OUR ODYSSEUS

The movie “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” was directed by the well-known Cohen brothers, Joel and Ethan.  The writing of this piece is credited to Ethan and Joel as well as Homer.  This movie is probably the most well-known direct adaptation of the Odyssey due to the similarities that are evident with the text.  The stars of the movie include George Clooney, John Torturro, and Timothy Blake Nelson along with many others.  The IMBD story line of “O Brother, Where Art Thou” is a perfect representation of the film.  The notable movie review website writes:

“Loosely based on Homer's "Odyssey," the movie deals with the picaresque adventures of Ulysses Everett McGill and his companions Delmar and Pete in 1930s Mississipi. Sprung from a chain gang and trying to reach Everett's home to recover the buried loot of a bank heist they are confronted by a series of strange characters--among them sirens, a cyclops, bank robber George "Baby Face" Nelson (very annoyed by that nickname), a campaigning governor and his opponent, a KKK lynch mob, and a blind prophet who warns the trio that "the treasure you seek shall not be the treasure you find."

As you can see there are many aspects of this movie that closely encompass the aspects of the famous text.  The sirens were three attractive women in the creek that three men could not resist.  They were tempted by their beauty and their song which is identical to the text.  The Cyclops was a character played by John Goodman named Big Dan.  This Big Dan had an eye patch and claimed to be a bible salesman.  He lures the three of them into the middle of nowhere in a craftily planned ploy to rob them of their money and vehicle.  The main character, Ulysses (played by George Clooney), succeeds by having great intelligence and the gift of gab, make him a great representation of the great Odysseus.   The story line and character list make this film a direct representation of the text.