Good Marco Polo shows?

Zaleukos

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Since my gf has Chinese roots I figured it could be interesting for her to learn more of this tale of east meets west, but I cant name any recent-ish movies or TV shows on the topic (I only vaguely remember a TV series from my childhood in the early 80s with a scene where Kubilai has a rebel executed by letting horses trample him to death).

Do you guys know of any productions that at least can be found with English subtitles? EDIT: That is productions that tell the story of Marco Polo's journey:) TV series, movies, mini-series, anything and of any budget is considered.
 
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If they're relevant, the only movies I can think of are :
The Once Upon in China movies with Jet Li. There are 5 of them.
The 1rst 3 are the best.

He impersonates Dr Wong Fei Hung. Very good kung fu movies...
Maybe not to your gf's liking.

Oh, and there's also Fearless with Jet Li. He plays the role of Huo Yuan Jia, here is the REAL one.

If I remember others, I'll let you know.

Hum, how about the Last Samurai with Tom Cruise?

Talk to you later.
 
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She loves Kung Fu movies (she grew up with them in Singapore), and is a huge fan of Jet Li! The Last samurai is annoying though.

But I was thinking about movies depicting the journey of Marco Polo.
 
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I'd like to read the original books/descriptions by Marco Polo himself ...
 
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I have a Swedish translation of what is supposed to be his diary, and if that is anything to go by he was a pretty dull writer. Essentially you have a chapter (1-2 pages) describing each region in a very sparse manner. It's a bit like reading lecture notes.

The obvious boasting and the belief that Genghis Khan is Prester John is entertaining though.

Here are some samples in English (on the Tartars) http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/mpolo44-46.html

It should be possible to find the complete version somewhere on the net, since the copyright holder died quite some time ago.
 
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If you and gf can stand a lot of blood-curdling details, I'd recommend a book called The Journeyer, by Gary Jennings. He also wrote Aztec. All his books are a bit sensationalistic(blood gore and gross out moments) but he nonetheless is a good writer and can bring history to life.
 
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Jennings could be interesting if we find the time for reading:) Looking at imdb I've identified the series of my childhood as a mini-series from 1982 with a fairly solid cast, but it seems to be out of stock with many online retailers. The other imdb hits seem worse.

I did however find this: http://www.subdvd.com/productView.do?prod_id=192832 but am somehow sceptical of the accuracy.
 
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Try Ebay!

"MARCO POLO" (1982) (MINISERIES) 3 DVD SET (OUT OF PRINT)

SPECIAL FEATURES:

Plot: The life and experiences of the 13th-century explorer, who sought to connect the civilizations of China and Europe through trade.

Starring: Ken Marshall, Burt Lancaster
Director: Giuliano Montaldo
Rated: PG
Language: English
Subtitles: Not available
Colour Mode: Color
Region Code: All
Audio: Digital

Hope this is what you're looking for!

There are a few of them for sale...
 
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unfortunately, the man is surrounded by far too much myth to be able to discern what's truth or fiction. for example pasta as old as 800 AD has been found in Italy, he didn't import from China first. Another story I heard had him bring chili peppers from China and that's why Italian and Spanish foods are spicy and therefore so is Mexican. Of course, meso-american people have been eating chilis long before 1492 so this too is bunk.

his biographer borrowed liberally from his own stories and they were completely discounted until the West learned more about China.

Nevertheless, I remember this TV Movie: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083446/ and it was a good watch.
 
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The Mexican chili pepper was new to me and is obviously nonsense to anyone:p Regarding the pasta there is a difference between claiming that he brought pasta (and some form of ice cream/sorbet) and claiming that he was the first to do so. After all he was "just" one in a long line of traders from the Italian city states...

Irregardless the myth is part of the greater renaissance myth that I'd like to introduce my gf to.

That -82 series seem like the only option and is likely the one I remember from my childhood. Not fond of Ebay I had the luck to find that some obscure Swedish online shop had a copy left:)
 
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