Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, starring Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Zendaya, and more, is undoubtedly one of the most anticipated films of the year. Last week, FC Contributing Editor Genevieve Yue wrote about Nolan’s latest, calling it a “strangely bloodless” adaptation of Homer’s epic poem. Genevieve writes: “The film is shrouded in Nolan’s characteristic dourness, so that Homer’s lively world of men and gods is purged of lightness and humor. Odysseus’s homecoming brings relief, but not joy. A lot of people cry, but no one laughs except the suitors, whose sport is to insult beggars. Even the Sirens’ song, famed for its irresistibility, causes Odysseus to wail in grief.”
For this week’s Podcast, Film Comment Editor Clinton Krute invited Genevieve and fellow FC Contributing Editor Inney Prakash to discuss how the film fits within Nolan’s body of work, how it stacks up against other cinematic adaptations of The Odyssey, and more.