Odyssey director Christopher Nolan has publicly cited classicist Emily Wilson's 2017 translation of Homer's ancient Greek poem, a fact she addresses in a piece for the London Review of Books. "I was humbled to learn that Nolan has read at least the first line of my translation," she writes. "But I would be ashamed to have written any part of this script." Over the course of 4,200 words, Wilson notes that the film "is not boring, thanks to the source material, which is impossible to mess up entirely," but likens it to a July 4th fireworks display, "with about the same level of narrative and emotional depth." Her review is worth a read in full, but this paragraph gives the gist:
- "Nolan's Odyssey lacks many of the elements that make the poem great. It has nothing convincing to say about time, memory, history, war, or about the relationship between one warrior's glorious return and the lives of his family, adversaries, comrades, friends and neighbors. It lacks psychological, emotional, political and ethical depth. Its narrative structure is gimmicky. The writing is abysmal. None of the characters has convincing motivation for their actions or words. There are no sex scenes, and all the food looks horrible."
That said, it's still worth celebrating, writes Wilson—for both its power in getting people back into movie theaters and for the fact that it's led to booming sales of
Odyssey translations, "including mine." Read the review in full
here.
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