Odyssey Translator Emily Wilson SLAMS Christopher Nolan's Adaptation...

Christopher Nolan has repeatedly pointed toward one particular line from Emily Wilson’s translation of The Odyssey as an inspiration for his film: “Tell me about a complicated man.” It is a line intended to introduce Odysseus as a figure with many different sides—a warrior, liar, husband, survivor, manipulator and one of the most intelligent characters in Greek mythology. But now Emily Wilson has actually SEEN Christopher Nolan’s version of that character. And according to her…He isn’t particularly complicated at all. In a recent interview, Wilson described Nolan’s Odysseus as a “traumatized Jason Bourne”—an action hero who feels guilty about being an action hero. She criticized the removal of his intelligence, disguises, humour and many of the qualities that make him so memorable in Homer’s poem. She also argued that Penelope’s role had been reduced, that the movie failed to humanize many of the victims of Odysseus’s violence and that its moral messaging was ultimately incoherent. And since that interview, she has apparently become even harsher, describing the film’s writing as “abysmal” and saying... Topics Covered In This Video: •Emily Wilson’s criticism of Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey •Why Emily Wilson called the film’s writing “abysmal” •Why Wilson said she would be ashamed to have written the script •The translator who inspired Christopher Nolan’s version of Odysseus •Emily Wilson’s “complicated man” translation explained •Why Wilson described Matt Damon as a “traumatized Jason Bourne” •How Nolan changed Odysseus from Homer’s original character •Why Nolan’s Odysseus feels less intelligent and deceptive •The removal of Odysseus’s humour, disguises, and trickery •Why the “Nobody” trick was removed from the Cyclops scene •Matt Damon as Odysseus explained •Why Nolan focuses on Odysseus’s guilt and trauma •Why Penelope’s role was reduced in Nolan’s adaptation •Anne Hathaway as Penelope explained •The importance of Penelope’s marriage-bed test •Why Zeus and Poseido