Odysseus Returns: Reflections on Christopher Nolan’s "The Odyssey"

Fong Auditorium, Boylston Hall
Harvard Yard
Cambridge
Tue., Oct. 13, 2026, 6 – 7:30 p.m.



Since its release in July, Christopher Nolan’s IMAX film "The Odyssey" has made as big a splash as any film in recent memory, drawing large crowds to theaters and eliciting vociferous debate among pundits. What are we to make of Nolan’s reworking of this Homeric epic? How does his version adapt the ancient story and shape the narrative through cinematic techniques? What does the film and its reception tell us about our own time and its relationship to the past?

Gazette Classification: Film, Humanities, Lecture, Poetry/Prose, Special Events
Organization/Sponsor: Mahindra Humanities Center
Speaker(s): David Elmer, Emily Greenwood, Jie Li, Robin Kelsey, moderator
Cost: Free and open to the public; no registration required.
Contact Info: [email protected]
Harvard Key Required: No
More info: mahindrahumanities.harvard.edu…