Horror Movie Reviews
More Details...Price: $9.98 |
Title: Ulysses (1999) |
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Review of Ulysses
- This vintage Italian production of Ulysses is best enjoyed as Homeric adventure for kids. While The Odyssey is handled with admirable fidelity, you may suppress a chuckle when Kirk Douglas, as the titular Greek hero, speaks English and Italian, dubbing himself in English! Looking like a Spartacus wannabe, Douglas brings appropriate gravity to his classically mythic exploits. Having sacked Troy, Ulysses and his stalwart crew set sail for Ithaca, only to be delayed for a decade by such epic distractions as a giant Cyclops (a memorable highlight), the madness-inducing Sirens, and the deceptive Circe, who turns men into swine. Meanwhile, Ulysses's loyal wife Penelope (Silvana Mangano) is being wooed by suitors (including Anthony Quinn, fresh from Fellini's La Strada), making Ulysses's homecoming an urgent necessity. Resembling a Ray Harryhausen fantasy without "dynamation," this ambitious film boasts impressive special effects (for its time), and the kind of lavish sets and costumes that were once an Italian specialty. --Jeff Shannon
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Comments for Ulysses
- Posted on 2006-10-22
The resplendent rays of the myth!
Kirk Douglas was simply outstanding in this legendary epic saga of Ulysses; King of Ithaca, husband of Penelope: The script is based in the most relevant and emotive sequences of Homer's Odyssey; with magnificent special effects, the encounter with the one' eye giant, the mermaid's songs, the spelling of Circe in what we will find out one of the most expressive, gratifying and ethic confrontations, when Circe proposes him to be God and he replies: there are still major gifts, like to be born, to die and in the middle of the interval: to be a man!
An excellent recreation of Ulysses searching for his return to Ithaca.
Score: 5
- Posted on 2004-08-13
Kirk's conquest!
Yes--absolutely, I agree with other reviews that it is overdubed badly and that the ending reunion of Ulysses and Penelope is a "let's get out of here" finale. And yes, the young Rosanna Podesta is witless as the young princess who discovers the shipwrecked amnesiac wanderer.
However! This is a chance to see Kirk absolutely revel in his emotions, ranging the gamut from comedian (try amusing a man-eating Cyclops yourself, eh?) to a foaming-at-the-mouth grief-stricken sailor (tied to the mast as his ship passes the Island of the Sirens). Better yet, look at the rage in his heart when he confronts the suitors who have pillaged his home in his absence. Three cheers also for a very sexy Penelope--for whatever reasons it took, I would have faced all those monsters and tragedies to get back to her arms and bed too!
A final bonus for Anthony Quinn as the most bold and arrogant of the suitors--his acting was a needed support. Aww, go on and admit it--this film is fun for any middle school teacher who needs to put through the visuals of the Odyssey. Sure beats the lame excuse that Armande Asante did!
Score: 3
- Posted on 2004-06-12
This is a question not a review
Almost half of world population speak Spanish. Why do not you edit this clasic movie with subtitles (at least) in Spanish?
Score: 1
- Posted on 2004-05-27
Fun flick...I wish someone would dig up the original 3-D
Not many people know that ULYSSES was shot in 3-D, but it only released in flat 2-D form as the craze was over by the time the film was completed. I wish someone would try to locate the original 3-D elements so we could see this film as intended!
Score: 3 - Posted on 2003-08-16
Don't see it again!
...it looks better in your childhood memories! Keep it wonderful there!
Score: 2