O Brother, Where Art Thou? Summarizer

One thing I noticed just looking at some little notes of The Odyssey was that the main character, Odysseus, main enemy before the events of The Odyssey was Poseidon, and at the end of the movie they are saved by a flood in the valley. I don't know if it was on accident or if it was for irony, but it was a nice touch.

Another thing that was clear to notice was the reference to the Cyclops in the movie. He was referenced twice, and we were told in class that this was a direct reference to The Odyssey. Through the movie the "Cyclops" seems to have a main goals of ending our "heroes" journey. He's a constant obstacle like I'm sure he is in The Odyssey.

Finally, the blind black man in the film was a direct reference to Teiresais in The Odyssey. Teiresais is a blind prophet of Apollo, sent to explain to Odysseus how to get back to his home and his fate. In the movie, the blind man warns them not to go after the treasure and that he will find the fortune that he does not know he wants. Or something along the lines of that.

These are three of the largest comparisons that I found between The Odyssey and O Brother, Where Art Though? Each of them have a unique place in the storyline, and it was clear the directors got a lot of inspiration from the poem and did a good job of reenacting it.

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Elements and Principles of Cinematography

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