''Eneide'' is a seven-episode 1971–1972 Italian television drama, adapted by Franco Rossi from

Virgil Publius Vergilius Maro (; 15 October 70 BC21 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Rome, ancient Roman poet of the Augustan literature (ancient Rome), Augustan period. He composed three of the most fa ...

's epic poem the ''

Aeneid The ''Aeneid'' ( ; or ) is a Latin Epic poetry, epic poem that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Troy, Trojan who fled the Trojan War#Sack of Troy, fall of Troy and travelled to Italy, where he became the ancestor of the Ancient Rome ...

''. It stars Giulio Brogi as

Aeneas In Greco-Roman mythology, Aeneas ( , ; from ) was a Troy, Trojan hero, the son of the Trojan prince Anchises and the Greek goddess Aphrodite (equivalent to the Roman Venus (mythology), Venus). His father was a first cousin of King Priam of Troy ...

and Olga Karlatos as Dido, and also stars Alessandro Haber, Andrea Giordana and Marilù Tolo. RAI originally broadcast the hour-long episodes from 19 December 1971 to 30 January 1972. A shorter theatrical version was released in 1974 as ''Le avventure di Enea''.

Plot

Episode 1: The city of

Troy Troy (/; ; ) or Ilion (; ) was an ancient city located in present-day Hisarlik, Turkey. It is best known as the setting for the Greek mythology, Greek myth of the Trojan War. The archaeological site is open to the public as a tourist destina ...

is in ruins after the

Trojan War The Trojan War was a legendary conflict in Greek mythology that took place around the twelfth or thirteenth century BC. The war was waged by the Achaeans (Homer), Achaeans (Ancient Greece, Greeks) against the city of Troy after Paris (mytho ...

. One of the survivors is the demigod

, who escaped with a Trojan fleet. He arrives at

Carthage Carthage was an ancient city in Northern Africa, on the eastern side of the Lake of Tunis in what is now Tunisia. Carthage was one of the most important trading hubs of the Ancient Mediterranean and one of the most affluent cities of the classic ...

in North Africa, where the queen Dido asks him to tell his story. He begins by telling her about the

Trojan Horse In Greek mythology, the Trojan Horse () was a wooden horse said to have been used by the Greeks during the Trojan War to enter the city of Troy and win the war. The Trojan Horse is not mentioned in Homer, Homer's ''Iliad'', with the poem ending ...

. Episode 2: Aeneas tells Dido how he travelled on the Mediterranean Sea and visited

Delos Delos (; ; ''Dêlos'', ''Dâlos''), is a small Greek island near Mykonos, close to the centre of the Cyclades archipelago. Though only in area, it is one of the most important mythological, historical, and archaeological sites in Greece. ...

, where an

oracle An oracle is a person or thing considered to provide insight, wise counsel or prophetic predictions, most notably including precognition of the future, inspired by deities. If done through occultic means, it is a form of divination. Descript ...

told him to find the "ancient mother". He decided to travel west. Episode 3: After having heard Aeneas' story, Dido dismisses him. She is however fascinated by his search for the earth mother and cannot sleep. She tells him to go and find her in the land Hesperia, located in the north. Episode 4: Aeneas finds a community of Trojan survivors on an island. Juno instigates the Trojan women to set fire to the fleet, but it is saved by rainfall. Episode 5: Aeneas' mother

Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is often called Earth's "twin" or "sister" planet for having almost the same size and mass, and the closest orbit to Earth's. While both are rocky planets, Venus has an atmosphere much thicker ...

guides him to the underworld to receive strength from his father's shadow. The Trojans arrive at the

Tiber The Tiber ( ; ; ) is the List of rivers of Italy, third-longest river in Italy and the longest in Central Italy, rising in the Apennine Mountains in Emilia-Romagna and flowing through Tuscany, Umbria, and Lazio, where it is joined by the R ...

Latium Latium ( , ; ) is the region of central western Italy in which the city of Rome was founded and grew to be the capital city of the Roman Empire. Definition Latium was originally a small triangle of fertile, volcanic soil (Old Latium) on whic ...

, where a prophecy says that Lavinia, the daughter of the king Latinus, will marry a foreigner. Aeneas develops a bond with Turnus, king of the Rutuli. Episode 6: After advice from Latinus, Aeneas visits the inland, where an old Greek man tells him legends. Intrigues involving Lavinia and Turnus stir up conflict between the Trojans and the Latins. Episode 7: To solve the conflict, Aeneas challenges Turnus in single combat to the death. He wins and marries Lavinia. On his deathbed, Latinus bequeaths his land to Aeneas.

Cast

* Giulio Brogi as Aeneas * Olga Karlatos as Dido * Andrea Giordana as Turnus * Marilù Tolo as Venus * Vasa Pantelic as Anchises * Arsen Costa as

Ascanius Ascanius (; Ancient Greek: Ἀσκάνιος) was a Kings of Alba Longa , legendary king of Alba Longa (traditional reign: 1176 BC to 1138 BC) and the son of the Troy, Trojan hero Aeneas and of Creusa of Troy, Creusa, daughter of Priam. He is a ...

* Marisa Bartoli as Andromache * Angelica Zielke as Creusa * Ilaria Guerrini as Juno * Alessandro Haber as Misenus * Christian Ledoux as Palinurus * Jaspar Von Oertzen as Evander * Jagoda Ristic as Lavinia * Anna Maria Gherardi as Amata * Janez Vrhovec as Latinus

Production

Franco Rossi's 1968 television adaptation of

Homer Homer (; , ; possibly born ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Despite doubts about his autho ...

's ''

Odyssey The ''Odyssey'' (; ) is one of two major epics of ancient Greek literature attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest surviving works of literature and remains popular with modern audiences. Like the ''Iliad'', the ''Odyssey'' is divi ...

'' had been a success in Italy and elsewhere in Europe, and was followed by an adaptation of the ancient Roman author

's epic poem the ''

''. Like in Rossi's ''Odyssey'', Roberto Rossellini's television works and

Pier Paolo Pasolini Pier Paolo Pasolini (; 5 March 1922 – 2 November 1975) was an Italian poet, film director, writer, actor and playwright. He is considered one of the defining public intellectuals in 20th-century Italian history, influential both as an artist ...

's films such as ''

Oedipus Rex ''Oedipus Rex'', also known by its Greek title, ''Oedipus Tyrannus'' (, ), or ''Oedipus the King'', is an Athenian tragedy by Sophocles. While some scholars have argued that the play was first performed , this is highly uncertain. Originally, to ...

'' (1967) and ''

Medea In Greek mythology, Medea (; ; ) is the daughter of Aeëtes, King Aeëtes of Colchis. Medea is known in most stories as a sorceress, an accomplished "wiktionary:φαρμακεία, pharmakeía" (medicinal magic), and is often depicted as a high- ...

'' (1969) provided inspiration for the use of natural locations and sometimes intentionally anachronistic set and costume designs. The exterior scenes set in

were filmed in the Bamyan valley in Afghanistan, where one of the giant Buddha statues was used to represent an unnamed pre-Tyrian god.

Reception

''Eneide'' premiered on the Italian public television network RAI's channel Programma Nazionale, where it aired from 19 December 1971 to 30 January 1972. Like Rossi's ''Odyssey'' before and his '' Quo Vadis?'' in 1985, it was well received and distributed internationally. In 1974, a theatrical version edited down to 100 minutes was released in Italian cinemas as ''Le avventure di Enea'' ().

References

External links