Iliad and Odyssey
Inspired by yet another movie poster, I figured I should read the source material before watching the movie. As a follow up update to my previous post, I ended up not watching Fennell’s latest adaptation. Due to the mixed reviews and apparently half of the characters not even being in the movie, I skipped it (fingers crossed this adaptation is better).
To take advantage of this artificial deadline, I decided to read the “prequel” the Iliad as well.
Note on the translation:
I read Fagles’s translation for both the Iliad and the Odyssey. People seem to have a lot of opinions online which translation to read, and unfortunately the editions offered on Standard Ebooks use roman god names which got confusing for me quick. I personally didn’t have any qualms with Fagles’s, but what do I know.
The Iliad
This story is action packed, with a lot of characters fighting each other and (spoiler alert) dying. There were a few memorable scenes, especially in the last 1/3 of the book, but overall I thought i was a bit of a slog to read through. I didn’t get attached to most of the characters since they ended up dying in a few chapter or even pages. History geeks will like the detailed descriptions of the greek rituals, but I didn’t take special interests in the particular ways the armies made sacrifices or honored their dead.
The gods present an interesting parallel to the Greeks and Trojans. These gods take sides and justify their divine intervention (aka plot armor) to save their favorite mortals from certain death. As such they also fight amongst each other, with the big caveat that they can’t die. On the flip side, there is a big emphasis on glory and what it means to “die properly”. There were a couple sections that were quire tragic with many soldiers accepting the fact that they aren’t returning home, but otherwise violence and war were portrayed in a positive light.
quote: “Why Roan Beauty - why prophesy my doom? Don’t waste your breath. I know, well I know - I am destined to die here, far from my dear father, far from my dear mother. But all the same I will never stop till I drive the Trojans to their bloody fill of war!”
The Odyssey
This book isn’t a direct sequel, but having read the context is a nice plus, and many of the survivors of the Trojan war make an appearance, along with a couple cool chapters where those in the afterlife make a showing.
There are many memorable encounters for Odysseus’s voyage, which I was excited to see adapted in the movie. The goddess Athena (who already played a role in the Iliad in supporting the Greeks), is a major character here. She plays a pivotal role in frequently helping Odysseus return home and carry out his revenge.
There is a happy ending (albeit with some divine intervention that would have otherwise resulted in a huge plot hole). But perhaps I shouldn’t be too particular, since there was more than enough plot armor to get him home in the first place.
quote: “Of all that breathes and crawls across the earth, our mother earth breeds nothing feebler than a man. So long as the gods grant him power, spring in his knees, he thinks he will never suffer affliction down the years. But then, when the happy gods bring on the long hard times, bear them he must, against his will and steel his heart.”
Nolan’s movie
I’m in no ways qualified to be a movie critic (or even a book critic for that matter), so I was not willing to drive over 2 hours to my nearest IMAX theater with a showing. I settled for a 70MM screening at my local theater.
I enjoyed the visuals and the sets, but was overall a bit disappointed with the adaptation. There was a big emphasis on the trojan war (an event occurring even before Odysseus began his journey) whereas the book barely mentions it.
Many of the encounters Odysseus and his crew had were modified, most disappointingly their encounter with the cyclops and their journey to Hades. I was excited to see the interactions between the gods in the movie, but there were at most subtle references to them and no dialogue whatsoever. The main theme of mortal vs immortal was not showcased in the movie, and instead was replaced with an anti-war message. Overall I wouldn’t say I didn’t enjoy the movie, but was a bit let down when it didn’t meet my expectations for what I was looking forward to seeing adapted. I would encourage those who have only read the book, or only seen the movie, to do both!