Disregarding the performers’ accents and Odysseus’ portrayal as a loyal wife guy, Christoper Nolan’s most controversial changes to Homer’s epic poem revolve around Helen of Troy and her half-sister Clytemnestra. The director opted to have them as twin sisters in the film, with Lupita Nyong’o as both characters. Casting the Kenyan actress for the role sparked outrage among those who felt it was wrong to cast a black actress as the most beautiful woman in Greek mythology.
While the decision stirred a cultural war online, with influential figures like Elon Musk bashing Nolan for distorting classic literature in pursuit of industry acceptance, Nyong’o has maintained that the film’s cast is representative of the world. She expressed her support for Nolan’s intentions with the adaptation, reminding her critics it’s a mythological story. These are other major changes in Nolan’s retelling of the classic poetry.
01. Nolan Left Out Several Gods From Homer’s Poem
From Zeus to his son Heracles, Poseidon, and Ino, Nolan’s The Odyssey doesn’t feature several gods from the poem. The adaptation omits multiple characters from the source material. This is especially obvious with Hermes’ omission. The messenger god plays a crucial role in Homer’s Odyssey. He is sent to order Odysseus’ release from nymph Calypso’s island and also helps the Greek king resist Circe’s (Samantha Morton) magic. Yet, he didn’t appear in Nolan’s film. Helios, Achilles, Laertes, and Princess Nausicaa were nowhere to be found as well. Apart from Athena (Zendaya), Calypso (Charlize Theron), and Circe, the movie only references the other gods.
02. The Encounter With Polyphemus
When Odysseus and his men face the giant cyclops in his cave, the king introduces himself to Polyphemus as Nobody, gets him drunk, and then blinds him with a stake so that he and his men can escape. In the film, they escape by wearing shrubbery on their backs after blinding Polyphemus. This isn’t so in the book, where they attach themselves to the bottom of Polyphemus’ flock to escape the cave. The movie also doesn’t feature the giant cyclops’ famous “Nobody is hurting me!” cries as Odysseus and his men attack him.
03. Penelope And Telemachus’ Relationship
The nature of the interaction between Odysseus’ wife and son is one of the biggest changes in Nolan’s adaptation. Telemachus often chides his mother in the book. His attitude towards her has been a prime example of silencing women’s voices in classic literature. Nolan partly addresses this patriarchal setup, flipping the nature of their relationship. Instead of Telemachus’ condescending attitude towards his mother, the movie features an outspoken Penelope scolding her son almost at every turn.
04. Odysseus Didn’t Eat The Lotus
In Homer’s story, Odysseus and his men journey to an island of Lotus-eaters. There, they consume the intoxicating plant and forget their quest to return home. Nolan’s movie features the narcotic plant, but not in a way akin to Homer’s tale. While Odysseus doesn’t eat from the plant in the book, the film depicts him consuming a lotus flower, instead of his men. Theron’s Calypso feeds him the lotus as a hospitable gesture to manage the Ithaca king’s traumatic memories, just as the Lotus-eaters friendlily offer his men the lotus as food.
05. Sinon Isn’t A Character From Homer’s Works
Nolan’s The Odyssey stars Elliot Page as Sinon, a Greek warrior who aids the Greeks in their infiltration of Troy. Homer doesn’t mention Sinon in his poem, but the character is popular in Greek mythology. In Virgil’s epic poem Aeneid, Sinon claims he is Odysseus’ enemy and deceives the Trojans into bringing the giant wooden horse into their city, leading to the destruction of Troy. Nolan also takes liberties with this story. Page’s Sinon doesn’t know he is deceiving the Trojans, unlike the Sinon in Virgil’s poem, who is part and parcel of the Greeks’ deception.
06. The Encounter With Laestrygonians
In Nolan’s film, Odysseus and his men face the Laestrygonians, a gigantic tribe with sophisticated weaponry. Like in the book, Odysseus loses many of his men to the Laestrygonians. However, they are not portrayed as gigantic armored knights. They are rather described as a tribe of giant cannibals who eat Odysseus’ men and destroy his ships. Check out these exciting details about Steven Spielberg’s new alien movie Disclosure Day.
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