“The Odyssey” translator Emily Wilson has published a scathing review of writer-director Christopher Nolan‘s acclaimed adaptation of the Ancient Greek epic poem, writing, “I would be ashamed to have written any part of this script.”
Nolan has cited Wilson’s translation of “The Odyssey” and particularly the opening line of it, “Tell me about a complicated man,” as major points of inspiration for his adaptation of Homer’s epic poem. However, while the film has received almost unanimously positive reviews from critics and continues to dominate the worldwide box office, Wilson has made it clear that she is not a fan of Nolan’s adaptation.
The British-American translator and classicist penned a review of the film for the London Review of Books, titled “An Uncomplicated Man,” which has since gone viral. In it, Wilson takes issue with not only Nolan’s depiction of “The Odyssey” protagonist Odysseus (played in the film by Matt Damon), but also the filmmaker’s guilt-driven view of his decades-spanning journey home to Ithaca.
“‘The Odyssey’ features his usual combination of grandiosity and superficiality,” Wilson wrote of Nolan. “The film’s vision is too confused, its characters too underdeveloped, to deliver what it half-promises in terms of big ideas — although it is very good at conveying big bangs and big giants.”
“Nolan’s ‘Odyssey’ lacks many of the elements that make the poem great,” Wilson’s scathing review continues. “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,” Wilson adds, confessing, “I would be ashamed to have written any part of this script.”
Nolan’s adaptation of Homer’s 2,800-year-old poem is the most ambitious that has ever been brought to life onscreen, but that does not mean that the filmmaker does not take artistic liberties with his source material’s themes, tone and characterizations. Those changes have divided classicists like Wilson and ignited intense debates online, some of which have been held in better faith than others.
Notably, Wilson is familiar with the experience of releasing a divisive take on “The Odyssey.” Her translation of the epic poem has received plenty of scorn and criticism over the years from die-hard fans, many of whom have taken issue with her decision to stick to simpler language than other “Odyssey” translations.
While the classicist used her review to make her opinion of Nolan’s film known, she did acknowledge that its popularity has led to print copies of “The Odyssey,” including her own translation, “flying off the shelves.”
“Perhaps the film will persuade a few college administrators not to cut their literature, language and history departments,” Wilson ultimately concludes. “Nolan, who studied English at University College London – where students still study ‘The Odyssey’ as a first year ‘foundational text’ – is doing his best to get the general public reading again, and I am grateful.”
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