The Return

Carried by the brilliant performances of its two leads, director Uberto Pasolini's view of Odysseus's return to Ithaca strips the metaphysical substance from the text, opting instead to present an historical drama. It lags a bit, at times; evidently it's difficult to excise the story's mythical imperatives without also gutting Odysseus's motives. But on the whole, the film is certainly compelling.