Christopher Nolan’s Un-Greek Odyssey

HeritageFederalist Papers
Written By Jeff Polet
 

“Loved the book, didn’t care for the movie.” A truly good book is not easily compressed into a two- or three-hour format. Difficult choices must be made concerning what parts of the narrative to include, how to present the characters, how to construct the dialogue, and what details need highlighting. We typically judge such efforts by their fidelity to the source material: Can any person watching this movie have an accurate idea of what’s in the book? If not, has the filmmaker at least captured the spirit or the essence of the thing?

I generally admire Christopher Nolan’s films. I thought Memento was fresh, interesting, and sophisticated. The Batman trilogy was terrific. Oppenheimer got a plus rating from me, even if I thought it wasn’t great. I didn’t care much for Inception but I did like The Prestige. Nolan’s films have much originality, an often disjointed narrative structure, and remarkable cinematography.

To continue reading this essay, please click HERE. This essay was originally published on Acton Institute.

By Jeff Polet

Director of the Ford Leadership Forum, Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation

 
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Jeff Polet

Jeff Polet is Director of the Ford Leadership Forum at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation. Previously he was a Professor of Political Science at Hope College, and before that at Malone College in Canton, OH. A native of West Michigan, he received his BA from Calvin College and his MA and Ph.D. from The Catholic University of America in Washington DC.

 

In addition to his teaching, he has published on a wide range of scholarly and popular topics. These include Contemporary European Political Thought, American Political Thought, the American Founding, education theory and policy, constitutional law, religion and politics, virtue theory, and other topics. His work has appeared in many scholarly journals as well as more popular venues such as The Hill, the Spectator, The American Conservative, First Things, and others.

 

He serves on the board of The Front Porch Republic, an organization dedicated to the idea that human flourishing happens best in local communities and in face-to-face relationships. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal. He has lectured at many schools and civic institutions across the country. He is married, and he and his wife enjoy the occasional company of their three adult children.

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