Ralph Fiennes' The Return Made A Massive Change From The Odyssey, But What Was The Point?

When I first heard about The Return, Uberto Pasolini’s adaptation of Homer’s The Odyssey, I was excited to watch Ralph Fiennes take on the role of an aged Odysseus as he finally came home after the Trojan War and his 10-year quest to reunite with his wife and son. Then I finally watched the movie with my Paramount+ subscription and was shocked to discover that one of the major aspects of the text was completely missing from the film.

Though the whole business of Odysseus coming back to Ithaca to reclaim his throne after two decades away is still intact, and he still goes to great lengths to prove himself and save his wife Penelope (played by Juliette Binoche) from those despicable suitors, all mythological and fantastical elements are oddly missing. Honestly, now I’m trying to figure out the point of it all…

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The Return Completely Omits All The Mythology From The Odyssey

There have been multiple movies that radically changed the source material over the years, and The Return is one of the latest to deviate from the original. Going in, I had no idea that Pasolini’s take on The Odyssey would completely omit all the mythological aspects of the millennia-old tale of a king trying desperately to get home.

I knew the movie would focus on the final portion of Homer’s text, so I wasn’t expecting sirens, a cyclops, or even the lotus eaters. However, I thought Athena, Odysseus’ guide, or Poseidon, the primary antagonist, would at least be mentioned. Neither are, which is so strange.

While This Does Make A More Grounded Movie, I Don't See The Point

Leaving out all of the mythological elements of The Odyssey does make The Return a more grounded and realistic movie. Instead of being toyed with by the gods for 10 years after the end of the Trojan War, Odysseus’ long journey back home is left rather ambiguous, with the implication that his guilt of leading so many men to their deaths and severe PTSD brought on by the carnage of the decade-long war is what kept him away for so long.

While I do appreciate what could be seen as a more modern approach to the source material, and while the choice does add a great deal of gravity to the story, I can’t help but think: What’s the point? Why take a classic text like this and take away some of the core elements? Who is this for – people who have read The Odyssey and will be thrown off by the changes or newcomers who will be confused by all the holes in the plot?

Ralph Fiennes Is A Great Odysseus, So At Least There's That

I have problems with The Return, but I can’t wrap this up without at least talking about how great Fiennes is throughout this movie. His take on a beaten and battered king wracked with guilt and fear after leading his kingdom’s strongest fighters to their deaths and leaving his home on the brink of chaos is something to marvel at. I wouldn’t put it on his list of best performances, nor would I say it’s on the level of his turn as Cardinal Lawrence in Conclave, one of the top 2024 movies, but it’s still great.

The same can be said about Fiennes’ Wuthering Heights and The English Patient co-star, Juliette Binoche, who brought a great deal of strength and resolve to her portrayal of Queen Penelope. There’s a scene where the two finally reunite that is just so tense and engaging, I kind of want to go back and watch it again.

Would I call The Return a bad movie? No. It’s flawed and makes some choices I don’t necessarily agree with, but I’d watch Odysseus slay a bunch of greedy and horny suitors any day of the week.