Buy Helen of Troy (1955) Movie. Watch online or Download
Genres: ActionAdventureRoma
Starring: Marc Lawrence, Harry Andrews, Stanley Baker, Niall MacGinnis, Eduardo Ciannelli, Cedric Hardwicke, Robert Douglas
Director(s): Robert Wise
Country: USA, Italy
Year: 1956
Available Quality: DivX, DVD, iPod
IMDB Rating: 6 out of 10 (911 votes)
Prince Paris of Troy, shipwrecked on a mission to the king of Sparta, meets and falls for Queen Helen before he knows who she is. Rudely received by the royal Greeks, he must flee...but fate and their mutual passions lead him to take Helen along. This gives the Greeks just the excuse they need for much-desired war.
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Visitors Review
(24 May 2012)
Helen of Troy
As I recall, seeing this movie in 1957 or so, it had beautiful music. I was particularly enchanted with the harp. Nearly 50 years latter, I still remember the music score as one of the most lyrical I have ever heard. The BBC production "In Search of the Trojan War" by Michael Woods also carried on this granduer of music though it was not the same, it is nevertheless something to emulate in any future production. Helen K. Koslosky
(24 May 2012)
With Guts!
The movie is thrilling enough that I can't wait to see the next scenes. I was in grade school when I first saw this movie and still desiring to watch it again. Helen of Troy remains an image in my mind thus I always compare female actors in any movie I see. I like most this movie together with Robinhood: Prince of Thieves. Not only that the props are very creative considering that this movie was made wayback 1955, but also the smooth performance of the actors.
(22 May 2012)
Helen of Troy, a real classic
The movie Helen Of Troy, was a picture that stimulated my interest in mythology. After viewing the movie back in 1956, I involved my elementary classmates in projects that delt with this topic. I am looking forward to see how the new movie Troy,maches up to the 1956 rendition.
bkoganbing (21 May 2012)
The Face That Launched A Thousand Ships
In comparing this version of Helen Of Troy with the more recent Troyit's quite the tossup. Both didn't quite live up to expectations, thecasting in a few places doesn't quite work. There was also differentemphasis placed on the classical figures in each film. This versionalso uses a cast of thousands and in the current version, computergraphics are used to show the mass armies of both sides.I never understood why 20th Century Fox never thought to film this withTyrone Power, the role of Paris seems like such a good fit for him.Jacques Sernas was adequate, but not more than that. Rosanna Podesta isone magnificent looking Helen in a role that asks nothing more thanbeing the first celebrity romance in history. I'd be hard pressed to choose between Peter O'Toole in Troy and CedricHardwicke. Each so well portrays the world weary and war weary Priam sowell. Hecuba is reduced to a cipher in the current version. But NoraSwinburne is not just a magnificent queen, but a caring mother for herrambunctious brood of Trojan princes and one princess.My favorite as he's likely to be in any film he's in is Stanley Baker.There is quite a difference between him and Brad Pitt. Brad was areluctant warrior as in Homer's epic. But Achilles as Baker realizeshim is just a warrior who likes battle with the zest of a warrior whoknows the gods have given him near invincibility. Baker brings so muchpassion to anything he does, he usually blows me away with anyperformance.Next to the stories of the Bible, Homer's epics are probably the mostuniversally known tales and everyone is a critic. For me this Helen OfTroy is a good if not great retelling of the tale.
