As of this recording, The Odyssey has made over $1.1 billion at the worldwide box office, and that’s not bad for a movie based on a story that’s been told for thousands of years. A lot of people were excited about The Odyssey, many of them Christopher Nolan fans just excited about the Oscar-winning filmmaker’s next opus, but many people were excited to see a full-blown, big budget adaptation of the source material and we’re talking to one of them!
Dr. John Walsh, who is the director of the U of G’s School of Languages and Literatures and a professor of classical studies, teaches first years the written version of The Odyssey, and as you will hear, he loved the story of Odysseus’ journey home since before he was old enough to go to school at all. Unlike other classical scholars you can think of, Walsh is a fan of the film even if it’s not the version of The Odyssey he would have made if were the director.
So in this edition of the show, we will talk to Dr. Walsh about the origins of The Odyssey, whether there was a real Homer or not, the changes Nolan made to modernize the story, the thematic details he brought to the fore in this version, why adaptation means more than a strict re-telling of the story, and whether or not he sees The Odyssey in every movie or story he encounters.
Let’s head off into the unknown on this edition of End Credits Conversations!
The Odyssey is still in theatres everywhere, including the two Guelph Galaxy Cinemas. You can listen to the End Credits review of The Odyssey in episode #451, you just have to scroll down a little in this podcast feed to find it.
End Credits Conversations returns next month on the fourth Saturday. End Credits is on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca Wednesday at 3 pm.
Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures.
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