Nolan Uses Feminist Translation That Calls Odysseus Problematic Instead of Cunning
"Previous translators have called Odysseus shifty, cunning, and 100 other things. After grappling with the alternatives, Wilson chose complicated, hoping also to convey the sense of problematic. Her first sentence, tell me about a complicated man, instantly makes him our familiar charismatic prince who's too impossible to live with and too desirable to live without."
About this episode
Matt Walsh delivers a scathing critique of Christopher Nolan's upcoming adaptation of Homer's Odyssey, arguing the acclaimed director is deliberately bastardizing one of Western civilization's foundational epics through race-swapping, feminist revisionism, and tone-deaf creative choices. Walsh focuses primarily on Nolan's decision to cast Kenyan actress Lupita Nyong'o as Helen of Troy, the woman Homer explicitly described as fair-haired and white-armed, calling it an absurd choice that would never be tolerated in reverse. He reveals that Nolan based his screenplay on Emily Wilson's 2017 translation, which reframes the cunning hero Odysseus as problematic and deliberately strips masculine themes from the text. Walsh mocks several of Nolan's creative decisions revealed in a Time magazine profile, including casting rapper Travis Scott as a Greek bard because rap is supposedly analogous to oral poetry, and using synthesizers in the score while claiming to avoid orchestras for historical accuracy. The episode also examines unconfirmed reports that transgender actress Ellen Page was cast as Achilles. Walsh extends his criticism beyond The Odyssey to Angel Studios' new Animal Farm adaptation, which inverts George Orwell's anti-communist allegory to make capitalism the villain instead. Walsh argues these examples represent a broader Hollywood pattern of cynically exploiting classic works while deliberately subverting their core themes and messages. He contrasts Nolan unfavorably with Robert Eggers, whose film The Northman successfully captured the mystical worldview of ancient Vikings. Walsh concludes that despite Nolan's technical gifts, his moral cowardice and inability to challenge contemporary progressive orthodoxy will prevent him from ever becoming a truly great artist.
Key takeaways
- Christopher Nolan cast Kenyan actress Lupita Nyong'o as Helen of Troy despite Homer describing her as fair-haired and white-armed Greek woman.
- Nolan based his screenplay on Emily Wilson's feminist 2017 translation that reframes heroic Odysseus as problematic instead of cunning.
- Nolan cast rapper Travis Scott as a Greek bard, claiming in Time magazine that rap music is analogous to Homer's oral poetry tradition.
- Unconfirmed reports suggest transgender actress Ellen Page was cast as the legendary warrior Achilles in the film.
- Angel Studios is distributing a new Animal Farm adaptation that inverts Orwell's anti-communist message to make capitalism the villain.
- Walsh argues modern filmmakers are allergic to myth and mysticism, filtering ancient stories through materialist and rationalist lenses that destroy their essence.
- The film's dialogue includes modern phrases like let's go and my dad is coming home that strip away the epic tone of Homer's original text.