The most recent trailer for the Odyssey film has sparked debate over the language used by the characters, with some people complaining that contemporary terms and American accents undermine historical accuracy.
This kind of criticism would be justified if levied against any historical piece of fiction, however, the Odyssey is primarily mythological, therefore the debate raises a more interesting question: what is the importance of language when telling a story based in antiquity?
The Hidden Issue of Accents in Films
Just like in life, accents in films play a pivotal role in communication. A regional accent can tell the audience a lot about a character’s background, which is why most films use “neutral diction”, as it allows the audience to immerse themselves in the story whenever the geography of a character is not essential. This may be the case for most countries, where removing a regional accent can usually be boiled down to clearer pronunciation, in the English speaking world, however, it is a lot more complex.
Because of the span of the British Empire, the English accent can vary vastly from one country to another, with a multitude of regional accents contained within each country. Therefore, speaking in a “neutral diction”, as they do in countries like Italy, can prove much harder. That is not to say that an attempt had not been made. From the 1930’s, Hollywood actors would speak in what is known as a “Mid-Atlantic” or “Trans-Atlantic” accent. Introduced by Australian phonetician William Henry Tilly (1860-1935), the accent is a mix between British and American English.
Nevertheless, the “Mid-Atlantic” accent fell out of use in the latter half of the 20th Century, and ever since accents in historical period pieces were used to communicate a clear message.
The Shakespearean Dilemma
When the trailer for Christopher Nolan’s much anticipated Odyssey film was released, many people were quick to criticise the choice of using American accents in the English version of the film, pointing out that British accents would have been more appropriate. But the characters of the epic are Greek (specifically more ancient descendants of Greeks), so why would a British accent be considered more historically accurate? Part of this expectation can be traced back to Shakespeare.
The works of renowned playwright, William Shakespeare, have been performed and enjoyed for over 400 years. They have become ingrained in popular culture, but they have also inadvertently created a linguistic standard. Plays like Hamlet, Julius Caesar, Othello, The Merchant of Venice and A Midsummer Night’s Dream all take place where English is not the official language, and have created an expectation for audiences that, when this is the case, British English is the appropriate choice.
This idea has also been reinforced by modern films, such as Gladiator and 300. However, this hasn’t always been the case. The historic epics of 1950s Hollywood often used both American and British accents to denote key themes. In The Ten Commandments (1956), the character of Moses is played with an American accent reflecting the idea of freedom, while the Egyptians all have British accents.
What the Odyssey Represents
It’s easy to think of the Odyssey as an ancient Greek myth and nothing more, making Nolan’s choice of using American accents appear incongruent to Homer’s vision. However, it is important to remember that an adaptation can never be completely faithful, compromises must be made to make a story fit into a completely different medium. What matters is being true to the core of what makes this epic such a crucial pillar of Western culture: humanity.
The first word in the original text is: ἄνδρα or “man”. This is what the Odyssey is truly about, mankind and the struggles one faces on their journey home. Therefore, the language Nolan decides to use seems to be a deliberate choice to make the story feel more contemporary and universal, to bring the audience closer to the characters despite taking place more than 3000 years in the past.
That is the true power of storytelling, the ability to communicate so much not through words, but through the way a person speaks.
