Film and Book Comparison

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 eyestabbing 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 sonTelemachus 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-homersthe-odyssey