FRIDAY, JULY 31, 2026
A TDH movie review: We went to see The Odyssey this very afternoon. We lasted until midway through the Cyclops.
We attended the 4 p.m. show at The Charles. We were airlifted back to our sprawling campus in time for the start of The Five!
What went wrong on our trip to The Charles? Let us riddle it out:
The following passage comes from Professor Fagles' 1990 translation of the Iliad. Yes, that's the Iliad, not its sequel, but you may get the idea:
So Ajax and Odysseus made their way at once
where the battle lines of breakers crash and drag,
praying hard to the god who moves and shakes the earth...
Where the breakers crash and drag! But what was Odysseus praying for? Let us complete the offering:
So Ajax and Odysseus made their way at once
where the battle lines of breakers crash and drag,
praying hard to the god who moves and shakes the earth
that they might bring the proud heart of Achilles
round with speed and ease.
Achilles was sulking in his tents, refusing to fight, assisted by sacred Patroclus. A wily tactician had been sent by Agamemnon, lord of men, to urge him to beat back his anger and return to the war against Troy.
So much takes place in the lines which follow—though yes, that isn't the Odyssey. But whatever made anyone think that some such experience could somehow be moved to a screen?
We expect to continue our review tomorrow. "Emily Wilson was way too kind," several young analysts said.
A Daily Howler point of concern: Warning! Every speck of the Iliad is built around the human impulse sometimes described in modern times as "toxic masculinity."
On The Five, the children scream about the use of that term. But all in all, at the dawn of the West, let's face it—there it was!
Is Somerby saying he left early and didn't watch the entire film? If so, he really shouldn't be reviewing it.
ReplyDeleteIt's the movie's fault, no doubt, for failing to meet Somerby's Olympian standards of acceptability -- as does everything.
Delete"Warning! Every speck of the Iliad is built around the human impulse sometimes described in modern times as "toxic masculinity."
ReplyDeleteThe Iliad is a work of fiction written long after the described events took place, hundreds of years later. It's purpose was to entertain men sitting around in the evening, perhaps around a campfire. It thus has survived as oral history and later as a written epic poem because it was of interest to and appreciated by men. Why wouldn't it contain stories and ideas that appeal to men?
Somerby also tends to emphasize the parts of the Iliad that are about exploits and war and sacking troy, not about the doings of the Gods that set up the Trojan conflict and not about the way the politics of those Gods played out in the actions of those men on the beach (or Helen or Troy itself). The agency involved belongs to those Gods and the acts Somerby attributes to men are also caused by the Gods. For example, Paris didn't steal Helen and she didn't leave her husband and children to go with him voluntarily. Paris was offered the most beautiful woman as a prize for judging a beauty contest between various Greek goddesses squabbling over their own vanity. The Goddess he picked awarded Helen to Paris as a bribe for choosing her as most beautiful in that contest. Helen had no agency in the situation, nor did Paris make the choice of Helen. Yet Somerby quotes a speech of regret that Homer puts into Helen's mouth, as if Helen was responsible for anything that occurred.
Because Somerby himself limits his focus to the parts of the Iliad exhibiting toxic masculinity, it is not only unfair for him to attribute that to Homer, but also oblivious to other lessons that might be exhibited by the Iliad. That makes me doubt whether Somerby is equipped to evaluate Nolan's different take on The Odyssey either.
The fact that some type of toxic masculinity is describe in war among men in Ancient times does not establish any continuity with men's toxic masculinity in our modern context. It does not show that it is "bred in the bone" (a favorite phrase Somerby uses to suggest innateness) nor does it show that it is confined to men (when female Greek goddesses show their own bad behavior). Most importantly, Somerby appears to have no idea what feminists mean by the term and he is mistaken in his hints about examples from the Iliad. For one thing, feminists believe that toxic masculinity is toxic to MEN, not just women, and consider it a social and cultural phenomenon that has not existed across cultures and time and place, but is invented to serve goals, as is true for racism and sexism and xenophobia.
If we get rid of masculinity, we’ll get rid of toxic masculinity.
DeleteWith respect, whether Helen voluntarily eloped with Paris has been disputed and debated from the time the tale was first told around campfires until this very day, thousands of years later.
DeleteHelen was awarded as a prize/bribe to Paris. How is that voluntary? We do not believe in the existence of Greek gods, so how is that anything but a story? There can be versions and translations but not a debate about reality. This is like debating whether Superman could beat up Mighty Mouse.
DeleteMaybe Somerby wants to treat The Iliad like a Bible study but glorifying hand-to-hand combat clothed in mythology is a bizarre obsession shared with some unsavory internet cults. With respect to who? Not Helen. It makes a difference whether misogynists think a woman would abandon her husband, kids and social status so cavalierly because the guys who idealize The Iliad have a low opinion of women. There is no history involved so no way to defend Helen’s character against such men who hate women. This is thin ice for Somerby.
If you want to know why the modern left cannot connect with the average man, 11:07 has done a fine job of illustrating it for you.
DeleteCan't argue with Somerby if he doesn't like that the movie isn't following a fictional story line that has been rewritten/interpreted thousands of times..
ReplyDeleteLasted until midway through the cyclops? It was clearly a Herculean effort to engage with this widely acclaimed movie when The Five was due on the tele. One that Bob was incapable of, being a mere human. As for this Emily Wilson, who Bob references as a solid critic ( given her credentials as a translator): her critique is self glazing, pompous and tediously pedantic. She finds multiple prior Nolan movies boring. She thinks it is a shame that no time was spent on the construction of the horse. Bizarre nonsense, that lacks any apparent insight into how a movie of less than three hours needs to be constructed. Oh well. Bob will have more to say about all this tomorrow and will undoubtedly try to upstage the dear Ms. Wilson as a pedantic critic of roughly half a movie.
ReplyDeleteThe right wing dislikes this movie.
ReplyDeleteCue Somerby.
Nailed it.
DeleteI recall Somerby’s endless scathing reviews of The Shape of Water, saying its purpose was to make liberal audiences feel smug and condescending by mocking conservatives. When I finally saw it, it bore no resemblance to Somerby’s description.
ReplyDelete