Homer & Hollywood: Screening the Ancient Greek Epics

In alignment with New Canaan Library’s 15th annual Literary Luncheon featuring Madeline Miller, author of The New York Times #1 bestseller Circe, the Library welcomes Monica S. Cyrino, Professor of Classics and Chair of the Department of Languages, and Literatures, University of New Mexico.
Professor Cyrino will present the talk “Homer and Hollywood,” illustrating how the Greek classics are depicted in modern film and entertainment. The live webinar will be held on Tuesday, November 8 at 7 PM EST. Please register online at newcanaanlibrary.org for Zoom link.

In her talk, and with film clips and images, Professor Cyrino will explore how ancient Greek epic narrative themes and characters from Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey are adapted in modern popular film. She will discuss how cinematic interpretations of the Homeric poems have inspired filmmakers to use epic themes and images in several recent films: Wolfgang Petersen’s Troy (2004), Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven (1992); Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner (1982); Andrei Konchalovsky’s Odyssey miniseries (1997); the Coen brothers’ O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000); and George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road (2015).

Monica Silveira Cyrino (PhD 1992, Yale University) is Professor of Classics and Chair of the Department of Languages, Cultures, and Literatures at the University of New Mexico, USA. Her academic research centers on the reception of the ancient world on screen, and the erotic in ancient Greek poetry. Her book Big Screen Rome (Blackwell, 2005) is a pioneering survey of the most popular and influential films that reconstruct the image of ancient Rome. She is the editor of two volumes on the series: ROME, Season One: History Makes Television (Blackwell, 2008), and ROME, Season Two: Trial and Triumph (Edinburgh UP, 2015), and she is the editor of Screening Love & Sex in the Ancient World (Palgrave Macmillan, 2013).