The article argues that long before Christopher Nolan's upcoming adaptation of "The Odyssey," 2003's Oscar-winning "Cold Mountain" had already reimagined Homer's ancient epic in a new setting. Directed by Anthony Minghella and based on Charles Frazier's 1997 novel, the film transposes the story of Odysseus onto the American Civil War, predating the Coen brothers' "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" as an example often cited when discussing modern retellings of the Greek classic. The piece highlights how deeply embedded the parallels are, suggesting the connection deserves wider recognition as anticipation builds for Nolan's take on the same source material.

The "hard R" film follows Confederate deserter W.P. Inman, played by Jude Law, as he journeys home to his love Ada Monroe (Nicole Kidman) in Cold Mountain, North Carolina, echoing Odysseus's long voyage back to Penelope. Along the way, Inman and a disgraced reverend (Philip Seymour Hoffman) encounter figures mirroring the sirens, a Cyclops-like Confederate Home Guard, a Circe-esque widow (Natalie Portman), and other classical archetypes, while Ada is aided by Ruby Thewes (Renée Zellweger, who won Best Supporting Actress) in a role paralleling Odysseus's loyal ally Eumaeus. The article notes the adaptation is not a strict one-to-one retelling but draws clear thematic and structural inspiration from Homer's epic.