Episode 125: The Odyssey & O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Homer adaptations. Sarah Watt, Jeremy Downing and William Chen discuss The Odyssey (2026) and O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000), two adaptations of Homer's epic poems The Illiad and The Odyssey. We allude to the artistry of Christopher Nolan and Joel and Ethan Coen, aka The Coen Brothers - writer and directors of the two films. We discuss the music of both films, namely the O Brother, Where Art Thou album and the score of The Odyssey by Ludwig Göransson. Our conversation focuses on our reactions to The Odyssey, with general enjoyment found across the three hosts. We compare the archetypes across both films, discussing what each adaptation brings to the core characters, settings and ideas. We spend some time talking about O Brother, Where Art Thou's creative flourishes. We return to The Odyssey and laude Samantha Morton's performance as Circe, including the practical visual effects used in her scenes. We then move on to talk about the stacked cast in The Odyssey, including: Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Elliot Page, Himesh Patel, Mia Goth, Logan Marshall-Green, Charlize Theron, Zendaya, Jon Bernthal, Lupita Nyong'o, Benny Safdie and John Leguizamo.