Academics Discuss Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ Adaptation
12 reported
A group of 17 scholars, including Homerists, editors, professors, historians, and a dentist, attended a Thursday night showing of Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey" and later debated the film. Joel P. Christensen, editor of "The Oxford Critical Guide to Homer's Odyssey," said he was surprised by how many academics liked the film and noted it should be judged as Nolan's version, not Homer's. The film is the first feature shot entirely with Imax cameras, with over 95% of Imax 70mm screenings sold out for the first five weeks. Monica Cyrino, a classics professor at the University of New Mexico, said hundreds of academic articles have been published about the film before its release. Some online critics have argued that the castings of Lupita Nyong'o and Elliot Page are historically inconsistent, but academics focused on other issues. Christensen said he found the film "very conservative" regarding women's roles and interracial casting. Classicists generally did not object to production design anachronisms, with Christensen noting that "The Odyssey" itself contains anachronisms. Scholars diverged on Nolan's adaptation of Homer's language, with some criticizing the film for watering down the poem's morality and focusing more on spectacle.
What’s reported
A group of 17 academics attended a Thursday night showing of Nolan's "The Odyssey" and debated it afterward.
Joel P. Christensen is editor of "The Oxford Critical Guide to Homer's Odyssey" and attended with his wife, a dentist.
The film is the first feature shot entirely with Imax cameras.
Over 95% of Imax 70mm screenings have sold out for the first five weeks.
Monica Cyrino, a classics professor at the University of New Mexico, said hundreds of academic articles have been published about the film before its release.
Some online critics argued that the castings of Lupita Nyong'o and Elliot Page are historically inconsistent with the Mycenaean world.
Christensen said the film is "very conservative" with constrained roles for women and interracial casting of women of color married to white men.
Classicists did not care about production design anachronisms, according to Christensen.
Richard P. Martin, a Stanford professor, said there is no "correct" treatment of "The Odyssey" because every generation makes its own version.
Laura Slatkin, a Homer scholar at New York University, said Lattimore's translation often feels "archaic" for her students.
Justin Arft, a Homerist at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, said the film will generate discussion in the classroom.
Several classicists criticized Nolan for watering down the "sophisticated" morality of Homer's poem and devoting more time to spectacle.
Key figures
Joel P. Christensen, editor of "The Oxford Critical Guide to Homer's Odyssey"
Monica Cyrino, classics professor at the University of New Mexico
Richard P. Martin, professor of Greek and Latin literature at Stanford
Laura Slatkin, Homer scholar at New York University
Justin Arft, Homerist and associate professor at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Gregory Nagy, Harvard classics professor
Alonso Duralde, film critic
Clayton Davis, Variety's chief awards editor
Friedrich August Wolf, first argued in 1795 that Homer's poems were product of "the whole Greek people"
Alexander Pope, 18th-century translator
Richmond Lattimore, 1960s translator
Emily Wilson, translator
Sources: Variety
