In the unlikely instance you’re a cellar dweller and have not seen the light of day in many moons, you are likely aware of the fact that Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey premiered a few months ago. My mom and I went to the theatre to see it, and it was absolutely brilliant – it is arguably one of the best films I have ever had the privilege of seeing in the context of musical score, performances and visual effects.
I have seen the movie Troy about ten times, so while I didn’t have a concrete understanding of Odysseus, I was definitely familiar with Achilles, and I knew the film depicted Odysseus’ lengthy struggle to return home to his wife, son and kingdom following the battle of Troy.
After seeing the film, I decided I wanted to read The Odyssey by Homer. It took me longer than I anticipated to get around to actually reading it, but now that I have, I can absolutely say that The Odyssey is a read, and by no means a rid.
While listening to the audiobook version of The Odyssey, I was picturing scenes from the movie in my mind as I was hearing Homer’s words, and it really was a glorious and exciting experience. I will say that I was pleasantly surprised by how closely the film adhered to the events from the text, and while one or two significant events were out of order, I had no trouble following along.
Some of the names mentioned in Homer’s The Odyssey are confusing at times, but not so much that you find yourself lost in the midst of reading. The ending of Homer’s version is not included in the film (in the text, Odysseus, after reuniting with Penelope, his wife, is able to meet with his beloved father), which threw me off-kilter a little bit, but overall, I sincerely enjoyed Homer’s The Odyssey.
Photo by Boston Public Library on Unsplash
