Greek Prime Minister Thanks Nolan For The Odyssey

Some have criticised Christopher Nolan’s new film, The Odyssey, for not having any Greek actors in it. Nonetheless, Greece’s prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, seems pretty happy with the film.

In a recent video call held with the British director, Mitsotakis praised the record-breaking blockbuster, per Euronews.

According to a press statement from the PM’s office, he thanked Nolan for “boosting global interest in ancient Greek civilisation”, adding, “such productions bridge Greece’s rich cultural heritage with contemporary creativity.”

Sales of The Odyssey’s text have skyrocketed since the release of the movie.

Mitsotakis also commended the Tenet director’s use of Greek locations.

Parts of the movie were shot in the Peloponnese region of Greece, including Voidokilia Beach, the 13th-century Methoni Castle, the monolithic Acrocorinth overlooking the city of Corinth, Almyrolaka Beach, and Nestor’s Cave.

And the Prime Minister reportedly mentioned the movie’s “great box office success”, too.

The Odyssey is already the second-highest-grossing R-rated movie Universal has made since Nolan’s other huge hit, Oppenheimer. It‘s made $639.6 million (£480.5 million) since its release on 17 July globally.

This comes after classical studies professor Emily Wilson, whose 2017 translation of The Odyssey seems to have inspired Christopher Nolan’s version, criticised the movie in the London Review of Books.

Comparing the three-hour epic to “an elaborate Fourth of July fireworks display – and with about the same level of narrative and emotional depth,” she suggested the movie was “too underdeveloped to deliver what it half-promises in terms of big ideas – although it is very good at conveying big bangs and big giants.”