The Odyssey's

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Why it worked

The video leverages a strong contrarian take from a respected translator on a highly anticipated film, creating immediate intrigue and potential for debate.

Summary

A translator of Homer's Odyssey, Emily Wilson, has written a scathing review of Christopher Nolan's film adaptation. She criticizes the movie for its lack of depth, underdeveloped characters, and superficiality, stating she would be ashamed to have written its script.

Structure

1Introduction of Emily Wilson's criticism of Nolan's Odyssey
2Nolan's inspiration from Wilson's translation
3Wilson's essay in the London Review of Books
4Wilson's specific criticisms of the film's vision, characters, and themes
5Wilson's concluding statement of shame

Product placement

The Odyssey (book): acts - it is the source material for the movie being discussed. Removing it would change the topic. Christopher Nolan (director): acts - he directed the movie being discussed. Removing him would change the topic. Emily Wilson (translator): acts - she translated the book and wrote the review being discussed. Removing her would change the topic. London Review of Books (publication): appears - it published the review. Removing it would not change what happens in the video.

On-screen text

The Odyssey's Famous Odyssey translator HATES Chris Nolan's movie

Original caption

The Odyssey’s most famous translator Emily Wilson goes off on the movie in scathing review (Source: London Review of Books) #christophernolan #theodyssey #movies #emilywilson #tiktokodysseycontest

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Transcript

The Odyssey's most famous translator is shitting all over the movie and she really did not hold anything back. Okay, so Christopher Nolan has been on record recently saying that UPenn professor Emily Wilson's 2017 translation of The Odyssey was an inspiration for his movie. He specifically liked her opening line, "tell me about a complicated man." But if I were Nolan, I'd be cringing right now because Wilson hates the film. In a blistering essay for the London Review of Books, she wrote, quote, "I had hoped that Nolan's affinity for Homeric themes might push him to new creative heights and enable him to conjure more believable characters, but The Odyssey features his usual combination of grandiosity and superficiality. The film's vision is too confused, its characters too underdeveloped, to deliver what half promises in terms of big ideas, very good at conveying big bangs and big giants." But wait, wait, it gets worse. Quote, "Nolan's Odyssey lacks that make the poem great. It has nothing convincing to say about time, memory, history, war, or about the relationship between one glorious return and the lives of his family, adversaries, comrades, friends and neighbors. It lacks psychological, emotional, and ethical depth. Its narrative structure is gimmicky. The writing is abysmal. None of the characters have convincing motivation for their actions or words. There are no sex scenes, and all the food looks horrible." And goddamn wow. Wilson then summed up her thoughts, "I would be ashamed to have written any part of this script." I mean, okay then.