'The Odyssey' translator Emily Wilson on Nolan's film: Narrative structure gimmicky, writing abysmal

Professor Emily Wilson, whose modern translation of "The Odyssey" was cited by Christopher Nolan as an influence for his film, has written a scathing critique of the director's adaptation of the story, saying the movie lacks many of the elements that make the poem great.

In an interview with the Empire, Nolan had cited Wilson's 2017 translation of “The Odyssey” as an influence on his own interpretation.

But Wilson, known for her critically acclaimed translations of “The Iliad” and “The Odyssey", clearly has a different opinion about Nolan's version, which is on its way to become a major blockbuster by earning over USD 652 million worldwide.

"Nolan’s Odyssey lacks many of the elements that make the poem great. It has nothing convincing to say about time, memory, history, war, or about the relationship between one warrior’s glorious return and the lives of his family, adversaries, comrades, friends and neighbours.

"It lacks psychological, emotional, political and ethical depth. Its narrative structure is gimmicky. The writing is abysmal. None of the characters has convincing motivation for their actions or words. There are no sex scenes, and all the food looks horrible," Wilson writes in her essay "An Uncomplicated Man" for the London Review of Books.

In her over 4,000 word essay, Wilson called Nolan's movie a family-friendly audiovisual spectacle that, like his past films, explores "discontinuities of space and time".

Unlike the criticism that Nolan faced for not being faithful to Homer's version with his racially-neutral casting, Wilson's essay is more focused on the lack of certain dilemmas in Nolan's Odysseus, played by Matt Damon.

"Adaptations needn’t and shouldn’t follow the original with anything like the exactitude of a translation," she said, citing Virgil’s "Aeneid", Milton’s "Paradise Lost", Joyce’s "Ulysses", Walcott’s "Omeros" and Atwood’s "Penelopiad" among the versions that explored the epic in their own way.

"But there is no restraint in Nolan’s version of The Odyssey: every second is jam-packed with incident, lights and noise, and nothing is ever at a human scale. Nolan’s spectacle threatens to drown out his story just as the towering waves of the wine-dark sea – more grey than purple – threaten to overwhelm his hero’s ship," Wilson wrote.

The casting in the film irked many, including Elon Musk, who slammed it as historically inaccurate and Nolan's attempt to appease Hollywood woke crowd.

But Wilson said there is nothing progressive about it as most of the non-white actors, including Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o, Himesh Patel, Corey Antonio Hawkins, and Travis Scott, play versions of "the Black best friend".

"...whose only role in the drama is to provide aid to the white protagonist... Nyong’o’s double part as Helen and Clytemnestra is hugely underwritten; she is given only a few minutes of screen time to perform a set of brief tableaux of female victims (the outraged bereaved mother, the abused wife, the repentant adulteress)."

Wilson said she was humbled to learn that Nolan has read at least the first line of her translation of "The Odyssey".

"In at least one interview, he cited my version of the first line of the poem: ‘Tell me about a complicated man.’ But I would be ashamed to have written any part of this script. Sadly, Damon’s Odysseus isn’t complicated or wily or artful."

She also criticised Nolan’s decision to shoot the film in Western Sahara, a decision that has angered indigenous Sahrawi people.

However, she also said that the release of "The Odyssey" should be celebrated in bringing audiences back to cinemas, as translation of the story, including her own, are "flying off the shelves" in what is termed "a time of declining literacy and the death of humanities".

"Some of those who buy the book or show up in cinemas to watch Tom Holland may go on to study ancient Greek. Perhaps the film will persuade a few college administrators not to cut their literature, language and history departments. Nolan, who studied English at University College London – where students still study The Odyssey as a first year ‘foundational text’ – is doing his best to get the general public reading again, and I am grateful," she said.

The Wilson's critique was not received kindly by many Nolan fans, who slammed the classicist for having "dumbed down" her own version of The Odyssey.

"It's hilarious to me that a woman who dumbed down her version of The Odyssey so greatly could act snobby about anything," one wrote on Reddit.

Another said, "I mean isn’t her whole thing about the Iliad / Odyssey that it should be simple and accessible in its translations?"

One argued that what Nolan did with the film was similar to her own idea of "making the poem feel more accessible to modern audiences".

There were few who came out in support of the translator.

"I think Emily Wilson has such interesting thoughts I would like to be friends with her and hang out with her," one user said.

"The Odyssey" released on July 17 and features Matt Damon as Odysseus, Tom Holland as Telemachus, Zendaya as Athena, Robert Pattinson as Antinous, Lupita Nyong'o as Helen of Troy and Clytemnestra, Anne Hathaway as Penelope and Charlize Theron as Calypso, among others.

"The Odyssey" revolves around the Greek King Odysseus on a perilous 10-year journey home after the Trojan War. Beset by vengeful gods, sea monsters, and enchantresses, he fights to reunite with his wife, Penelope, and son, Telemachus.