Episode: Homer Bound

Christopher Nolan has another blockbuster hit in theaters — and has ignited the pop culture controversy of the year with his interpretation of The Odyssey. To move beyond the visual spectacle and online hysterics, James, Steve and Charles are joined by Titus Techera of The American Cinema Foundation for a discussion on the Homeric epic, the visionary Nolan, and the thunderous debate over ancient and modern morality.

Plus, the trio stay on theme for a chat about the legacies of a few beloved 20th-century filmmakers before moving on to the sci-fi military tech that's become a reality on the battlefield in Eastern Europe.

(Follow Titus on X and subscribe to the PoMoCon Substack.)

This week’s opening sound: Lupita Nyong’o on playing Helen of Troy (courtesy of Discussing Film) and Victor Davis Hanson on the role on the Daily Signal

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Brian Watt@BrianWatt11w

If Nolan wanted to make a Christianized version of The Odyssey he could have set it in a Christian time period, perhaps the Middle Ages which would have made more sense. That way the lack of the Greek gods intervening and interacting with the human characters would have been more plausible. Heck, the Coen Brothers pulled it off quite well in "O' Brother Where Art Though?".

Unfortunately the PTSD that Nolan's Odysseus is racked with and his guilt at having created the Trojan Horse and his role in laying waste to the city of Troy has nothing to do with the Homer's depiction of Odysseus and is a complete, almost 180 degree version of the character.

There are numerous issues that have been articulated by those who have endured the slog of this film. Critical Drinker, the film critic hosted a podcast with 5 other gentlemen who saw the film and at least two of whom were very familiar with Homer's Iliad and Odyssey. If memory serves, they spent the over an hour eviscerating the Nolan film. Unfortunately, the video only aired live on YouTube but may be behind a paywall on Critical Drinker's Patreon website.

There is still a question of what happened to Achilles in the Underworld and whether Nolan changed Ellen Page's character from Achilles to Sinon (a character not in The Odyssey) because of pre-release leaks and the blowback that ensued when she was thought to have been cast as Achilles.

The casting choice of Lupita Nyong'o as Helen is more problematic than just her race or skin color but Nolan's rewriting again of the Homeric epic. In Homer's version, after the siege of Troy, Menelaus takes Helen back and they reconcile. He never abuses her or disfigures her. But in the Nolan film - mean white Menelaus scars black Helen. Anyone see an issue with this? I mean can't we all get along?

Finally, there's the issue of the American vernacular as spoken by the cast. Nolan made it a point to stress that he didn't want an orchestral score for the film because symphony orchestras wouldn't have existed back in Homer's time. Yet cast members using American vernacular was fine apparently.

There are numerous other issues with the film and I could probably take up several pages of comments with more thorough comments from folks on X or from other publications but I'll spare you all.

I really don't care how much money this movie makes or how many awards it's given. From everything I've heard or read about it, it sounds truly mediocre and in many scenes unintentionally laughable...so, I'll be giving it a miss.

There is word that's been confirmed by Elon Musk that he's happy to give Mel Gibson $100 Million to produce a more authentic and faithful version of The Odyssey. I'll wait for that version.

Discussion (50)

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EJHill@EJHill11w
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Charlotte@Charlotte11w
Ricochet Audio Network (View Post):
Titus Techera of The American Cinema Foundation
Now there's a blast from Ricochet's past!
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Andrew Troutman@Dotorimuk11w
"Whiskey-Bent and Homer Bound" is my favorite Bocephus track.
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Brian Watt@BrianWatt11w
If Nolan wanted to make a Christianized version of The Odyssey he could have set it in a Christian time period, perhaps the Middle Ages which would have made more sense. That way the lack of the Greek gods intervening and interacting with the human characters would have been more plausible. Heck, the Coen Brothers pulled it off quite well in "O' Brother Where Art Though?".
Unfortunately the PTSD that Nolan's Odysseus is racked with and his guilt at having created the Trojan Horse and his role in laying waste to the city of Troy has nothing to do with the Homer's depiction of Odysseus and is a complete, almost 180 degree version of the character.
There are numerous issues that have been articulated by those who have endured the slog of this film. Critical Drinker, the film critic hosted a podcast with 5 other gentlemen who saw the film and at least two of whom were very familiar with Homer's Iliad and Odyssey. If memory serves, they spent the over an hour eviscerating the Nolan film. Unfortunately, the video only aired live on YouTube but may be behind a paywall on Critical Drinker's Patreon website.
There is still a question of what happened to Achilles in the Underworld and whether Nolan changed Ellen Page's character from Achilles to Sinon (a character not in The Odyssey) because of pre-release leaks and the blowback that ensued when she was thought to have been cast as Achilles.
The casting choice of Lupita Nyong'o as Helen is more problematic than just her race or skin color but Nolan's rewriting again of the Homeric epic. In Homer's version, after the siege of Troy, Menelaus takes Helen back and they reconcile. He never abuses her or disfigures her. But in the Nolan film - mean white Menelaus scars black Helen. Anyone see an issue with this? I mean can't we all get along?
Finally, there's the issue of the American vernacular as spoken by the cast. Nolan made it a point to stress that he didn't want an orchestral score for the film because symphony orchestras wouldn't have existed back in Homer's time. Yet cast members using American vernacular was fine apparently.
There are numerous other issues with the film and I could probably take up several pages of comments with more thorough comments from folks on X or from other publications but I'll spare you all.
I really don't care how much money this movie makes or how many awards it's given. From everything I've heard or read about it, it sounds truly mediocre and in many scenes unintentionally laughable...so, I'll be giving it a miss.
There is word that's been confirmed by Elon Musk that he's happy to give Mel Gibson $100 Million to produce a more authentic and faithful version of The Odyssey. I'll wait for that version.
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Brian Watt@BrianWatt11w
For the record...from Grok:
Question: In Homer's Odyssey did Menelaus scar the face of Helen after the Trojan War?

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