Christopher Nolan didn’t just hand his The Odyssey cast a script before filming kicked off – he also gave them a three-film watch list. Via Universal Homer’s ancient Greek epic follows Odysseus, king of Ithaca, as he attempts to make it home after spending 10 years fighting in the Trojan War. Speaking at CinemaCon back in April, Nolan described making the film as “an absolute nightmare”, before quickly adding it was a nightmare “in all the right ways”. “We had an amazing time doing it,” he said. But before cameras even started rolling, Nolan had the cast and crew sit down to watch three classic films that helped shape the feel of The Odyssey. Speaking to The Independent, Nolan explained he likes to screen films before production starts, looking for “textures that might inspire us”. He added: “Usually, those influences are pretty indirect.” For The Odyssey, the viewing list included Andrei Tarkovsky’s Andrei Rublev (1966), Akira Kurosawa’s Ran (1985) and Martin Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ (1988). Nolan singled out Ran in particular, calling it “such an incredible film” and praising the way it uses “landscape and wind, in particular”. Via Universal “We watched the film and thought, ‘Yeah, the banners flapping in the wind and everything – that’s an important part of what we’re doing.'” He also said The Last Temptation of Christ was essential viewing because it offers “a fresh and accessible window into history”. It’s hardly surprising Nolan turned to some of cinema’s biggest names for inspiration. He’s made a habit of screening films for his cast and crew before production, but as he pointed out, the influence isn’t about copying scenes, it’s more about creating the right atmosphere before everyone steps on set. For all the latest film and TV updates and hot takes, like our Facebook page. Featured image credit: Universal Post navigation Next story
