This was my beef with Hamilton 10+ years ago. Putting aside the fact that I despise rap, and despite protestations, I was certain not to like *this* rap, I simply wasn’t going to feed into the hype. Not until they cast Robert Downey Jr as Martin Luther King and Bradley Cooper as Malcolm X.
We ought to be more concerned about the actor's performance than their skin color. I hope that we someday get to the point where people "will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." But, we sure don't seem to be heading in that direction today.
As a lifelong fan of the Odyssey, I am dissapointed, but as you say, we should wait and see. Yet nothing will change the fact that Nolan has taken the greatest work of western literature and trivialized it to endear the vapid and superficial. If you think I am overstating the importance of the Odyssey, OK, well, you know, that's just like your opinion man. I consider it a cornerstone of western civilization: because of "it's historical precedent, its profound impact on literature, philosophy, and the collective cultural consciousness." But sure, trivialize all that so the LA and Manhattan coctail crowd ooh and ahh, and the discussion about the movie is about pigment and edginess, instead of the timeless and universal themes of the original. Those themes; "hospitality (xenia), the consequences of hubris, the role of fate versus free will, and the complexities of human relationships" are not only central to Greek culture but have transcended that to become foundational in Western ethical thought. "The {Odyssey} questions the nature of justice, the value of loyalty, the nature of honor, and the struggle between personal desires and societal obligations." But no one will be talking about much of that. Just about how epic and brave to put a black girl as Helen and a transxual as Achilles. Or how wrong it was to make those choices.
They've been miscasting in Hollywood since time immortal...or since movies began. We've seen this sort of controversy before with Oliver Stone's Alexander. They actually had lawyers trying to sue for inaccurate interpretation of history. You want to see a movie about Greek-Americans with actual Greek-American actors then watch My Big Fat Greek wedding. You won't even have to worry about getting any historical facts correct. Aμήν!
This was my beef with Hamilton 10+ years ago. Putting aside the fact that I despise rap, and despite protestations, I was certain not to like *this* rap, I simply wasn’t going to feed into the hype. Not until they cast Robert Downey Jr as Martin Luther King and Bradley Cooper as Malcolm X.
We ought to be more concerned about the actor's performance than their skin color. I hope that we someday get to the point where people "will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." But, we sure don't seem to be heading in that direction today.
The actors themselves are irrelevant to this discussion.
When you bow the knee to diversity, then the performance is eclipsed by the skin color or ethnic background of the actor.
As a lifelong fan of the Odyssey, I am dissapointed, but as you say, we should wait and see. Yet nothing will change the fact that Nolan has taken the greatest work of western literature and trivialized it to endear the vapid and superficial. If you think I am overstating the importance of the Odyssey, OK, well, you know, that's just like your opinion man. I consider it a cornerstone of western civilization: because of "it's historical precedent, its profound impact on literature, philosophy, and the collective cultural consciousness." But sure, trivialize all that so the LA and Manhattan coctail crowd ooh and ahh, and the discussion about the movie is about pigment and edginess, instead of the timeless and universal themes of the original. Those themes; "hospitality (xenia), the consequences of hubris, the role of fate versus free will, and the complexities of human relationships" are not only central to Greek culture but have transcended that to become foundational in Western ethical thought. "The {Odyssey} questions the nature of justice, the value of loyalty, the nature of honor, and the struggle between personal desires and societal obligations." But no one will be talking about much of that. Just about how epic and brave to put a black girl as Helen and a transxual as Achilles. Or how wrong it was to make those choices.
(quotes taken from Prof. Axelrod).
Nice reference, Dude.
They've been miscasting in Hollywood since time immortal...or since movies began. We've seen this sort of controversy before with Oliver Stone's Alexander. They actually had lawyers trying to sue for inaccurate interpretation of history. You want to see a movie about Greek-Americans with actual Greek-American actors then watch My Big Fat Greek wedding. You won't even have to worry about getting any historical facts correct. Aμήν!