Getting into Greek Mythology Ahead of Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’? Start With This Forgotten, Free-to-Stream Winner on YouTube

The hype for Christopher Nolan’s next film is building more and more each day, even if they have only recently begun filming it. Nolan’s film, The Odyssey, is filming now in Sicily, Italy, with more and more images being released of Matt Damon, Tom Holland, and Zendaya as the main characters of Homer’s epic poem. Fans could be rushing to brush up on their Greek mythology to better understand the film in advance of catching it in cinemas in July 2026. They might check out the spiritual prequel to the film starring Brad Pitt, or even the 2024 version of the story starring Ralph Fiennes.

But the rich tapestry that is the mythology of Ancient Greece isn’t just confined to Odysseus, Polyphemus, and Circe. So many stories and tales have been passed into the modern age—characters like Sisyphus, Hercules, and Icarus are as well-known as those created by modern authors. One such myth that has also permeated popular culture is that of Orpheus and Eurydice. The myth tells the story of Orpheus, a musician of unparalleled skill who must travel to the Underworld to save the soul of his bride Eurydice. The story has been told before in cinema—rather impressively in this artful Brazilian film—but nowhere was the story more evocatively rendered than in an eponymous 1984 animated short that is now free to watch on YouTube.

What Happens in ‘Orpheus and Eurydice’?

Orpheus and Eurydice begins with Orpheus, the most renowned musician in all of Ancient Greece, traveling with his pet dog, when they encounter a lion who is swiftly turned into a human by Orpheus’ touch. With his lyre, Orpheus plays a song that transforms his dog into a human before being quickly transformed back into their canine form. His lover Eurydice appears before him, and he seduces her with his lyre before they become lovingly betrothed. But not soon after, she is bitten by a snake and dies, her soul descending to the Underworld. Forlorn, Orpheus composes a song so sad that all things living and unliving are moved by it. Charon, the ferryman to the Underworld, appears to bring Orpheus there to see his wife’s soul.

Orpheus encounters various famous characters from mythology, including the three-headed dog Cerberus, Sisyphus—the poor fellow resigned to pushing a boulder up a hill for eternity, and Tantalus, whose punishment is one of tantalizing starvation. Orpheus soon meets with Hades and Persephone, the king and queen of the Underworld; his music even moves them, so they allow Eurydice to return to the upper world with him, on one condition: he cannot look back at his lover until they both reach the upper air. Orpheus and Eurydice begin, but he doesn’t trust Hades and looks back as soon as he reaches the upper air, watching as the soul of his wife departs while the credits roll.

‘Orpheus and Eurydice’ Is a Hypnotic Blend of Animation and Antique Art

Viewers will notice just how different Orpheus and Eurydice is to almost any other animated short film that they have ever watched. The line-drawn animation from director Lesley Keen is intended to evoke the phenomenal red-figure pottery that was done in the times of Ancient Greece. The way the film’s narrative unfurls—as if a vase is turning and revealing the story etched into it—is highly inventive and creative, immediately immersing any viewer into the world of the beleaguered Orpheus and his treacherous descent to the Underworld. The striking visuals bring the myth to life in a way that feels authentic and timeless.

The animation is what makes the film unique, but its haunting score is what sets it apart. Lyell Cresswell, the New Zealand-born composer, creates a jarring score on the synthesizer. This evocative electronic soundtrack is further enriched by ethereal soprano vocalizations performed by Heather Coates. Much like the atmospheric, expressive scores from Mica Levi, Cresswell’s work elevates the film to a whole other level because it adds a rich emotional depth to the character’s turmoil. In a film without any dialogue, the silence and the score become so much more important. Cresswell’s score helps portray to the audience the horrible nature of the situation in which Orpheus finds himself.

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There was a time when Olympians ruled the screen.

The film feels like a living and breathing work of antique art more so than it feels like an animation. This is a testament to the work from Keen in creating the tapestry-like narrative. The poetry and tragedy of the story are elevated by the motion of the film, turning what could have been a swiftly forgotten-about short into one of the greater short films that has emerged in decades past. Nominated for the Palme d’Or for best short film at the Cannes Film Festival in 1984, Orpheus and Eurydice is an evocative and haunting portrayal of love, desire, and loss.

Many films have retold the story of Orpheus and Eurydice or reincorporated it into something more approachable for modern audiences. But Lesley Keen’s short from 1984 went in a different way, and viewers will be thankful for that. It informs the viewer about various mythological characters and stories while also being as unique as they come. If more films like Orpheus and Eurydice were made, audiences across the world would be better off.