Filmmaker stuns Beijing audiences by transforming Greek mythology into a breathtaking cinematic spectacle, Xu Fan reports.

Christopher Nolan spent his 56th birthday far from Hollywood, standing inside a packed Beijing theater as hundreds of moviegoers surprised him with a Mandarin rendition of Happy Birthday.

The moment came during the Beijing premiere of The Odyssey on July 30. Visibly touched, the Oscar-winning director smiled quietly, rested his chin in his hand, and softly mouthed, "Thank you."

Standing beside him were Matt Damon, who plays Odysseus, king of Ithaca; Charlize Theron, who portrays the immortal nymph Calypso; and Emma Thomas, Nolan's wife and the film's producer. They also learned to say "Happy Birthday" in Chinese, drawing laughter and applause from the audience.

The warm welcome underscores Nolan's enduring popularity in China, where his films have cultivated a loyal following over the past two decades.

Ahead of the film's nationwide release on Aug 14, the more-than-170-minute epic received exclusive preview screenings in IMAX and CINITY formats at select theaters in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen in Guangdong province, on Aug 1 and 2. Most screenings sold out within a short time, leaving only a handful of seats in the front rows.

At the China National Film Museum, home to Beijing's largest IMAX screen, every seat was snapped up despite ticket prices exceeding 183 yuan ($27.1), far above the national average ticket price of 41.1 yuan for films released in China during the first half of this year.

For Nolan, whose films have bagged 18 Oscars, The Odyssey marks the most ambitious project of a career that includes both critically acclaimed and commercially successful blockbusters, including The Dark Knight (2008), Inception (2010), and Oppenheimer (2023).

Adapted from Homer's ancient Greek epic, the film employs Nolan's signature nonlinear storytelling, unfolding along two intertwined narratives. One follows Odysseus' perilous 10-year voyage home after the Trojan War. The other centers on his son, Telemachus, who desperately searches for signs that his father is still alive as Ithaca falls into turmoil.

Back home, a pack of power-hungry princes and noblemen have occupied the royal palace, pressuring Queen Penelope to remarry so one of them can seize the throne.

Known for his passion for cinema from a young age, Nolan first read Homer's poems — widely regarded as the foundation of Western literature — during his elementary school days.

The director was captivated by the masterpiece's fantastical elements, ranging from the Cyclops, a one-eyed giant, to the Sirens, mythological creatures who cause sailors to run aground by enchanting them with songs.

The stories sparked a lifelong ambition — not only to bring the 3,000-year-old myth to the screen, but also to make its timeless themes resonate with contemporary audiences.

"I think as a filmmaker — you're always looking for something to challenge yourself, but also something hopefully the audience hasn't seen before. I was really struck by the fact that the world of Greek mythology is the oldest foundation of story in Western literature. The Odyssey is a great epic that hadn't been told in this form in a modern film. And so, to me, that just seemed like a tremendous opportunity," Nolan said during the Beijing event.

He added that the poem endures because it is rooted in "primal, universal desires and fears", allowing it to remain relevant across generations.

To re-create the ancient world, the production traveled across six countries — Morocco, Greece, Italy, Iceland, Scotland, and the United States. Exterior scenes for Odysseus' palace were filmed at Castello di Santa Caterina, a 15th-century castle in Sicily, Italy, perched atop a rugged hill more than 310 meters above sea level, commanding panoramic views of the Mediterranean Sea.

"There were 250 people we needed to get to this location. We thought we'd be able to put up a temporary road. And then, in the end, we weren't able to, so it meant everybody hiking up 1,000 feet every morning, arriving pretty tired before the day's work even began," Nolan recalled.

One cast member, however, barely seemed to notice the climb. Nolan said Tom Holland bounded up the steep path "like a gazelle" throughout the three-week shoot, setting an example for the cast and crew.

The film also fulfills another dream Nolan has pursued since the age of 16: making an entire feature film in the IMAX format.

While The Odyssey is Nolan's seventh film shot with IMAX cameras, it is also the first feature in history to be filmed entirely with IMAX 15/65 mm cameras. Shot over 91 days, the production used more than 2.1 million feet (640 kilometers) of film stock — longer than the distance between Toronto and New York, according to IMAX.

Although the production posed unprecedented technical challenges, Nolan said the cast adapted to the large-format equipment "wonderfully".

"(That is because of) the fact that we would use a monitor system to allow them to see each other across the camera — because it's a giant box between them — essentially, and also the reloading process. But of course, one of the things when you bring a camera this big onto a set is that there's a tremendous amount of focus from the cast and the crew," Nolan said.

"They see how cumbersome and important — and expensive, frankly — the whole thing is. So, there's a real sense of focus, and everybody is able to focus at the same moment, and I think the discipline of that really helps," he added.

The film's demanding production left a lasting impression on its cast as well. According to Entertainment Weekly, Damon said he had promised his wife he would take a break from acting — with one exception: if Nolan called, the break would have to wait. She agreed.

Asked in Beijing how he reacted when Nolan invited him to star in The Odyssey, Damon said preparation was never a concern because the director always gives his actors ample time.

"That's not really a concern. Everyone in our house is a big fan of Chris and Emma's movies. We were truly fans," said Damon, who previously collaborated with Nolan on Interstellar and Oppenheimer.

For Theron, one of the film's most emotional moments came during her first viewing, when an aging dog recognizes Odysseus before passing away.

"I have this thing when I come home — my dogs are usually the first living things that I see at my door, and it has always been that way. I've had dogs my whole life," she said, recalling that the scene moved her to tears as it reminded her of the beloved dogs she had lost.

Early audience reactions suggest the film has already struck an emotional chord. Following the preview screenings, The Odyssey has earned 8.3 out of 10 on Chinese review platform Douban, with some moviegoers describing it as one of Nolan's finest works to date.

Yin Hong, vice-chairman of the China Film Association, commented that the film uses its mythological narrative — particularly its reinterpretations of the Trojan Horse and the figure of Helen — to offer a contemporary reflection on human nature, war, fate, peace, trust, the meaning of life, and the global order. He added that The Odyssey also offers valuable inspiration for Chinese filmmakers seeking to adapt classical cultural heritage for modern audiences.

Contact the writer at xufan@chinadaily.com.cn