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Fantasy Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey

Ancient Greece is going to suffer a British invasion with random accents. :o

and one obvious Bostonian at the center.

good-will-hunting-matt-damon.gif
 
Bold move for Nolan to actually pass on the international shoot and just film the whole thing in a Caesars Palace in Vegas.
Like the overall aesthetic of Odysseus. Just odd that the armor looks so... antique?
Seems he is going antique for the boats as well:
Somehow he has hired a 200-year old seaworthy triremes for shooting. Talk about a blank cheque alright.

Maybe the patina on the armour is from a decade of war?
 
In all seriousness, the armour doesn't seem super historical. Most historians put the war during the Mycenaean Period at 1200-1100 BCE. At that point Greek hoplites did not yet exist and Greek armour looked like this:
797px-Mycenaean_armour_from_chamber_tomb_12_of_Dendra_1.JPG


The armour here looks like an anachronistic blend of Classical Greek Hoplite armour with concessions to film aesthetics, like a much more open, less protective face opening. I guess you could say that Nolan is leaning into a mythical depiction of the Homeric period (8th Century BCE)?
 
In all seriousness, the armour doesn't seem super historical. Most historians put the war during the Mycenaean Period at 1200-1100 BCE. At that point Greek hoplites did not yet exist and Greek armour looked like this:
797px-Mycenaean_armour_from_chamber_tomb_12_of_Dendra_1.JPG


The armour here looks like an anachronistic blend of Classical Greek Hoplite armour with concessions to film aesthetics, like a much more open, less protective face opening. I guess you could say that Nolan is leaning into a mythical depiction of the Homeric period (8th Century BCE)?
Anachronistic you say?

dgv7vqq-bba436c6-77b8-4145-a09b-1f04bbe66b4a.jpg
 
That old Greek armor looks so much more interesting. The shot of Damon made me think of King Arthur in full plate armor. Maybe not quite as bad, but. :weary:
 
Come on, we can do better. This deserves to be posted in high res.

Nolan's back in the epic caped hero biz!

View attachment 122864
I'm no expert on ancient Greek fashion, but I didn't expect Odysseus to look like a classic Hollywood centurion. He looks good but... maybe a bit uninspired?

Of course, it's too early to give any definitive opinion on the film's overall direction, but I'd have imagined a slightly more singular design of the main character.
 
I don't think Christopher Nolan intends to lean much into "historical accuracy," beyond some stuff that he might find cinematically interesting.

It's going to be a huge Hollywood mythological fantasy epic. Christopher Nolan style.
 
In all seriousness, the armour doesn't seem super historical. Most historians put the war during the Mycenaean Period at 1200-1100 BCE. At that point Greek hoplites did not yet exist and Greek armour looked like this:
797px-Mycenaean_armour_from_chamber_tomb_12_of_Dendra_1.JPG


The armour here looks like an anachronistic blend of Classical Greek Hoplite armour with concessions to film aesthetics, like a much more open, less protective face opening. I guess you could say that Nolan is leaning into a mythical depiction of the Homeric period (8th Century BCE)?
I think he's forgoing historical accuracy for something more heroic and cinematic in presentation.
 
Speaking of blank checks; did Nolan pick The Odyssey so he could give himself and his cast and crew a Mediterranean 'vacation'? LOL

^That's not a diss, BTW.
 
In all seriousness, the armour doesn't seem super historical. Most historians put the war during the Mycenaean Period at 1200-1100 BCE. At that point Greek hoplites did not yet exist and Greek armour looked like this:
797px-Mycenaean_armour_from_chamber_tomb_12_of_Dendra_1.JPG


The armour here looks like an anachronistic blend of Classical Greek Hoplite armour with concessions to film aesthetics, like a much more open, less protective face opening. I guess you could say that Nolan is leaning into a mythical depiction of the Homeric period (8th Century BCE)?

Damon is wearing a cape with his back turned, how do you know what his armour looks like?
 
Damon is wearing a cape with his back turned, how do you know what his armour looks like?
Well, we have a very clear view of the helmet, which is a Hoplite style helmet, and we can also see a good chunk of his bracers and chestplate. It is pretty clearly based upon the standard bronze panoply of an Archaic period hoplite:
603px-Ancient_athenian_warrior.jpg

Also, I have an undergraduate honours degree in history.
 
I think he's forgoing historical accuracy for something more heroic and cinematic in presentation.
Of course! Like I said he seems to maybe going for a real Homeric vibe. Homer lived just as Ancient Greece transitioned from the post-Bronze dark age into its archaic/classical period and the beginning of hoplite warfare. Homer was not likely the original author of the Illiad and Odyssey, but rather the first bard to commit those oral tales to writing.

During that oral history fantastical and mythological elements entered into the stories and what little of the aesthetic we can see with the triremes and hoplite armour suggests that Nolan is going for a vaguely 8th century BCE aesthetic.
 
Well, we have a very clear view of the helmet, which is a Hoplite style helmet, and we can also see a good chunk of his bracers and chestplate. It is pretty clearly based upon the standard bronze panoply of an Archaic period hoplite:
603px-Ancient_athenian_warrior.jpg

Also, I have an undergraduate honours degree in history.
DK wants Nolan to do Jason and the Argonauts. :o
 
DK wants Nolan to do Jason and the Argonauts. :o
Well, actually, that is exactly the sort of vibe the production design in the photo is giving. Old school Golden Age Hollywood Sword and Sandal depiction of ancient Greece. May not be historically accurate, but goodness is it hopefully going to be cinematic and fun as hell.
 
Yeah, I don't get the impression this is a project where historical accuracy is going to be a driving factor. Nolan seems to love spectacle and I think this is more likely to harken to large, sweeping films of the past than historical fact. Add in the blankest check anyone's ever been handed...
 

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