0797NOTOrpheusEurydice_Nolan

0797NOTOrpheusEurydice_Nolan

Christopher Nolan, director, Inception (Warner Bros. 2010)

My response to the student's clever analysis at right: "That's a brilliantly stated analysis, Justin.

I had heard about the Orpheus allusion in Inception from other students' papers; but not until about two weeks ago did I watch it myself.

Your assessment of the myth's application in the film is very sensitive, and entirely right. You know that I'm hung up on the necessity of "overt reference." If that bothers you as it does me, you'll be less than relieved to recall that the partner in the whole enterprise is named Ariadne (Ellen Page's character), who leads us through the labyrinthine maze of the tricky plot. Nolan's screenwriters might have done me a favor by naming this character something different. As it is, I'm thinking there must be considerable reference to the myth of the Minotaur. But, hey!

That obstacle notwithstanding, I liked the film a lot. I think Chris Nolan is really brilliant. Now I need to see Memento. The Prestige has been one of my favorites since I saw it after its release.

Bring me more such findings anytime!

RTM"

On Aug 31, 2011, at 4:16 PM, justinXXX@xxxx.net wrote:

Dr. Macfarlane,
I was in your greek mythology class winter semester. I just discovered an awesome use of classical mythology in the movie Inception, and it made me so happy I wanted to email you and thank you for teaching me to look for that stuff. The film's hero, Cob, is an Orpheus figure. He is a master of illusion (he claims to be the best at manipulating dreams). He lost his wife, but uses his skill to descend into deeper and deeper dreams to find her. In a twist from the classic version, his own subconscious (in the form of his wife) is the cerberus that he has to overcome.

I think everyone who sees that movie gets so caught up in the coolness of dreams and extraction that they don't pay attention to the real theme of the movie. It's a continuation of Christopher Nolan's other films Memento and Prestige. Those films end with statements to the effect that we all want to be deceived or that we prefer lies to reality. So in Inception, we take an Orpheus figure that has mastered false reality and have him descend to the depths of his own mind to save his wife. But instead, he conquers his own mind, realizes that reality is superior to the deceptions we like to live in, and chooses to leave her behind. When he returns from the underworld, everything is blissfully happy. He doesn't have his wife, but he's surrounded by smiling friends and family. Finally, whereas in his dreams he was never able to see his children's faces, in the real world he gets to see and embrace them.

Anyway, I'm just excited and had to tell you. Thanks for everything!
Justin