Marco Polo (TV series)
| Marco Polo | |
|---|---|
| File:Marco Polo 2014 title card.jpg
Promotional poster
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| Genre | Historical Drama |
| Created by | John Fusco |
| Directed by | <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/> |
| Starring | <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/> |
| Theme music composer | Daniele Luppi |
| Ending theme | Altan Urag |
| Composer(s) | <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
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| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 10 + 1 special |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
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| Producer(s) | <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
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| Production location(s) | <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/> |
| Running time | 51–60 minutes |
| Production company(s) | The Weinstein Company TV Electus |
| Release | |
| Original network | Netflix |
| Picture format | 1080i (HDTV), 2160p (4K UHD) |
| Audio format | Dolby Digital 5.1 |
| Original release | December 12, 2014 – present |
Marco Polo is an American drama series inspired by Marco Polo's early years in the court of Kublai Khan, the Khagan of the Mongol Empire and the founder of the Yuan dynasty (1271–1368), in Khanbaliq (modern Beijing). The show premiered on Netflix on December 12, 2014.[1] The series was written and created by John Fusco and stars Lorenzo Richelmy in the title role with Benedict Wong as Kublai Khan.[2] The series is produced by The Weinstein Company. On January 7, 2015, Marco Polo was renewed by Netflix for a 10-episode second season, set to premiere on July 1, 2016.[3]
Contents
Cast and characters
Main cast
- Lorenzo Richelmy as Marco Polo.[2]
- Benedict Wong as Kublai Khan.[2]
- Joan Chen as Chabi, empress of the Yuan Dynasty,[4] the Khan's chief wife.
- Rick Yune as Kaidu, the Khan's cousin,[2] leader of the Chagatai Khanate.[5]
- Amr Waked as Yusuf,[6] the Khan's Vice Regent or chancellor.
- Remy Hii as Prince Jingim, the Khan's lawful son and heir.[2]
- Zhu Zhu as Kokachin, the "Blue Princess" of the Mongol Bayaut tribe.[2]
- Tom Wu as Hundred Eyes, a Taoist monk bound to serve the Khan.[2]
- Mahesh Jadu as Ahmad, the Khan's Minister of Finance.
- Olivia Cheng as Mei Lin, concubine of the late Emperor Lizong of Song.
- Uli Latukefu as Byamba, the Khan's bastard, a general of both the imperial army and the Mongol horde.
- Chin Han as Jia Sidao, the chancellor to the Song Emperors Huaizong and Duanzong, and Mei Lin's brother.[7]
- Baljinnyamyn Amarsaikhan as Ariq Böke, the Khan's brother, overseer of Karakorum.
- Pierfrancesco Favino as Niccolò Polo, Marco's father.
Recurring cast
- Corrado Invernizzi as Maffeo Polo, Marco's uncle.
- Tan Kheng Hua as Xie Daoqing, empress dowager of the Song Dynasty.
- Claudia Kim as Khutulun, Kaidu's daughter, a peerless warrior in her own right.
- Oon Shu An as Jing Fei, Mei Lin's friend, also an imperial concubine.
- Darwin Shaw as Sabbah, one of the Khan's tax collectors, reporting to Ahmad.
- Lawrence Makoare as Za Bing, Princess Kokachin's eunuch protector.
Production
The series was originally developed at Starz, which had picked up the series in January 2012.[8] After attempts to film in China failed, the project was released back to The Weinstein Company.[2] Netflix then picked up the series for a 10-episode season, for approximately $90 million, second to Game of Thrones.[9][10] The project was officially announced at Netflix in January 2014. Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg serve as executive producers and directed the pilot and second episodes, "The Wayfarer" and "The Wolf and the Deer", respectively.[11] The series was filmed in Italy, Kazakhstan, and at Pinewood Studios in Malaysia.[11]
Stuntman Ju Kun was scheduled to work the show alongside fight choreographer Brett Chan, but he is presumed dead with the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370.[12]
To prepare for her role as Chabi, Joan Chen read the book The Secret History of the Mongol Queens by Jack Weatherford, as she wanted her performance to reflect the culture of the time period.[13]
During his extensive research, show creator John Fusco traveled the Silk Road by horseback and also crossed the Ming Sha Dunes of Western China on camel. In Venice, Italy he sought out and studied the Last Will and Testament of Marco Polo.[14] While some Mongolian viewers and experts view it as "riddled with historical errors", many have praised the series. Orgil Narangerel, who played Genghis Khan in a BBC documentary, said it was more accurate than any previous foreign portrayal of Mongolian culture. "As a Mongol and an artist, 'Marco Polo' makes me feel like our dreams are coming true," he told AFP. "I watched all 10 episodes in just in one day.".[15]
Music
The series featured music by Mongolian bands Altan Urag and Batzorig Vaanchig of Asia's got Talent, who cameoed as a singer. Daniele Luppi composed the main theme, whilst Peter Nashel and Eric V. Hachikian are composers of the original score.
