Sex, beds and grisly executions: what Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey changed, invented – and left out
Why This Matters
Key context: <p>From missing scenes and characters to a brand new ending, the director has taken some artistic liberties with Homer’s epic poem</p><p>• <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/jul/15/the-odyssey-review-christopher-nolan-matt-damon">Peter Bradshaw’s five-star review </a>and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/jul/15/the-odyssey-christopher-nolan-classicists-verdict">a less enthused classicist’s take</a><br>• <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/jul/17/will-women-love-christopher-nolan-the-odyssey">Will women also enjoy Nolan’s Odyssey? </a><br>• <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/ng-interactive/2026/jul/17/christopher-nolan-interview-oscars-the-odyssey">Christopher Nolan interviewed</a><br>• <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/jul/16/the-odyssey-sahrawi-people-christopher-nolan-western-sahara">Why shooting on occupied land feels like a betrayal</a></p><p>Turning a 12,000-line poem that takes a day to read aloud into a three-hour film was always going to require some pruning. So it has proved with <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/jul/15/the-odyssey-review-christopher-nolan-matt-damon">Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey</a>, which dispenses with a number of scenes and characters from Homer’s ancient Greek epic. The director has also changed the emphasis in some of the story’s most famous episodes and made a few of his own additions. Here we run down the most significant alterations.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/jul/20/the-odyssey-what-christopher-nolan-changed-invented-left-out">Continue reading...</a> This development from The Guardian highlights ongoing changes in the sector.
From missing scenes and characters to a brand new ending, the director has taken some artistic liberties with Homer’s epic poem• Peter Bradshaw’s five-star review and a less enthused classicist’s take• Will women also enjoy Nolan’s Odyssey? • Christopher Nolan interviewed• Why shooting on occupied land feels like a betrayalTurning a 12,000-line poem that takes a day to read aloud into a three-hour film was always going to require some pruning. So it has proved with Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, which dispenses with a number of scenes and characters from Homer’s ancient Greek epic. The director has also changed the emphasis in some of the story’s most famous episodes and made a few of his own additions. Here we run down the most significant alterations. Continue reading...
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