You are of course 100% right about everything. The Emily Wilson review is hilarious, as is Daniel Mendelsohn’s anti-Nolan ranting on X, as was The New Yorker’s admission that the movie is basically Homer for dummies.
I understand people who have polarized reactions to David Lynch or Bergman, or heck even modern r rated “classics” which I can’t abide (bring back the hays code!). But I have no idea how so many seemingly intelligent film critics can hail this as a masterpiece. You can say, ok, it’s not trash, but to go all in on its sheer genius? Do you have to be so consumed by hatred of Matt Walsh that you ruin your critical reputation? Or have people simply no exposure to good old movies so that anything today without Thanos in it seems a masterpiece in comparison?
Mendelsohn was being gentle by comparison with Wilson. Now some people are saying Wilson is only now turning on the film because of the backlash, but I'm not sure I see inconsistency. She was initially excited and looking forward to it, was surprised to find that it was bad, and gave her honest opinion. Seems kosher.
What's interesting is that if you compare Matt Zoller Seitz's reviews of this movie and The Return, he criticizes The Return for some of the same things he inexplicably now doesn't mind in Nolan's rendition. Mind you, I think The Return sucked. But be consistent folks!
Matt Walsh fumbled some things in his criticism, for example it seemed maybe he wasn't aware that the original poem is itself non-linear. But not many lies detected otherwise!
I didn't need HBO-level sex in the thing and found it bizarre when Nolan inserted those couple scenes in Oppenheimer (not just graphic but somehow also very unerotic), but you just can't do The Odyssey without making sexual temptation at least AN element of the thing! It's pretty important! And for that matter, it wouldn't be out of place with the whole "PTSD allegory" theme. Shay's book talks about this at very sad length.
Well done.. as usual. Love the inculsion of Kirk Douglas and quote at the end. Hope you are well. Sorry to turn to the quotidian and ask a technical question but how did you (how do I) turn on the text to speech reback function for my posts? Don't bother responding if this is too tedious. Keep writing!
O Brother or LOTR is a better way to use Homer. Tell your own story and let it echo the original, however openly or not. To rewrite it and keep the name is a disservice to both the author and your audience.
O Brother is still on my to-watch list, although I have to admit I'm unsure if it would be to my taste. My impression is that it's a rather nasty parade of southern stereotypes.
Precisely! This is a great line from this great review: “ But Tennyson is not claiming to reintroduce a barely literate generation to the poem known as The Odyssey.”
Two weeks ago we’re talking about the death of reading, how not even college students know any literature at all, can’t even read books from the 1960s let alone 1760s, and then today we have so called conservative intellectuals snobbish telling us Nolan is just like Tennyson or Dante, this is what art is like. I’m, dude, Tennyson’s audience - unlike half the cast in this very movie - actually was familiar with Homer in the first place…
I just wanted to say that I appreciate that you talked about what specific themes from the poem you feel this movie didn't get. To me, conservative critics of the film have thus far come across like they just assume anything that's part of our Western heritage has morally profound themes-even something with a hero as "slippery" as Odysseus. Your specificity, for lack of a better term, is nice.
I also thought I'd mention FWIW that while Homer doesn't get into it, there are apparently Greek myths where Odysseus had to take another voyage after his famous return, to appease Poseidon or something. I know I've heard this but I'm afraid I don't know a reference to cite.
Of course the really strange ending the Greeks provided is the Telegony. I do think it is fair to say that the post-Homer Greeks themselves had many different interpretations of the character, whether or not Nolan threads that needle. (I actually live in a 70 mm IMAX city, so my ticket is for next week.)
Brilliant review.
You are of course 100% right about everything. The Emily Wilson review is hilarious, as is Daniel Mendelsohn’s anti-Nolan ranting on X, as was The New Yorker’s admission that the movie is basically Homer for dummies.
I understand people who have polarized reactions to David Lynch or Bergman, or heck even modern r rated “classics” which I can’t abide (bring back the hays code!). But I have no idea how so many seemingly intelligent film critics can hail this as a masterpiece. You can say, ok, it’s not trash, but to go all in on its sheer genius? Do you have to be so consumed by hatred of Matt Walsh that you ruin your critical reputation? Or have people simply no exposure to good old movies so that anything today without Thanos in it seems a masterpiece in comparison?
Anyway, thanks for the great review!
Mendelsohn was being gentle by comparison with Wilson. Now some people are saying Wilson is only now turning on the film because of the backlash, but I'm not sure I see inconsistency. She was initially excited and looking forward to it, was surprised to find that it was bad, and gave her honest opinion. Seems kosher.
What's interesting is that if you compare Matt Zoller Seitz's reviews of this movie and The Return, he criticizes The Return for some of the same things he inexplicably now doesn't mind in Nolan's rendition. Mind you, I think The Return sucked. But be consistent folks!
Matt Walsh fumbled some things in his criticism, for example it seemed maybe he wasn't aware that the original poem is itself non-linear. But not many lies detected otherwise!
I didn't need HBO-level sex in the thing and found it bizarre when Nolan inserted those couple scenes in Oppenheimer (not just graphic but somehow also very unerotic), but you just can't do The Odyssey without making sexual temptation at least AN element of the thing! It's pretty important! And for that matter, it wouldn't be out of place with the whole "PTSD allegory" theme. Shay's book talks about this at very sad length.
Well done.. as usual. Love the inculsion of Kirk Douglas and quote at the end. Hope you are well. Sorry to turn to the quotidian and ask a technical question but how did you (how do I) turn on the text to speech reback function for my posts? Don't bother responding if this is too tedious. Keep writing!
O Brother or LOTR is a better way to use Homer. Tell your own story and let it echo the original, however openly or not. To rewrite it and keep the name is a disservice to both the author and your audience.
O Brother is still on my to-watch list, although I have to admit I'm unsure if it would be to my taste. My impression is that it's a rather nasty parade of southern stereotypes.
Bethel, you've got to watch it! The Coen Bros did a wonderful job on that film.
It’s very much worth watching. Certainly has a Southern flair but it’s a wild ride. Ya just gotta!
Precisely! This is a great line from this great review: “ But Tennyson is not claiming to reintroduce a barely literate generation to the poem known as The Odyssey.”
Two weeks ago we’re talking about the death of reading, how not even college students know any literature at all, can’t even read books from the 1960s let alone 1760s, and then today we have so called conservative intellectuals snobbish telling us Nolan is just like Tennyson or Dante, this is what art is like. I’m, dude, Tennyson’s audience - unlike half the cast in this very movie - actually was familiar with Homer in the first place…
Don't get me started, lol.
I just wanted to say that I appreciate that you talked about what specific themes from the poem you feel this movie didn't get. To me, conservative critics of the film have thus far come across like they just assume anything that's part of our Western heritage has morally profound themes-even something with a hero as "slippery" as Odysseus. Your specificity, for lack of a better term, is nice.
I also thought I'd mention FWIW that while Homer doesn't get into it, there are apparently Greek myths where Odysseus had to take another voyage after his famous return, to appease Poseidon or something. I know I've heard this but I'm afraid I don't know a reference to cite.
That voyage is actually in Homer too, I mention it at the end here, but it's a self-contained affair after which he's permitted to circle back home.
Thanks for reading!
Of course the really strange ending the Greeks provided is the Telegony. I do think it is fair to say that the post-Homer Greeks themselves had many different interpretations of the character, whether or not Nolan threads that needle. (I actually live in a 70 mm IMAX city, so my ticket is for next week.)
Yes, very bizarre sequel, however again like Tennyson's supposal it's its own separate thing.