Join us in an epic reading of an epic tale – The Odyssey

By Kim Hornak, Aron Theatre Marketing Committee Volunteer

Have you read Homer’s Odyssey? Would you like to? Join others in our community in the latest Book to Film Club meetup! To learn more about the event, email Graeme.peters@trenthills.ca

When it was announced that Christopher Nolan had chosen to bring a screen adaptation of Homer’s ‘The Odyssey’ to life, people immediately began to share opinions shared far and wide via social media. Since the film’s opening, discourse around the movie has only grown. Instead of diving into the dramatic film discourse seas, why not first allow the muses to whisk you away by reading Homer's epic poem? (these references will make even more sense once you’ve read the book!)

The Odyssey tells the tale of a man who is trying to make his way home. Our hero Odysseus faces many challenges on his long journey, many that seem to constantly move him off his course. The poem features a nonlinear structure and weaves the themes of family, leadership, gender, justice, and revenge... to name a few.

Why read the book before seeing the film? When adapting a written text, a film will often select to highlight a chosen theme (or themes) more than others. Intricacies are often lost in the translation from one artistic medium to another. A film adaptation guides the viewer through a director’s interpretation of a text. It is because of the depth of the storytelling that one should consider reading the text before seeing a new artist's interpretation of the work.

When you read a book first, you are meeting with the author on the page and together creating an understanding of the text. From there, you can better prepare to see the text through another person’s eyes when you watch a film. The more discourse around a book-to-film adaptation, the more vital it is to read the text yourself so that you can interpret it before the voices of all the critics take over your viewing and reading experience.

No better reason then, to create a Book to Film Club! With so much noise on the internet, this discussion allows you to find some quiet space to experience a work of literature and let it guide your sails of interpretation. The Book to Film Club is inviting readers and filmgoers to read Homer’s work, then watch Nolan’s interpretation of ‘The Odyssey’ at the Aron Theatre Co-op, and finally join us at the Campbellford Public Library on August 31 to share thoughts on both.

It promises to be an epic discussion!