D. Ray <d@ray> wrote:
I'm going to do a lengthy commentary on the new Odyssey movie next week,
and I'm going to be comparing Nolan's film extensively to the 1997 made-for-TV Odyssey with Armand Assante, by Russian director Andrei Konchalovsky, which I think is superior to Nolan's film in every possible
way except for some of the special effects.
Nolan did something deeply subversive here, and it isn't just in the
gorillas he cast as Greek goddesses and queens. In fact, that's probably
the least subversive thing about it, since it's so in- your-face even a
child can find it funny.
For anyone who hasn't seen it, I encourage you to treat yourself to Konchalovsky's epic masterpiece. Or if you have seen it, but it was a long time ago, I encourage you give it a re-watch, especially if you've also
seen or are planning to see the new one.
This film was made on a $40 million budget in 1997?at the time the most expensive TV movie ever made?but adjusting for inflation, was still made
for less than one-third the $250 million budget of Nolan's film.
The 1997 Odyssey was released in two parts and both are available for free
on YouTube:
Part 1: <https://youtu.be/VwdoA0_t2vI?si=npBalptp_4OMRu-t>
Part 2: <https://youtu.be/boDSpqQ1zr8?si=eRMgSxTy1HDfGjtp>
It's interesting to think about the fact that Americans made two stories
into modern films by British directors?"The Odyssey" by Christopher Nolan,
and "Napoleon" by Ridley Scott?that were both done infinitely better by
Soviet Russian directors.
Not only was the American-made 1997 "Odyssey" written and directed by a Russian, Andrei Konchalovsky, whose entire background was in Soviet cinema,
but also Sergei Bondarchuk wrote and directed the massive "War and Peace" series from 1965-67, which is the definitive version of the Napoleonic Wars ever put to film, at the peak of the Cold War.
Ridley Scott at least made some great films early in his career, I've
always hated Nolan and all his films, but there is something so disgusting
and repulsive about these liberal British filmmakers in their approach to
epic storytelling. You can just see why Russia is still a great power
today, full of pride and honor, while Britain has been reduced to an island
of thoroughly cucked yet smug thought police. In these two cases at least,
the Russians not only understand honor, glory, tragedy infinitely
better?but also love, passion, sensitivity, men, women etc. They have
HEART and they understand drama better.
For Britain, the land of Shakespeare, to lose its ability to make drama
shows the deep cancerous sickness eating away at the heart of the West. Whatever one may say about Russians or Slavs, there is a vitality there
that is utterly missing in the Anglo storytellers. It's like the Russian understands greatness as well as passion and tradegy and loss, meanwhile
the Brit is letting his wife get fucked by an ape and is morally lecturing
you on why he's superior to you for letting it happen. And everyone just pretends this is normal and not a huge, urgent sign that there is something terribly wrong.
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