ANCIENTS | Omeleto Comedy

A Greek author writes a masterpiece. But his Roman publishers want to 'tweak' it.
ANCIENTS is used with permission from Patrick Townsend. Learn more at patricktownsend.com.au.
Working in ancient Greece, Phineas is an established myth writer who has finished his latest tale about a father and a son. He meets with two young, ambitious Roman publishers, Julius and Atilus, in an attempt to sell it and put his work into the world. To Phineas, this latest work is his masterpiece, a story of personal sacrifice and an exploration of the human condition told from the perspective of humans, not gods.
But unfortunately for Phineas, the Roman publishers aren't as enthusiastic about his story. The Romans gradually add their own more "market-friendly" ideas, and Phineas resists, fighting for his artistic vision as he tries to prevent the dilution of his ideas. But eventually, what emerges from this ad-hoc "collaboration" changes the world forever.
Directed and written by Patrick Townsend, this clever short comedy may take place in ancient Greece, with its dramatic vistas and craggy stone architecture. But with its premise of a visionary creative trying to keep his ideas pure and true to his original vision, it's very much a Hollywood dynamic, pitting art against commerce and trying to strike a balance between seemingly incompatible forces.
Though it opens with a sweeping series of shots detailing the beautiful ancient cityscape -- rendered in excellent use of special effects -- the storytelling exists primarily through the dialogue, which is appropriately sharp, smart and often very funny. Part of the fun, of course, is the juxtaposition of its ancient texts with the demands of contemporary Hollywood blockbusters. Phineas wants to write more realistic stories about humans themselves, learning and growing from the world around them.
But his publishers want to keep the supernatural elements of the myths, as well as the gods, which appease the priests. It's the logic of the superhero film but applied to ancient myths like Cerberus and Hades. Myths, like blockbuster films, were products meant to keep audiences entertained and wanting more. The collective ensemble -- played by William Gabriel, Tel Benjamin and Michael Wood -- have fun importing the ironic modern ideas into the ancient setting, with Phineas subjected to indignity after indignity and forced to figure out just how willing he is to compromise to reach an audience.
Of course, by the end of ANCIENTS, most viewers will realize just what narrative Phineas hits upon as he finds just the right thing to appease his publishers and fulfill his creative vision. But it's less about the transition between the pagan world and the one that followed and more about the power of stories themselves. Being a modern audience, we're in on the final tweak of cheeky humor, as Phineas agrees to endow his hero with magic powers like walking on water -- all in the hopes of creating a story that will live beyond him, touch humankind and perhaps change the world.

[@Guitcad1]

"No, not 'remake', *_'reboot!'"_*
HA! 😄

[@d.m.collins1501]

Honestly I would have given a thumbs-up to ANY comedy about Romans pushing around Greeks.

[@p.racelis1998]

Video game adaptations be like:

[@AlexaLake7]

Ahh, so Phineas is the author of THAT book.

[@Ribberflavenous]

Nicely done, with a delightful punchline at the end. My guess is this is a more accurate origin story for this literature than is publicly put forward.

[@pakde8002]

Most copies ever sold and still in print.

[@wassupnomesayin]

The Holy Bible

[@StrongnBeautiful]

​@@wassupnomesayin 💜📖 Such a powerful read! 🤯🤓

[@wassupnomesayin]

​@@StrongnBeautifulGod's word to his people. No better book.

[@StrongnBeautiful]

What is the message and point of this story?? 🤔🤨