The Odyssey epic by Homer has been the subject of countless film and series adaptations since way before Christopher Nolan’s latest project. Perhaps the best is set in Mississippi.
Oppenheimer director Christopher Nolan is sticking to the letter O and is currently working on The Odyssey, a cinematic adaptation of Homer’s classic Odysseus story. He is by no means the first to tackle the epic adventure from ancient Greece.
But while series like Clash of the Gods and films like The Return obviously refer to the Odyssey, there are other titles where the reference is rather surprising. For example, the sci-fi anime Odysseus 31, the gang film The Warrios and, last but not least, The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie. However, one particular film is an absolute masterpiece among the Odysseys.
Probably the best adaptation of the Odyssey is O Brother, Where Art Thou? by the Coen brothers
With O Brother, Where Art Thou?, the Coen brothers Joel and Ethan (The Big Lebowski, No Country for Old Men) created a satirical southern musical that is often overlooked in their filmography. The film, starring George Clooney, John Turturro and Tim Blake Nelson, revolves around three inmates who break out of prison in 1937 and set out on their very own jailbird odyssey.
Clooney’s character Ulysses Everett McGill is directly related to Odysseus (who is called Ulysses in English), but the parallels to the hero’s legendary journey home don’t stop there: three country singers (Mia Tate, Musetta Vander and Christy Taylor) appear as sirens and a one-eyed Bible salesman (John Goodman) as a cyclops.
With a 7.4 out of 10 after 13,019 ratings, No Country for Old Men is well received in the 8kstreaming community. The soundtrack was even named Album of the Year at the 2002 Grammy Awards.
Where can you stream the unusual odyssey film adaptation?
You can currently only stream O Brother, Where Art Thou? in the Amazon channel ARTHAUS+ flat rate. It is also available for rent or purchase on Amazon, Apple TV and the usual suspects. Alternatively, you can go on an odyssey to find the Blu-ray or DVD from Universal.
