. Its tone is mythic, wistful and sometimes harrowing, with battles and perilous journeys giving way to quiet longing. Set in the legendary world of ancient Greece, it is a single self-contained season built around the enduring theme of homecoming. Fans of Jason and the Argonauts, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Troy will find resonance in its blend of heroic adventure and ancient myth.

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