Robert J. Maxwell (20 May 2012)
Burning the Topless Towers
You'd think that by now the story of the Trojan War, based on Homer's"The Iliad", would have become part of our shared data base. Allusionshave entered our list of catch phrases. "The face that launched athousand ships"? "Beware of Greeks bearing gifts"? Computer virusesreferred to as "Trojans" or "Trojan horses"? "Achilles heel"? TheStanford football team? Condoms? But I don't know. A poll in 2010before Independence Day found that one in five Americans didn't knowwhich country we had achieved independence FROM. I'd always thoughtthat was part of our shared vernacular culture too.Anyway, the handsome young Paris from Troy goes on a peace mission toGreece, where he foolishly falls in love with Helen -- it was her facethat launched all those ships -- and he steals her from her husband,King Menelaus, and runs off with her to Troy. This irritates Menelaus.He organizes an expedition and besieges the city of Troy, in what isnow Turkey. Lots of bloodshed follows. The war lasts something like tenyears. Finally, the Greeks pretend to retreat and leave a giant woodenhorse outside the gates of Troy. The Trojans think it's a parting giftand drag it inside the walls. But it's hollow. The sneaky Greeks comeout after the Trojans have gotten drunk and gone to bed, and the gatesare opened. Good-bye Trojans.This is a godless movie. References are made to Athena (ugly andpugnacious) and to Aphrodite (pretty goddess of love, fawned over byParis). But we don't see the influence of the gods directly. You don'tfind out how Achilles got to be so nearly invulnerable. It comes closeto being one of those cheap sword and sandal epics that were so popularin the 1950s but it rises above them because of its budget and thewillingness of the writers to stick a LITTLE more closely to Homer'soriginal. The hundreds of extras are real people -- real actors ratherthan pixels acting as actors. And the international cast must have costa lot.I guess Paris is made too much of a hero, at least in my opinion. Evenin "The Iliad" he struck me as a moron for running off with a powerrival's wife, even if she was as good looking as Rosanna Podesta.Menelaus was even more of a moron for starting a bloody war over theaffair. And the other Greek leaders were even more dumb for followinghim. And it's not as if the Greeks solved all their domestic problemsimmediately after the victory either.The movie paints the Trojans as honorable and peace loving -- exceptfor that one minor episode of kidnapping and adultery. The Greeks areangry, disputatious, and warmongering. The armor the Greeks wear isuglier than that of the Trojans. Achilles, the greatest of the Greekwarriors, is sulky and dresses in drag to avoid being drafted into thewar. This was 1956, the middle of the Cold War, and I wonder if allthose binary oppositions -- The Free World versus The Iron Curtain --influenced the writers' construction of the combatants.At any rate, I always liked the Trojans better anyway. The only Greek Iadmired was Ulysses. When the ships set sail from Greece after thekidnapping, the director, Robert Wise, gives us shots in quick sequenceof three of the major plays and their expressions tell us all we needto know about their character and motives. Menelaus scowls grimly,determined to get his wife back. Achilles wears a smirk, anticipatinglots of slaughter crowned with victory. And Ulysses wears aself-contained smile, dreaming of plunder.It ought to be added that the musical score is by Max Steiner. As faras I know it's his only attempt at a fully blown orchestral epic scoreand he handles it pretty well. There's the triumph theme that isrequired for all historical epics. There's the martial theme when wesee those hundreds of armored extras marching towards the forbiddingwalls of Troy. And there's a love them that dominates them all, as Ithink the story of Paris and Helen dominate the movie.
nora_nettlerash (19 May 2012)
"Admiration for the beauty of a marble image"
Paramount and Cecil B. DeMille kick-started the 1949-66 wave of ancientworld epics with the biblical tale Samson and Delilah, while MGM andFox made their mark with gospel spin-off stories Quo Vadis and The Roberespectively. Warner Brothers were a bit slower to jump on thebandwagon, and when they did the fables they chose were refreshinglypagan. In 1954 they produced the delightfully silly Land of thePharaohs, and followed it up with this, one of the best-known and mostenduring myths of ancient Greece.Pictures like this have a reputation for being somewhat corny andinsincere. And Helen of Troy is a shameless part of that tradition. Itis admittedly a neat and fast-moving retelling of the legend, but itsdialogue ranges from laughable to banal. Characters make woodenstatements that were obviously someone's idea of ancient wisdom. Slavestalk back to their masters without so much as a telling off. What isparticularly inept is the way the writers obviously felt they had toget in famous lines like "The face that launched a thousand ships" and"Beware of Greeks bearing gifts", so we have to listen to them bendingthe dialogue towards these clichés, to the point where they soundutterly trite  "Hmm, that's a lot of ships out there, at least a fewhundred no I'd say a thousand. And what launched them, eh?" Other than poor writing, another thing that tended to make these epicslacking in intimacy was poor use of the new Cinemascope aspect ratio.This was a big problem in The Robe, which was the earliest release inthat format, but