Castle Howard's deep connection to the world's biggest film

Castle Howard's deep connection to the world's biggest film

The Odyssey may have become one of the highest-grossing films of all-time but did you know of the connections closer to home?

Written and directed by Sir Christopher Nolan, The Odyssey, which he also produced alongside his wife, Dame Emma Thomas, has made more than one billion US dollars at the global box office less than a month after its release.

The blockbuster is an adaptation of Homer’s ancient Greek epic and follows Matt Damon as Odysseus, the Greek king of Ithaca, on his perilous 10-year journey home after the Trojan War.

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However, while everyone may be talking about the film, Castle Howard has been talking about The Odyssey for centuries through the stately home's collection.

Dr Christopher Ridgway, Head Curator at Castle Howard, said: "The Castle Howard library holds countless editions of Homer's works, collected from the 18th century onwards, when Europe was enthralled by the classical worlds of Ancient Greece and Rome.

"Among them is this edition of The Odyssey, translated by the English poet Alexander Pope and printed in 1725. It was subscribed to by the 3rd Earl of Carlisle, the man responsible for building Castle Howard. Such was the Earl's fascination with Homer, whose works were most likely the product of a long oral tradition rather than a single individual, that scenes from the great epic of Troy were depicted in the High Saloon.

"Sadly, these paintings were lost in the devastating fire of 1940."

The Odyssey film features a star-studded cast including Damon, Anne Hathaway and Robert Pattinson – and has become the highest-grossing of all three actors’ careers globally.

The three-hour-long epic also stars Zendaya, Tom Holland, Charlize Theron and Lupita Nyong’o.

The Odyssey debuted at number one globally and it remained in the top position for two consecutive weekends both domestically and internationally.