Inside Christopher Nolan's Major League Monemvasia "Miss"
We love us some Pylos and Methoni, but was director's Odyssey shoot actually incomplete?
We come from Hollywood and we don’t like Hollywood, for the same reason that we don’t like machines — what is there to like?
No matter how many millions Universal Pictures throws at the most hyped director of the day, Christopher Nolan (competent, but no Peter Weir) and his version of Homer’s Odyssey. I mean, Matt Damon as the one of the greatest figures in literature? It’s like saying Ben Affleck is a reliable romantic partner.
It just doesn’t add up.
Neither does the choice of filming locations, at least not in their totality. Yes, the Acrocorinth works well for a citadel setting — but why not Patmos?
Pylos, check. Methoni, check. But here’s something that studio bosses are never keen to hear: they know nothing about film locations beyond the confines of Beverly Hills or Manhattan, trusting film scouts to provide that intel for them. And those people know a bit, but not a lot. For fook’s sake, Sex and the City: the film crews used to piss off New Yorkers by getting in our way, yet they missed most of the actually really photogenic sidestreets in Chelsea and the Village.
Speaking of villages, the Peloponnese is peppered with them, none more spectacular than the island citadel of Monemvasia. It’s a shlep from either Athens or Methoni, on the west coast of Greece where Nolan shot a lot, but my oh my, worth it. We’re talking Mont St-Michel on steroids.
The Byzantine castle island of Monemvasia emerges from the Peloponnese coast a few hours drive south of Athens. There is only one entrance to the medieval fortress, which clings s precariously to a tiny but dramatic island connected to the mainland by a short manmade causeway (prior to 1971 there was no link at all). The fortress began to take shape around 583 when locals needed to defend themselves against Saracen raids. The lower town is a tangle of ancient houses, narrow cobbled streets, and tiny chapels. A path leads to the upper town with castle ruins, the lonely Agia Sofia church, and ravishing sea views.
Plus one of Greece’s most authentic historical hotels, Kinsterna, is nearby, and was just awarded two Michelin keys. It’s a meticulously restored Byzantine mansion and estate in nearby Agios Stephanos, where you'll experience gourmet dining and views of Monemvasia just a bit offshore.
So Mr. Nolan, ya missed out. And yes, we still think Encyclopedia Britannica could have done a better job with the history of nuclear proliferation. Youch!
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