The Odyssey / Oh Brother, Where art thou? / Report

The Odyssey

The Odyssey was the book credited to Homer, a supposedly blind storyteller who was telling the story of Odysseus in his quest to get back home. In a 20 year period where he would be captured by gods, attacked by ogres, eaten by Cyclops, and making their way down to Hades’ underworld, it was one of the first recorded ‘Epic’s of human history.

The beginning, surprisingly, doesn’t start with Odysseus, but his house, 12 years after the story actually starts, where his wife, Penolope, and his son, Telemachus, who are currently holding off hordes of suitors who are making themselves at home, eating and drinking Odysseus’s food and wine. Telemachus goes off to quest for information about his father, while the suitors plot his death for when he gets back.

Then we get shown the pass, when Odysseus is just released from the god who has kept him captured for 6 years, trying to make him immortal. He uses a raft to escape, and while Poseidon wrecks his raft, he manages to make it to the island of the Phaeacians, where he makes friends with the royal family, participates in sports, before finally telling his 2 year long story to the king and queen.

Odysseus’ story does not start at the start of his journey, but when the fleet splits after a argument installed by Zeus. From there, he finds the land of the Lotus Eaters, who almost steal away three of his crew, to the land of the Cyclops, who destroys a ship and eats some of his crew, and the underworld itself, where he would meet with a seer, his mother, and Hercules himself.

After having his crew all slain by wrath of Poseidon and the sun god, he’s shipwrecked on the isle where he meets the goddess, and spends 8 years. He is then given a large tribute, and is given straight passage to the land of his house. He disguises himself as a beggar and scopes out his house, finding who is loyal him and who isn’t. The gods to come back, and with help of his swineherd and cart pusher warn his son, Odysseus kills the suitors.

Oh Brother, Where art thou?

Oh Brother, where art thou? was a 2000 film, where experimenting with CGI was just beginning. Using a color filter and some CGI, this film that’s mostly based of The Odyssey is a great tribute, changing the B.C. epic into a 1930’s based flick, and it is a GRAND masterpiece.

The beginning starts at the beginning this time, with us seeing Ulysses (The N.A. name for Odysseus) escaping with Pete and Delmar. After a quick vote to see who really is the leader of the outfit, they meet a blind seer who tells them of the road ahead. They meet with Pete’s brother, who betrays them. His son, however, uses a car to help them escape.

After having the car bust down, (and not being able to find proper hair gel), sell a trinket from Pete’s brother to buy a new one. They pick up a black man named Tommy, who ‘sold his soul to the devil’ in order to play guitar reeaalll good, and then become the Soggy Bottom Boys for 60$ dollars after making a soon-to-be hit ‘Man of Constant Sorrow’.

After a near miss with the police that sends Tommy running and loses the car, the crew gets picked up by a George Nelson, 10 feet tall, who’s a robber who hates cows more then coppers. Pete gets turned into a ‘horny toad’ after a mishap with sirens, and then Delmar and Ulysses buy some lunch, get into a conversation with a one-eyed bible salesman, who robs them and squishes ‘Pete the Toad’. Delmar dies inside.

Pete, who was captured by the police, spills his guts about the treasure, but after seeing a picture show where he was able to meet the others, he gets busted out. He’s extremely sad and annoyed at himself for telling them about it, and then Ulysses says that there is no treasure and never was a treasure. Pete attempts to kill Ulysses. Delmar follows them as they roll down a hill, where they see a KKK ritual in progress.

Tommy was taken prisoner by the KKK, and the crew attempts to rescue him. Cyclops reveals them before they can, so they run using the confederate flag as a missile. Cyclops catches is, but then the cables for a burning cross snaps. Cyclops dies. They escape to a Homer Rally, where they see that Homer was the leader of the KKK. They disguise as the Soggy Bottom Boys, where they see that the song has been extremely popular.

Homer attempts to get the crowd against them after he recognizes them, but he gets run out on a rail. His political opponent takes advantage of this, pardons the group, and gives them a position on his brain trust. As they leave, they see George Nelson getting brought to the electric chair, 11 feet tall this time. Homer and the crew go to the old cabin where the treasure ‘was’ and the ring that he needs is, but gets captured by the ‘devil’. The flood saves them, and they find the ring.  The movie ends happily.