How sad is this?

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Excellent but underrated film

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

I originally saw it in Europe in the early 1980s. It was longer. There was a whole episode just about the plague in Hormuz which was mostly cut out in the American version.But it's still a great series. Very realistic and authentic compared to most series produced in these days.

I saw this 1982 miniseries on the famous medieval Venetian explorer of the Far East as a teenager and I loved it. The great story of Marco Polo done in this international co production with a great cast, great locations (in Italy, Morocco and Inner Mongolia in China), great historical reconstruction of the era, great storytelling, faithfulness to the original material. The little known actor Kenneth Marshall stars as Marco Polo. Denholm Elliot is his father Niccolo. Anne Bancroft is his mother. John Gielgud has a cameo as the Doge of Venice. Burt Lancaster is Pope Gregory X. Despite its many virtues, this miniseries has become quite hard to find and it is not usually aired on TV on reruns.

this mini-series opened the door to China at a time when it was still a very mysterious empire - unknown to foreign eyes, much like the China it was depicting. And so we share Marco Polo's wonder at the natural beauty, his intrigue with the local customs, and his amazement that something so new and different come from people who deep down are the same as he is.Cinematography is great. Can't rave about it enough. The mountains, the plains, the palace, the river are all beautifully shown. Somebody put a lot of time, effort and money into this and it shows.The story can get a little drawn out in parts but on the whole it is well paced.Acting: Ken Marshall seems to grow up before our very eyes. He does such an amazing job that it makes you wonder why he didn't become a big star. Leonard Nimoy is oddly cast and his presence is more distracting than anything.8.5/10

This is one of the better Mini series to be put forth by made for t.v series, showing when t.v. studio production gets it right they get it right. If anyone knows where I can locate a video copy of this please let me know. It's a exquisite story based on the true life adventures and experiences of Marco Polo the Venetian explorer and traveler. It spell binds you to the true life adventures and times of Marco Polo. You are made aware of the intrigues both politcal and as well as economic that send Marco Polo on this long journey. You feel the horror, terror and devastation that the black plague brings to a Middle Eastern port city where death seems to abound around every corner. You feel the majesty and the pageantry of the Great Khan's court and the simple humanity of friendship, expressed between two human beings from different worlds, the Great Khan and Marco Polo. You see Leonard Nimoy in his in between days of Star Trek the t.v. series and the Star Trek bigscreen productions; as Ahmet the evil Muslim administrator in the court of the Great Khan who trys to destroy Marco Polo because he's a rising star in the court of the Great Khan. This is one panoramic, cinemagraphic feast for the eyes truly a miniseries masterpiece and I don't say that lightly. This production could easily serve as historic docu-drama of the life and times of Marco Polo it entertains as well as educates. NBC the originating broadcaster needs to dig into there vaults and dust this one off and let a new generation experience the passion, the majesty and the adventure that is Marco Polo.