The Golden Helmet of Mambrino

On Saturday, I hurried to finish protesting ICE, because the big event of the day was about to start: our Classics Book Club (which just finished reading Emily Wilson’s translation of “The Odyssey”) was gathering at Sacramento’s Esquire IMAX Theater to watch Christopher Nolan’s take on “The Odyssey.” I grabbed my rent-a-golden-plastic-Roman helmet and headed to the theater. 

Lo, there was just one problem. I hurriedly called Gabe McAuliffe to confirm my worst fears. I got the week wrong. The Classics Book Club will assemble next Saturday for the big event. I was a week early. 

I felt conspicuous wearing the golden plastic Roman helmet in the lobby of the theater. Fortunately, the theater patrons were all smiles and appreciated my spirit. I felt conspicuous mostly because my helmet was the wrong era. They didn’t have 10th Century B.C. Greek bronze helmets at Broadway Costumes. They didn’t even have Spartan helmets. No, all they had was a modified hard hat; a golden plastic Roman helmet. So, I fancied myself a critic from the Roman future, maybe a scholar from Nero’s entourage, ready with lame zingers to assail Matt Damon (too amiable to play General Groves in 2024’s “Oppenheimer”; maybe not amiable enough to play Odysseus). 

Standing in the theater lobby, a song crossed my mind. Later, the same thought independently crossed Gabe’s mind too: “The Golden Helmet of Mambrino,” from “Man of La Mancha.” Just the relic to enchant madmen - a shaving basin, aka a golden plastic Roman helmet.

 

I was reminded of this scene from a favorite movie from 1970, "Start the Revolution Without Me":