Penelope & Circe: Portraying Fashion and the Two Women in Ulysses, 1954

In the light of the announcement that Christopher Nolan will be directing an adaptation of Homer's Odyssey, I stumbled across Ulysses, the 1954 Italian adaptation of The Odyssey, directed by Mario Camerini, Ulysses being the Latin form of the name Odysseus.

The film follows the epic journey of Ulysses as he and his crew struggle to return home to Ithaca after the Trojan War. He faces many challenges, including cyclopses, sirens and encounters with gods and goddesses, while his faithful wife Penelope awaits his return and fends off suitors who want to marry the queen of Ithaca.

It wasn’t the charming Anthony Quinn in the role of Antinoos or Kirk Douglas who played the role of the protagonist Ulysses caught my attention- although it’s evident that the short togas would make the heart of any fan of Paul Mescal's shorts skip a beat. My interest was captured by the eternal Silvana Mangano, who played both Penelope and Circe.

The actress took the burden upon her shoulders of portraying two different characters: this duality and range of hers sparked my curiosity to explore the film, especially through the veil of fashion.

Penelope: the faithful and loyal

Penelope, Queen of Ithaca and the wife of Ulysses, who waited 10 years for her beloved husband's return, symbolizes the power of loyalty and faith. Her personality can also be represented through the film's costumes. With her earth-coloured clothes, simple silhouettes and few eye-catching accessories, Penelope first appears in the film wearing a long, dark brown dress that blends in with the interior of her castle, as if she’s camouflaging herself. A dark veil is draped around her hair and shoulders as a sign of grief and mourning that her husband hasn’t returned from the Trojan War yet.

As the time passes and the people start to pressure Penelope to let go, her clothes begin to show more skin, becoming lighter in colour, and her veil becomes more transparent, though still covering her bare arms with the sheer fabric, showing that, willingly or not, she's beginning to prepare to marry another man in order to keep the kingdom of Ithaca functioning.

As the unwanted suitors are set to fight to become Penelope’s next husband, she steps out, wearing an elegant white gown with heavy gold accessories, and an opaque white veil, representing the end of her own journey as she awaits Ulysses return to her. Fortunately for both of them, Ulysses returns to Ithaca on the day of the planned battles and kills all the unwanted suitors who have entered his palace.

Circe: the seductive and enchanting

It is on Circe's island that Ulysses first sees her. She steps out of the cliffs to approach the man who has washed up on her island together with his crew. Her black veil hides her face, as if to disguise who she really is, masking her and making Ulysses think she's pure and innocent, when in fact she's a goddess who's turned his crew into pigs.

As Circe keeps Ulysses longer on her island, the veil is no longer on her face, as if the mask of her purity and innocence is no longer present and is now draped around her body in a seductive and mysterious way. Not only we witness some minor changes in her veil but she is also wearing a tight, one-shouldered, sultry dress embellished with crystals and pearls, as if she has drops of water on her body, a connection between the goddess and the nature that surrounds her on her island, Aeaea.

This sheer luxury, in contrast to Penelope's more modest, earth-toned clothes and simple silhouettes, suggests that she's higher up than the mortal Penelope, for Circe is a goddess, a minor one, but a goddess nonetheless.

Not only Circe's dress, but also her accessories, such as a headpiece made of pearls and a bracelet in the shape of a starfish, are an ode to the nature that surrounds her. The bracelet, in particular, does not let us forget her ability to turn people into animals, as she did with the crew of the Ulysses, turning them into pigs and leaving only him in his true human form.

Looking at the two women, you quickly notice that they both wear veils throughout the film. The veil often symbolises modesty, purity and mourning. Whereas Penelope's veils are darker and cover her up, making her appear to be hiding and keeping her modest while she waits for her husband to return, Circe's veils are transparent and drape around her body in a seductive way as she seduces Ulysses and keeps him captive on her island.

Fashion as Storytelling

The costume designer, Giulio Coltellacci, has beautifully interwoven the ancient Greek art of draping fabric with the elegance of 1950s fashion.

Both women represent power in their own way, Penelope the power of steadfastness and loyalty and Circe the power of seductive enchantment.

Although both women are portrayed by Silvana Mangano and both characters are opposites, the fashion of Penelope and Circe works its magic by having different styles that demonstrate their characters and their powers.

Mario Camerini was one of the first filmmakers to adapt Homer's Odyssey into a major film production, popularising the theme of mythological epics in the mid-20th century. It also set the tone for future adaptations of mythology on the big screen, such as the upcoming Christopher Nolan film.