Greek PM thanks Nolan for The Odyssey spotlight

ATHENS – Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has thanked film-maker Christopher Nolan for putting a modern spotlight on Ancient Greece with his hit movie The Odyssey, his office said on July 28.

Mitsotakis congratulated the British-American director in a teleconference on July 27 on the success of the movie that has renewed international interest in Homer’s ancient epic.

The Odyssey, which follows Greek hero Odysseus on his long journey home after the Trojan War, stars Matt Damon and Anne Hathaway as Odysseus and Penelope. Tom Holland portrays their son, Telemachus.

It has topped the US box office for two straight weeks and made US$640 million (S$828 million) worldwide.

Mitsotakis thanked Nolan for the film’s contribution to “boosting global interest in ancient Greek civilisation”, according to a statement from the prime minister’s office.

“Such productions bridge Greece’s rich cultural heritage with contemporary creativity,” Mitsotakis said.

While packing cinemas around the world, The Odyssey has generated public debate and criticism.

Spotify has reported a surge of interest in audiobook translations of The Odyssey, with Gen Z and millennials leading the demand.

But tech titan Elon Musk has taken to X on multiple occasions to criticise the film, which in his opinion “desecrated” the story. Months before its release, the world’s wealthiest man led criticism of Nolan for casting black actress Lupita Nyong’o as Helen of Troy and transgender actor Elliot Page as the Greek warrior Sinon.

In Greece, there has been criticism over the lack of Greek actors in the film, beyond extras.

Mitsotakis, however, congratulated Nolan on the film’s “great box office success” and expressed appreciation that a significant part of the production was filmed in Greece.

Several scenes were shot in Messenia and Corinth in the Peloponnese region of southern Greece.

The Peloponnese was the heartland of the Bronze Age civilisation in Homer’s epic. AFP