Chris Nolan's - The Odyssey.

greg0205 said:
Love to hear your take on how Helen being hatched from a giant Swan egg dictates her whiteness next.
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I think what "dictates her whiteness" is the fact the the actual writer of the story, said that she was white.

Even though she is a complete fictional and fantasy character and thus casting a black woman should not really matter at all.

I'm looking forward to the movie and couldn't care less tbh.
 
TheMightyQuin said:
I think what "dictates her whiteness" is the fact the the actual writer of the story, said that she was white.

Even though she is a complete fictional and fantasy character and thus casting a black woman should not really matter at all.

I'm looking forward to the movie and couldn't care less tbh.
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He never wrote a physical description of Helen... He wrote "leukolenos" which translates to 'white armed' which, for Homer, was a signifier of status... White arms meant living indoors, not unusual for a literal Spartan princess, who would not be working manually in the sun... so no labourers or farmer's tan for Helen.

He described her hair "kallikomos" which translates to beautiful or noble, nothing more, and her clothing he described as "tanypeplos", meaning elegant.

More than that, nothing. Nada. Zip.
 
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greg0205 said:
He never wrote a physical description of Helen... He wrote "leukolenos" which translates to 'white armed' which, for Homer, was a signifier of status... White arms meant living indoors, not unusual for a literal Spartan princess, who would not be working manually in the sun... so no labourers or farmer's tan for Helen.

He described her hair "kallikomos" which translates to beautiful or noble, nothing more, and her clothing he described as "tanypeplos", meaning elegant.

More than that, nothing. Nada. Zip.
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Seems translation is open to interpretation?

Leukolenos (λευκώλενος) is an ancient Greek poetic epithet meaning "white-armed," most famously used in Homeric epics for goddesses and noble women like Hera and Helen.

Meaning and Usage Translation: "White-armed" or "fair-armed" from Greek roots (leukos for white, ulene for forearm/arm). Homeric Context: Used as a recurring rhythmic tag (epithēton) in epic poetry to describe high-status female figures. Primary Figures: Most frequently attached to the goddess Hera and sometimes Helen of Troy.

Cultural Significance Social Status: Pale skin signaled freedom from outdoor field labor, representing nobility, indoor luxury, and feminine virtue in ancient Mediterranean societies.

Character Signal: In classical literary analysis, scholars note that Homer uses leukolenos for Hera specifically when she behaves with calm, regal, or cooperative grace.

If you'd like, I can: List more Homeric epithets for other gods and heroes

Explain how skin tone and status were viewed in ancient GreeceLet me know how you'd like to proceed!
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:coffee:o_O
 
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greg0205 said:
He never wrote a physical description of Helen... He wrote "leukolenos" which translates to 'white armed' which, for Homer, was a signifier of status... White arms meant living indoors, not unusual for a literal Spartan princess, who would not be working manually in the sun... so no labourers or farmer's tan for Helen.

He described her hair "kallikomos" which translates to beautiful or noble, nothing more, and her clothing he described as "tanypeplos", meaning elegant.

More than that, nothing. Nada. Zip.I
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But The Bible says she's white but in our transformation…
 
greg0205 said:
White arms meant living indoors, not unusual for a literal Spartan princess, who would not be working manually in the sun... so no labourers or farmer's tan for Helen.
Click to expand...

I wonder which race's arms would be white when kept out of the sun....🤔
 
I do find it annoying when historic characters are re-cast as other races. I would have as big an issue if Shaka was portrayed by a white dude as with Helen of Troy being done by an African of dark skin. It makes zero sense. Put actors in the role they are meant. When you watch a movie you want to immerse yourself in the story and the characters for the most part, not be distracted by obvious inaccuracies.

Was watching a video this AM in the video thread here and there was one about facts about OG Star Trek. The last fact was awesome. It was how the actress who played Uhura in the original star trek wanted to quit after season 1. She loved stage musicals and wanted to get back to that. Actually resigned. Then she met Martin Luther King and he persuaded her otherwise. He said that he loved her character and it was the first black women role in mainstream media where she was not a maid, or someone in the background. She had power, respect, and command equal to anyone else on the bridge. He said the future should be like that, and her role was giving a lot of hope. So she retracted her resignation and stayed on. She was incredible in that role. So glad she did stay on. It opened the doors for equality based casting for so many and in he role it made perfect sense. Foresaw a future in the 1960's that was spot on as with so much else in Star Trek.

Cast people where it makes sense is all I ask. When watching a movie you should not have to suspend disbelief or see something that out of place. If the story was written about ancient Greeks, cast Greek looking people. If the story was about Vikings, cast Norse looking people. If the story was about Zulu's, cast Zulu looking people. All this nonsense about people of any colour replacing those about whom the story was originally written is nonsense and pandering. If you are worried that there is not enough casting of people of colour go find the good stories from those people's culture and tell their tales on screen with those people in the roles. If its a modern or future tale you have almost full leeway in who you cast and sure, be fair and make it a good mix.
 
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