Homer’s The Iliad and The Odyssey are foundational works of Western literature, yet they are seldom adapted for the screen today. The Iliad was last made into a mainstream Hollywood blockbuster in 2004’s “Troy.” But you must go back to 1954 to find an equivalent for The Odyssey in “Ulysses” starring Kirk Douglas. Since then, The Odyssey has had some notable television adaptations: 1968’s Italian production “Odyssey” (with Bekim Fehmiu and Irene Papas), 1997’s American production “The Odyssey” (with Armand Assante, Greta Scacchi, and Isabella Rossellini) and 2013’s French production “Odysseus” (with Alessio Boni, Catherine Murino and Niels Schneider). After 70 years, we have another big-screen version in Uberto Pasolini’s “The Return,” a highly satisfying retelling of the ancient tale, given A-list luster by Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche.
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Pasolini has excised all supernatural and mythological elements from the story and zeroed in on the latter half of Homer’s epic, starting with King Odysseus’s (Fiennes) return to Ithaca 20 years after he set sail to participate in the Trojan Wars. His wife Penelope (Binoche) and grown son Telemachus (Charlie Plummer) desperately await him, as they are beset with a band of parasitic suitors intent on marrying Penelope and usurping the kingdom. Upon his return, the disoriented Odysseus assumes the disguise of a beggar as he attempts to get his bearings back. He then plots to eliminate the suitors and regain his kingdom and wife.
The Ithaca portion of The Odyssey has always been a crackling tale – it is compact as it is set in a single location, compressed – as it takes place over a few days, and suspenseful as it barrels towards its inevitable conclusion. The elimination of gods foregrounds human agency and elevates human stakes. “The Return” presents what must be one of the most faithful retellings of Homer on-screen. Every major incident and detail is present, recreated almost precisely as it is in the poem—including the famous sequence of Odysseus stringing the bow and shooting an arrow through a dozen axe heads. Pasolini even sticks to the Greek name for the character Odysseus rather than the Roman Ulysses, which is often used instead. With an engrossing 116-minute runtime, “The Return” could earn its place as a mainstay in schools. It will undoubtedly receive an R rating, but the nudity, violence, and language are nothing that couldn’t be handled by a 13-year-old with parental or teacher discretion. For mainstream audiences, it presents a highly accessible version – stripped as it is of any stuffy, musty period-piece trappings or distancing archaic language.
The well-judged production deserves some credit for that. Homer’s tales are set in the Bronze Age, a far cry from the cast-of-thousands, expensive spectacles people expect from historical epics. There are no palatial sets or overly elaborate costumes in the period-appropriate “The Return.” Instead, art director Julian Panuti emphasizes the simplicity of unadorned stone buildings, and costumer Sergio Ballo dresses the cast in basic togas, loincloths, and shawls. The male cast carries the sparse attire with unselfconscious ease, exuding a lived-in naturalness. Pasolini makes it a point to include various body types for a more historical appearance, though the modern gym-hewn look is hard to avoid among younger cast members. The bodies here are still a far cry from the excessively production-designed physiques seen in Hollywood fare.
Ralph Fiennes is magnificent in a role he’s wanted to play for many years. He brings forth the decades of weariness inherent in the part, the dormant warrior lurking beneath, as well as the craftiness Odysseus is known for. Close-ups of his sculpted face, lit by firelight, as he recounts tales of war have appreciable gravity. Fiennes deserves flowers just as much as Hugh Jackman in “Deadpool & Wolverine” for showing physical excellence at the advanced age of 61. He displays an impressively sinewy and shredded physique through much of “The Return,” including in an early scene of full-frontal nudity that functions as a purging of the past and rebirth into the next stage of Odysseus’ life. Though Odysseus is a reluctant aggressor, Fiennes uncorks fiery machismo and badassery in his action scenes that we seldom see from him.
Binoche is regal as Penelope and receives equal billing to Fiennes though the role hasn’t been expanded enough to accommodate a star of her stature. Plummer is plucky, though inscrutable, as a raging young man. Marwan Kenzari brings cunning and authority to Antinous, the primary antagonist. A host of supporting characters makes an impressionincluding Claudio Santamaria as Eumeas, Amir Wilson as Philetius, and Jaz Hutchins as Hippotasamong the faithful assistants to Odysseus. And Tom Rhys Harries the Pisanders, Jamie Andrew Cutler as Eurymachus, and Tired Bar-El as Elatus — fellow suitors aiding the antagonist. Angela Molina is ingratiating as Odysseus’ old nurse.
There is considerable talent behind the camera as well. Pasolini co-wrote the adaptation with John Collee (Peter Weir’s “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World”) and Edward Bond (Antonioni’s “Blowup” and Nicolas Greek’s “Walkabout”). The score is by Academy Award winner Rachel Portmanand the cinematography is by Romanian DP extraordinaire Marius Panduruwho has shot some of the most acclaimed films of the Romanian New Waveincluding “Police, Adjective” and “Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World.” “The Return” is frequently stunning, with exteriors shot on the Greek island of Corfu.
“The Odyssey” is perhaps the oldest revenge-slasher story. It is where the wronged hero goes on a killing spree in the finale to settle scores. Audience participation is often predicated on stringing together a series of outrages the antagonists commit to, making the audience root for their comeuppance. “The Return” is a bit staid and sedate when it comes to amping up the conflict; even the climatic slaughter is rather tame. Pasolini doesn’t have the same lust for gratuitous violence as many modern filmmakers and audiences. “The Return” is one of the few instances where we wish for more fiery blood and guts rather than less. Even so, this is a superior rendering of a well-worn tale. In its stripped-down aesthetic and sober presentation of the ancient world, “The Return” recalls Pier Paolo Pasolini’s “Medea,” and we have no doubt Uberto Pasolini’s namesake would approve. (A-)
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