Reception
Marco Polo has been met with mixed to negative reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes the show holds a rating of 24%, based on 33 reviews, with an average rating of 4.7/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "An all-around disappointment, Marco Polo is less entertaining than a round of the game that shares its name."[16] On Metacritic, the show has a score of 48 out of 100 based on 21 reviews by critics, indicating "mixed reviews".[17]
In his review for Entertainment Weekly, Jeff Jensen gave the first season a "B−" rating, calling the premise "stale", but noted "Somewhere in the middle of episode 2, though, Marco Polo becomes surprisingly watchable. The filmmaking becomes bolder."[18] Writing for People, Tom Gliatto praised the series, calling it "...a fun, body-flinging, old-fashioned epic".[19] USA Today reviewer Robert Bianco gave the series 11⁄2 stars out of 4, noting "Clearly what Netflix hopes you'll see a [sic] big-bucks, prestige entertainment along the lines of that HBO fantasy epic, but in truth, Marco is far closer to one of those cheesy international syndicated adventures."[20] On March 23, 2015, the President of Mongolia Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj presented John Fusco and the Marco Polo creative team with an award, honoring their positive portrayal and global presentation of Mongolian subject matter. Fusco, himself, has described the series as historical fiction, based on the accounts of the Venetian traveler Marco Polo.
Episodes
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Season 1 (2014)
| No. overall |
No. in season |
Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "The Wayfarer" | Joachim Rønning & Espen Sandberg | John Fusco | December 12, 2014 |
| After three years crossing seas, deserts and the Silk Road, a young Marco Polo finds himself a prisoner of the great Kublai Khan. | |||||
| 2 | 2 | "The Wolf and the Deer" | Joachim Rønning & Espen Sandberg | John Fusco | December 12, 2014 |
| As Kublai Khan battles his warmonger brother for rule over Mongolia, Marco learns that justice in Khan's Imperial City is swift as it is deadly. | |||||
| 3 | 3 | "Feast" | Alik Sakharov | Michael Chernuchin | December 12, 2014 |
| Marco begins a dangerous relationship with the beautiful Blue Princess as tensions grow between Kublai and Xiangyang's cunning Chancellor. | |||||
| 4 | 4 | "The Fourth Step" | Alik Sakharov | Brett Conrad | December 12, 2014 |
| As war looms with the walled city of Xiangyang, Prince Jingim tests his diplomacy skills while Kublai questions Marco's allegiance. | |||||
| 5 | 5 | "Hashshashin" | Daniel Minahan | Patrick Macmanus | December 12, 2014 |
| Marco searches for the mastermind behind a murderous plot, while Prince Jingim weighs the risks of retaliation. | |||||
| 6 | 6 | "White Moon" | Daniel Minahan | Dave Erickson | December 12, 2014 |
| On the eve of an auspicious ceremony, Marco searches for the culprit behind the assassination attempted on Kublai Khan, even as a new one takes shape. | |||||
| 7 | 7 | "The Scholar's Pen" | David Petrarca | Michael Chernuchin | December 12, 2014 |
| Marco and Hundred Eyes take on a dangerous mission to infiltrate the walled city of Xiangyang, while its Chancellor struggles to hold on to power. | |||||
| 8 | 8 | "Rendering" | John Maybury | Brett Conrad | December 12, 2014 |
| When Kublai sets his sights — and his army — on the taking of the walled city of Xiangyang, Marco's allegiance is tested. | |||||
| 9 | 9 | "Prisoners" | David Petrarca | Patrick Macmanus | December 12, 2014 |
| Marco finds his fate in the hands of Kublai yet again. Meanwhile, behind the walls of Xiangyang, Chancellor Sidao sets his sights on regaining power. | |||||
| 10 | 10 | "The Heavenly and Primal" | John Maybury | John Fusco | December 12, 2014 |
| Marco's ingenuity — and loyalty — is put to the ultimate test when Kublai takes a violent and bold step in his quest to become emperor of the world. | |||||
Christmas special (2015)
| No. overall |
Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | "One Hundred Eyes" | Alik Sakharov | John Fusco | December 26, 2015 |
| A defiant warrior-monk arrives at kublai khan's court in chains and soon earns his tragic nickname in this 30-minute origin story. | ||||
Season 2
On January 7, 2015, Marco Polo was renewed by Netflix for a 10-episode second season.[3] The second series will premiere on Netflix on July 1, 2016.[21]
References
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