Conservative Columnist Defends Traditional Morality in Nolan's 'Odyssey' Amid 'Woke' Casting Controversy
Select a version of the text written from a presumed ideological perspective. This is not the original text, but a hypothetical version — how someone with that viewpoint might have phrased it. Tapping the current version again will return to the original or select cleaned version.
David French argues Nolan’s 'The Odyssey' upholds conservative values of accountability, despite left-wing attempts to politicize the film’s diverse casting.
Conservative columnist David French, in The New York Times, highlights how Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of 'The Odyssey' serves as a vital warning about the dangers of moral decay and the importance of accountability, drawing a clear comparison to President Donald Trump’s alleged enrichment and use of pardons. French points out that Odysseus, by violating ancient hospitality norms with the Trojan Horse, commits an act akin to a war crime, resulting in personal guilt and exile—a narrative that reinforces the conservative principle that actions have consequences. Despite predictable outrage from right-wing circles over the casting of Lupita Nyong’o as Helen and Elliot Page as Sinon—choices that many see as a capitulation to 'woke' Hollywood—French maintains that the film’s message is fundamentally conservative, emphasizing timeless moral laws and the certainty of punishment for those who break them. > 'Defy the gods? Deny the dignity of your neighbor? You certainly can, if you so choose. And you may prosper for a time. But the narrative arc of the movie tells us our destiny if that’s the path we choose. It turns out that there are rules for rule breakers, just as there are for everyone else, and those rules have persisted throughout human history.' French concludes that the film warns, 'heedless people, you will pay for what you destroy.' While liberal commentator Thom Hartmann tries to twist the film’s message to criticize recent U.S. foreign policy, French and others recognize that the real lesson is the enduring value of personal responsibility. Meanwhile, director Nolan’s dismissal of conservative concerns over casting shows the ongoing struggle to preserve traditional values in a culture increasingly dominated by leftist ideology.