Christopher Nolan has shared how his title card for The Odyssey, “A time of apparent magic,” was inspired by the title card from Star Wars.
“One of my earliest movie experiences—a very profound one—was seeing George Lucas’s first Star Wars,” Nolan said. He began that film with a title that said, ‘A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…’ That immediately told me how to watch the film. It put me in the right frame of mind to receive the imagery. I felt with this film I was chasing that kind of experience where you want to create a world that the audience loses themselves in and takes on its own terms. So I was looking for a phrase that would help the audience understand the terms of the story.”
Nolan’s phrase certainly does set the stage, clueing the audience into the fact we should be wary of what, exactly, is magic, what isn’t, and if there’s even magic at all.
“The word ‘apparent’ in particular was very much about acknowledging the idea that if we tell the story realistically, to some extent we have to explain why there is magic,” Nolan said. “I was interested in the idea that for a person living in the Bronze Age, there is magic all around you. Things you cannot explain. So there are fanciful, sometimes correct or incorrect explanations for the things you’re seeing and the mysteries of life. I wanted to put that in people’s heads as they started watching. However, what I find interesting in talking about the film is that I’m not sure as much has changed regarding how we understand the world around us as I thought when I started making the film.”
You can watch the full interview below or head to The Film Stage for a full translation. The moment in question comes towards the end.
Image: Universal
