1982 - MARCO POLO

10 hrs

Ex P: Vincenzo Labella
P: RAI - Rediotelevisione Italiana
Dir: Giuliano Montaldo

Marco Polo: Ken Marshall
Niccolo Polo: Denholm Elliot
Matteo Polo: Tony Vogel
Kublai Khan: Ying Ruocheng
Prince Chinkin: Juichi Ishida
Achmet: Leonard Nimoy

Venice, 13th century. Thriving merchants sail the Mediterranean Sea and monks miscalling limited imaginations of people as “God’s limits”. The dark world of medieval times. After ten years of traveling at sea Marco Polo’ father, Niccolò Polo, and Marco’s uncle, Matteo, return from China. The religious rulers had declared them dead after some years, because no one could believe that someone could survive for so long being away from the area. He shows his son and his trusties treasures he’s brought and tells them of his experiences which are beyond the Mediterranean people’s understanding. It is the time of the great Kublai Khan ruling China. The Khan has send Niccolò and Matteo as ambassaors to the West offering peace and trade. But the bishop rejects the offer calling them barbarians and murderous savages. 

Niccolò Polo states that he went with a gold transport through China, the only time he was robbed was when they were back at “civilization”. He proceeds the great Khan’s request to send 100 priests to teach China about Christianity and learns that the new Pope, Tebaldo, who was chosen after the cardinals were quarreling for three years. Tebaldo did not have so many priests available and sends two brothers are send along. The Pope entrust a crucifix on Marco to be send as a present to the Khan. 

On their journey Marco keeps record of plants and animals he sees and draws detailed maps wherever they came through. They witness attacks by crusaders on a village and suffer extreme conditions on their way. Marco learns Mongol, Tibetan and Chinese from his father and his uncle. Marco’s life is endangered by illnesses, catastrophes of nature and attacks. After having overcome deserts and mountains, heat and cold, they are attacked by horsemen. These are stopped immediately when the father shows them the gold passport of the great Kublai Khan. They kneel down before them. The incident in a far desert is the first impressive demonstration Marco Polo is going to see about how immense the power of the great Khan is and how far it is known. They finally reach Kublai Khan’s summer residence in China. Though the Khan did not get the wanted 100 priests, he appreciates that Christianity is the only religion which turned an instrument of death, the cross, into something beautiful and the faithfulness of the Polos who have returned. 

Marco meets Prince Chinkin and is impressed by the magnitude and variety of dances, colors and music of Chinese celebrations in honor of their return. Marco becomes friends with Chinkin and is impressed by the great wall and the Forbidden City to which the Khan returned before winter. There he is welcomed by Achmet, the first minister, the most powerful regents under Khan. Achmet is a Saracene, a Moslem, called the Turk, who had full power over China when the Khan is absent from the city. He could dissolve land and offices and got heavy bribes from those who got them. He had 450 wives and took any women he wanted else, and so did seven of his sons. "During the day I am solving the Khan’s problems, at night it is for me to solve my own." Achmet Benaketi bows down before the Khan to lying on the ground and Kuublai Khan puts his foot slightly on top of his back to demonstrate he is back to reign. Achmet informs him about the richness of the southern region and about the defeat of the rulers there, leaving Empress Sie Chi as regent. 

Marco Polo is send to the South together with a translator. Before they leave they are told by Achmet that they should report to him any news. Achmet does not go for fairy tale stories about a man there who could change anything into gold, but he is interested in power structures. On their way they see the suffering of the poor people and discover that the south is not as rich as reported. They meet a poet who is publicly speaking about injustice in the country. They are caught and brought before the Empress. She knew the south would be defeated and Marco was send back advising the Khan to attack. When the Empress is brought before the Khan she is given a place amongst the members of the Khan’s family and Kublai Khan states that China is united in peace.  When the Khan discusses the plan to attack Japan, Chinkhin disagrees publicly. Achmet warns Marco that his life is in danger because rumors are that he is bad influence to the Prince making him go astray by ideas different to the Mongol culture and send him to the south as tax collector where he discovered the extend of the people’s poverty. 

Achmet received the presents from one of the rulers he’s put in charge of a southern region: About 10 virgins kidnapped from a village. From these he chooses the daughter of the poet who is shaken by fear. In spite of his high position close to the Khan he fears the Khan highly. Achmet has seen commanders being beheaded for failures after one word of the Khan. His life is in permanent danger and he is not protected by anything in front of the Khan. He chose not to inform the Khan correctly about the situation in the south because he wanted to produce good information.  His silencing of people worked. Marco has met a person who’s tongue was cut out.  The mother, wife and daughter of Chenchu, a commander, were dishonored by Achmet. This night the poet’s daughter is not only told: "Sing for me", -she does at first and ends up in tears,- but he enjoys his tremendous power by making her touch him, saying: "You do not dare to touch me," as if the petrified young woman wished to do so. When the Khan was absent again, Chenchu and a friend have Achmet been called pretending Prince Chinkin had arrived unexpectedly.  Achmet, fearing the Prince, rushed to the Throne where he does not find the Prince but is stabbed by Chenchu and his friend.  They took revenge for the injustice done to the people and the rapes of countless women, but were caught by the guards. 

After Achmet’s death the Khan learns about his abuses and that the poet’s daughter has taken her own life in despair and has his treasury added to his own and Achmet’s body dug out and given to the dogs. Chinkhin has died of his illness.  Now the Polos have been in China for nearly twenty years and with the death of Chinkhin Marco feels he should go home again. They made their way home for another three years journey.