The Odyssey (2026)

Robin and Carolina take a detour from the usual schedule to talk about THE blockbuster of the summer, Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey. Politics include: 3,000 of theorising about Odysseus' motives, the MAGA right-wing press going bonkers at the film, and the small matter of the politics of the Olympus getting in the way of our hero getting back to Ithaca. Plus that Trojan horse.If you want to keep engaging with the Cyclops-style amount of commentary about the film and the epic poem, here are some recommendations from R+C:Classicist and Translator Emily Wilson's review of the Odyssey film (spoiler, she didn't love it)The film The Return for those looking for a more faithful adaptation of the second part of the poem (or at least Ralph Fiennes looking stacked)The film O'Brother Where Art Thou? by the Coen Brothers, a satirical, loosely adapted version of the OdysseyThe BBC's In Our Time episode on The Odyssey - A classic on a classicIf you liked the Odyssey and want to delve deeper into the classics, Robin recommends Homer's Iliad and Virgil's Aeneid as follow up epic poems to followFor the mega nerds out there, check out the oldest piece of narrative literature, the Epic of Gilgamesh - Hollywood: you know what to do.If you like what you hear, please rate and subscribe to the show wherever you're listening, it will help others find the pod.You will hopefully be able to see us as well as hear us, and we would love to know what you think, so please leave a comment wherever you're listening to this!Follow us on:Instagram @ministryoffilmpodBluesky @ministryoffilmpod.bskyb.social