There's something else which is being generally overlooked: Nolan's inspiration was the recent new translation from the original by classicist Emily Wilson (what??? a woman???) who wrote it in iambic pentameter but matched Homer's length line for line, in itself an extraordinary feat. She chose to use contemporary English idiom, to scrape away decades of noble prose used by earlier translators and restore the reality enjoyed by Homer's original readers 3000 years ago. I like Meredith Blake's thought about this being the conclusion of a trilogy.
I knew he'd used her translation but didn't know about her use of English idioms. Fascinating!! To me it also makes sense for this to be heard in contemporary accents bc of the oral tradition -- so many different voices shared these verses over the years!
You’re right about the anachronistic accents, but let’s face it. Most of the folks complaining about casting and accents are the same ones who insist that Jesus was a white guy with blue eyes and blond hair, that the novels of Ayn Rand are nonfiction, and that outdated medical knowledge is inherently better than the new stuff.
I thoroughly enjoyed Emily Wilson's translation, renewing this work of art and its fundamental lessons about what it means to be human to all of us who aren't classical scholars. To quibble about the film version's use of American vernacular or the skin color of the actors chosen to play the parts seems to suggest an unwillingness to grow beyond ones comfort level which is something all art asks of us and to refuse to acknowledge the lessons inherent in this story that is surely older that the written version.
Excellent analysis. I gather the filmmaker hasn’t made a declaration concerning his intent. No matter. Speculation is fun and provides wonderful scope for the imagination.
MAGA snowflakes erupt in anger when their carefully constructed world view is challenged. Is it because on some level MAGA know it cannot withstand scutiny?
There's something else which is being generally overlooked: Nolan's inspiration was the recent new translation from the original by classicist Emily Wilson (what??? a woman???) who wrote it in iambic pentameter but matched Homer's length line for line, in itself an extraordinary feat. She chose to use contemporary English idiom, to scrape away decades of noble prose used by earlier translators and restore the reality enjoyed by Homer's original readers 3000 years ago. I like Meredith Blake's thought about this being the conclusion of a trilogy.
I knew he'd used her translation but didn't know about her use of English idioms. Fascinating!! To me it also makes sense for this to be heard in contemporary accents bc of the oral tradition -- so many different voices shared these verses over the years!
Absolutely. It's a thrilling idea.
You’re right about the anachronistic accents, but let’s face it. Most of the folks complaining about casting and accents are the same ones who insist that Jesus was a white guy with blue eyes and blond hair, that the novels of Ayn Rand are nonfiction, and that outdated medical knowledge is inherently better than the new stuff.
I thoroughly enjoyed Emily Wilson's translation, renewing this work of art and its fundamental lessons about what it means to be human to all of us who aren't classical scholars. To quibble about the film version's use of American vernacular or the skin color of the actors chosen to play the parts seems to suggest an unwillingness to grow beyond ones comfort level which is something all art asks of us and to refuse to acknowledge the lessons inherent in this story that is surely older that the written version.
Excellent analysis. I gather the filmmaker hasn’t made a declaration concerning his intent. No matter. Speculation is fun and provides wonderful scope for the imagination.
MAGA snowflakes erupt in anger when their carefully constructed world view is challenged. Is it because on some level MAGA know it cannot withstand scutiny?
I liked this version: The Return (2024), starring Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche.