''In Search of Marco Polo'' is a Croatian documentary TV miniseries written and directed by Miro Branković.

Synopsis

By filming on the actual locations traversed by Marco Polo, the ''In Search of Marco Polo'' TV series brings to life the authenticity of the local peoples from the standpoints of ethnology,

historiography Historiography is the study of the methods of historians in developing history as an academic discipline, and by extension is any body of historical work on a particular subject. The historiography of a specific topic covers how historians ha ...

, culture and

economics Economics () is the social science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and intera ...

. It follows the exact route depicted in his book, ''

Il Milione ''Book of the Marvels of the World'' (Italian: , lit. 'The Million', deriving from Polo's nickname "Emilione"), in English commonly called ''The Travels of Marco Polo'', is a 13th-century travelogue written down by Rustichello da Pisa from st ...

'', documenting the peoples, customs and cultures along the way to bring into sharp relief the cultural differences within the

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...

n mainland. Viewers are introduced to their development, becoming familiar with three completely different and, to us, relatively unknown spheres of civilisation and religion—

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...

and

Oriental The Orient is a term for the East in relation to Europe, traditionally comprising anything belonging to the Eastern world. It is the antonym of ''Occident'', the Western World. In English, it is largely a metonym for, and coterminous with, the ...

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...

. The host takes us through regions and cultures that may seem exotic—and, at times, dreamlike—in our search for the evidence of Marco Polo's passage. Interviews with common folk bring to light amazing facts and tales of unfamiliar

customs Customs is an authority or agency in a country responsible for collecting tariffs and for controlling the flow of goods, including animals, transports, personal effects, and hazardous items, into and out of a country. Traditionally, customs ...

, beliefs,

craft A craft or trade is a pastime or an occupation that requires particular skills and knowledge of skilled work. In a historical sense, particularly the Middle Ages and earlier, the term is usually applied to people occupied in small scale prod ...

s, attitudes and value systems that have developed in Asia over the millennia. The series' depiction of these faraway lands is based on contrast. Magnificent edifices like temples or palaces are juxtaposed with the details from a masterfully crafted vase. The war tactics of the

Mongolia Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It covers an area of , with a population of just 3.3 million, ...

n army, the greatest military force of its time, are contrasted with the life of today's Mongols in their quaint

yurt A yurt (from the Turkic languages) or ger ( Mongolian) is a portable, round tent covered and insulated with skins or felt and traditionally used as a dwelling by several distinct nomadic groups in the steppes and mountains of Central Asia. ...

s. The closed

Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

(

Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...

) is compared with the opening of China. Each episode forms a whole connected by the thread of Marco Polo, with the entire miniseries linking not only Polo's travels, but the world's largest circles of civilisation (European,

n and

). Finally, the series explores the sensations of wonder and magic, which have changed little in the seven centuries since Marco Polo's time.

Awards

* Winner, Best Croatian Film, Zagreb Tourfilm Festival, 2013HRT - Tri nagrade serijalu "U potrazi za Markom Polom"
retrieved October 8, 2014 (in Croatian) * Winner, Best documentary Film, Zagreb Tourfilm festival 2013 * Winner, Best Cinematography, Zagreb Tourfilm festival 2013 * Discography Award '' Porin'' in the category for the Best album of original music for theatre, film and /or TV, Zagreb 2013 * Best Film Winner, Tourfilm festival Karlovy Vary 2013. * Golden Award Winner in the category of Culture & Traditions, International Tourism Film Festival in

Baku Baku (, ; az, Bakı ) is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. Baku is located below sea level, which makes it the lowest lying national capital in the world a ...

2013 * Best festival film, ITF'CRO-Solin 2013 * Second Award, Art Film Festival Telč 2014. * Special Mention, East Coast of Europe, Veliko Tarnovo, 2014. * Award "Silver Winner" in the category "History and Civilisation", Cannes Corporate Media and TV Awards 2014 * Jury Award, for the affirmation of values religious and cultural heritage, Jahorina Film Festival 2014 * Award for Best film for Television, Documentarts festival, Bucharest 2014Premii IFFEST document.art XXI, 2014 / The Awards of the Document.art XXI, 2014
retrieved October 28, 2014.

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, id=2646050, title=In Search of Marco Polo
HRT o 10. nagradi serijalu u Češkoj
(in Croatian)
HRT o Porinom nagrađenoj glazbi iz serijala
(in Croatian)
Music from the TV series on YouTube
Croatian television series Films shot in Croatia Films shot in Italy Films shot in Afghanistan Films shot in Turkey Films shot in Israel Films shot in China Films shot in Vietnam