The Odyssey – Lichtspielkino Bamberg

The premiere of the hydrographic multimedia slide show “The Odyssey” by Thomas Michel takes place at the Lichtspielkino Bamberg. The work comprises more than 150 single pictures, which recount Homer’s Odyssey of Ulysses with crossfade technology.

During his odyssey Ulysses ends up on the islands of ancient Greece, populated by mythological creatures and accompanied by miraculous signs of the gods. Visionary worlds emerge in the scenic alternation of day and night, voyage and stopover, sea, earth and sky. An entire cosmos emerges, that exists only as projection, in this respect the Odyssey is also a journey to the beginnings of cinema: to the optical wonder world of the Laterna Magica. Orchestral sounds by Rimsky-Korsakow to Philip Glass accompany the performance. Subsequently an exhibition opening with prints of the projected pictures will take place in the cinema foyer of the Lichtspielkino. 11.05.1997

The Lichtspielkino Bamberg ranks among the best arthouse cinemas of Germany and is frequently awarded national and international prizes, amongst others by the Bundeskulturministerium, the FilmFernsehFond Bayern and the European Commission in Brussels. Also the premiere of the multimedia slide show ”Pictures at an Exhibition” was presented at the Lichtspielkino.

The excerpts below from Homer’s ”Iliad” and ”The Odyssey” are taken from the translations by Samuel Butler.

TROY

When they were got together in one place shield clashed with shield and spear with spear in the rage of battle. The bossed shields beat one upon another, and there was a tramp as of a great multitude – death-cry and shout of triumph of slain and slayers, and the earth ran red with blood. As torrents swollen with rain course madly down their deep channels till the angry floods meet in some gorge, and the shepherd the hillside hears their roaring from afar – even such was the toil and uproar of the hosts as they joined in battle.

Iliad, Book IV

THE LOTUS-EATERS

They started at once, and went about among the Lotus-eaters, who did them no hurt, but gave them to eat of the lotus, which was so delicious that those who ate of it left off caring about home, and did not even want to go back and say what had happened to them, but were for staying and munching lotus with the Lotus-eater without thinking further of their return; nevertheless, though they wept bitterly I forced them back to the ships and made them fast under the benches. Then I told the rest to go on board at once, lest any of them should taste of the lotus and leave off wanting to get home, so they took their places and smote the grey sea with their oars.

The Odyssey, Book IX

THE ISLAND OF THE CYCLOPES

As a blacksmith plunges an axe or hatchet into cold water to temper it – for it is this that gives strength to the iron – and it makes a great hiss as he does so, even thus did the Cyclops’ eye hiss round the beam of olive wood, and his hideous yells made the cave ring again. We ran away in a fright, but he plucked the beam all besmirched with gore from his eye, and hurled it from him in a frenzy of rage and pain, shouting as he did so to the other Cyclopes who lived on the bleak headlands near him;

The Odyssey, Book IX

AEOLUS

Thus they talked and evil counsels prevailed. They loosed the sack, whereupon the wind flew howling forth and raised a storm that carried us weeping out to sea and away from our own country. Then I awoke, and knew not whether to throw myself into the sea or to live on and make the best of it; but I bore it, covered myself up, and lay down in the ship, while the men lamented bitterly as the fierce winds bore our fleet back to the Aeolian island.

The Odyssey, Book X

CIRCE

My poor unhappy man, whither are you going over this mountain top, alone and without knowing the way? Your men are shut up in Circe’s pigsties, like so many wild boars in their lairs. You surely do not fancy that you can set them free? I can tell you that you will never get back and will have to stay there with the rest of them. But never mind, I will protect you and get you out of your difficulty. Take this herb, which is one of great virtue, and keep it about you when you go to Circe’s house, it will be a talisman to you against every kind of mischief.

The Odyssey, Book X

THE LAESTRYGONIANS

But Antiphates raised a hue and cry after them, and thousands of sturdy Laestrygonians sprang up from every quarter – ogres, not men. They threw vast rocks at us from the cliffs as though they had been mere stones, and I heard the horrid sound of the ships crunching up against one another, and the death cries of my men, as the Laestrygonians speared them like fishes and took them home to eat them. While they were thus killing my men within the harbour I drew my sword, cut the cable of my own ship, and told my men to row with alf their might if they too would not fare like the rest;

The Odyssey, Book X

THE REALM OF SHADES

When you shall have thus besought the ghosts with your prayers, offer them a ram and a black ewe, bending their heads towards Erebus; but yourself turn away from them as though you would make towards the river. On this, many dead men’s ghosts will come to you, and you must tell your men to skin the two sheep that you have just killed, and offer them as a burnt sacrifice with prayers to Hades and to Proserpine. Then draw your sword and sit there, so as to prevent any other poor ghost from coming near the split blood before Teiresias shall have answered your questions.

The Odyssey, Book X

THE SIRENS

First you will come to the Sirens who enchant all who come near them. If any one unwarily draws in too close and hears the singing of the Sirens, his wife and children will never welcome him home again, for they sit in a green field and warble him to death with the sweetness of their song. There is a great heap of dead men’s bones lying all around, with the flesh still rotting off them. Therefore pass these Sirens by, and stop your men’s ears with wax that none of them may hear;

The Odyssey, Book XII

BETWEEN SCYLLA AND CHARYBDIS

[A large fig tree in full leaf grows upon it], and under it lies the sucking whirlpool of Charybdis. Three times in the day does she vomit forth her waters, and three times she sucks them down again; see that you be not there when she is sucking, for if you are, Neptune himself could not save you; you must hug the Scylla side and drive ship by as fast as you can, for you had better lose six men than your whole crew. ‘Is there no way,’ said I, ‘of escaping Charybdis, and at the same time keeping Scylla off when she is trying to harm my men?’

The Odyssey, Book XII

THE ISLAND OF THE SUN-GOD

As soon as I got down to my ship and to the sea shore I rebuked each one of the men separately, but we could see no way out of it, for the cows were dead already. And indeed the gods began at once to show signs and wonders among us, for the hides of the cattle crawled about, and the joints upon the spits began to low like cows, and the meat, whether cooked or raw, kept on making a noise just as cows do. For six days my men kept driving in the best cows and feasting upon them, but when Jove the son of Saturn had added a seventh day, the fury of the gale abated;

The Odyssey, Book XII

THE WRATH OF ZEUS

The mast fell upon the head of the helmsman in the ship’s stern, so that the bones of his head were crushed to pieces, and he fell overboard as though he were diving, with no more life left in him. Then Jove let fly with his thunderbolts, and the ship went round and round, and was filled with fire and brimstone as the lightning struck it. The men all fell into the sea; they were carried about in the water round the ship, looking like so many sea-gulls, but the god presently deprived them of all chance of getting home again.

The Odyssey, Book XII

CALYPSO

I hope they will be all henceforth cruel and unjust, for there is not one of his subjects but has forgotten Ulysses, who ruled them as though he were their father. There he is, lying in great pain in an island where dwells the nymph Calypso, who will not let him go; and he cannot get back to his own country, for he can find neither ships nor sailors to take him over the sea.

The Odyssey, Book V

POSEIDON’S REVENGE