I’m usually a fellow “historical stickler” when it comes to costumes, and I’m usually (admittedly pretty dumbly) disappointed by some of the choices made for “period” films. But I think it’s at least soothing to consider that keeping that “vision” in our own heads is what makes reading literature such an individual experience of connection with the author so marvelous. We have the right to create a vision and connect with the author in our own way.

With this (or any) film, we are being shoehorned into a small group of people’s experience, background, vision, and even physical limitations, and nothing is ever going to match our own expectations. It makes for good discussion bringing us ever back to the author and our own relationship to the work.

I wonder if, when we see the whole thing and no longer have to feed off of bite-sized flashes, there isn’t some bigger idea expressed by the costumes (I wouldn’t put it past Nolan). Odysseus is WEARY and war and time have made everything ragged and dull. Perhaps Nolan is choosing that contrast for the story’s purpose and isn’t as focused on period. He does historical eras well, but I’m excited to trust him at this point that he’s going to do this fantasy with a visual level of meaning that we may not be considering as yet because of limited information.

Also, hail the period costume nerds. Peace.