Marco Polo (1982 TV series)

Marco Polo
Poster of Marco Polo
Poster of Marco Polo
GenreDrama, History
Written byDavid Butler
Vincenzo Labella
Giuliano Montaldo
Directed byGiuliano Montaldo
StarringKenneth Marshall
Denholm Elliott
Tony Vogel
F. Murray Abraham
Anne Bancroft
John Gielgud
John Houseman
Burt Lancaster
Tony Lo Bianco
Ian McShane
Leonard Nimoy
David Warner
James Hong
Ying Ruocheng
ComposerEnnio Morricone
Country of originUnited States
Italy
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes8[contradictory]
Production
Executive producersGiovanni Bertolucci
Franco Cristaldi
Vincenzo Labella
ProducerVincenzo Labella
Production locationsChina
Italy
Mongolia
Morocco
CinematographyPasqualino De Santis
EditorJohn A. Martinelli
Running time545 min.
Production companyVides Cinematografica

RAI Radiotelevisione Italiana National Broadcasting Company (NBC) Procter & Gamble Productions (PGP)

Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS)
Original release
NetworkNBC
RAI
ReleaseMay 16 (1982-05-16) –
May 19, 1982 (1982-05-19)
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

Marco Polo is a 1982 American-Italian television miniseries originally broadcast by NBC in the United States and by RAI in Italy. It stars Kenneth Marshall as Marco Polo, the 13th-century Venetian merchant and explorer. The series also features appearances by Denholm Elliott, Anne Bancroft, John Gielgud, Burt Lancaster, Ian McShane, Leonard Nimoy, and others. It was originally broadcast in four episodes,[contradictory] where episodes 1 and 4 were twice as long as episodes 2 and 3. The series is sometimes divided into six equally long episodes.[contradictory]

Set in the 13th century, the series follows the adventures of Marco Polo, who departs with his father and his uncle to China. His journey through Asia lasts three and a half years and leads him through barren deserts and vast steppes. Marco spends several years in Beijing as a guest of the Great Khan, earning the trust of and respect from the Emperor.