Helen of Troy's director Robert Wise handles the widerimage with care. While he takes full advantage of the extra space forcrowds and spectacles, for the more intimate scenes he brings theperformers closer to the camera, and mutes the backgrounds so as not tooverwhelm the moment. He also makes great use of tiny bits of light ormovement, especially the recurring fire motif, to draw our attention tocertain bits of the screen, defying the tendency for individuals to getlost in a big screen. One of the best examples of Wise's control hereis the first scene at the Spartan palace where Paris and Ajax havetheir knuckleduster dual. It's pretty clear that Jack Sernas andMaxwell Reed fight like, well, like a couple of bad actors, but Wiseinstead focuses us on the fervour of the crowd to give us a more savageimpression of the brawl. He then moves in to close-ups of NiallMacGinnis and Rossana Podesta against plainer backgrounds, but stillwith a little movement in the frame to match their emotions.But all this sensitive direction cannot save us from some appallingacting performances. I can see why Sernas and Podesta were cast in thelead roles. They are both young and beautiful, and their unfamiliarfaces give them a freshness and innocence. But they can't act, and thedubbing doesn't help. It's not all bad though. Niall MacGinnis gives atremendous performance. He boils the character of Menelaus down tonothing more than a jealous husband, and his intense manner dominatesthe screen. Stanley Baker is also really good, radiating thoughtlessaggression with his every move. As for the rest, no-one really standsout or satisfies, even such worthy names as Cedric Hardwicke and NoraSwinburne.The Warner Brothers epics of the 50s were really little more thanB-picture with A-budgets. Like the equivalent productions at rivalstudios, they featured gargantuan sets, hordes of extras andbreathtaking spectacles, but they also suffered from weak scripts anddull casts. Still, some of Robert Wise's best efforts up to this pointwere actual B-pictures that he had treated with credibility and managedto eke some depth and sentiment out of. It is his intelligent handlingof the elements in the frame plus the handful of classy performancesthat raise this one just a little above a mediocrity.As a kind of postscript to this comment, here are a few miscellaneouspoints of interest. Max Steiner's score has his usual habit ofcommenting hysterically on every line or movement, but there are somenice little musical touches to the scene of the Greeks marching on Troythat are worth listening for. Later on, have a look at those siegetowers. Isn't it convenient that the trapdoors fit exactly between thebattlements of the Trojan walls? They must have got someone to go roundwith a tape measure before they built them. And finally, listen out foran early use of the Wilhelm scream sound effect, decades before itbecame hip and ironic.
Jonathan Farrugia (16 May 2012)
Classic Greek Saga given Hollywood treatment
The first thing I read about this movie was that it was terrible and thatthe first lady even though very gifted as far as bust is concerned was anightmare when it comes to acting. However when I saw this film I had todisagree with those critics who tried to ruin a good movie. Even though thesets are nothing to those of "Ben-Hur", "Cleopatra" and other screen giantsthe sets of Cinecitta are stupendous. The colour is magnificent and theacting is quite good. It is true that the part of the heroine could haveportrayed some more fragility, still Ms. Podesta' was quite satisfying. Thecinematography is very good and the story never lingers. It isaction-packed and is bound to marvel anyone who likes thisgenre.
treagan-2 (16 May 2012)
Why don't they read the Illiad?
HELEN OF TROY is a very respectable Hollywood sword and sandal effort fromthe 1950s, with a strong international cast and very good production values. Except ...Why does every popular culture effort at retelling the Trojan War myth haveto make Paris the hero? In the Illiad, by far the most significant andauthoritative source of the story, at best shows Paris to be an ambiguousfigure--the best looking man of his generation, but often a coward inbattle. Helen expresses extraordinary contempt for him in one extendedpassage. In one or two brief sequences, Paris fights valiantly, but in hismajor appearance, his winner-take-all-and-Helen duel with Menaleus, afterbragging and crowing about his prowess, he completely wimps out in thebattle, and, once defeated, is transported by Aphrodite back to Troy to hidein his bedroom.HELEN OF TROY is not the only effort to mis-read the Illiad into aParis-and-Helen "runaway" love story. Perhaps in writing a commercialscreenplay, that's what any writer would be forced to do. But that doesn'tspeak well for our popular culture, one that can't sustain the ambiguity andcomplexity of another culture--of 2700 years ago!Still, the movie has its strong parts, particularly Stanley Baker asAchilles. Watch for Brigitte Bardot in an early, pre-star role as Helen'shandmaiden.
(15 May 2012)
Good movie, poor adaptation
This review is from: Helen of Troy (Amazon Instant Video) After the 10 minute Max Steiner Overture we get a 3000 BC Aegean travelogue with focus on the happy people of King Priam's Troy. Right away the adaptation departs seriously from Homer. Paris is on a trade mission to the Greeks and is tossed overboard by a storm, washing up on Sparta where Helen is beach combing. In The Iliad according to Homer Paris was sent to Sparta to ask Menelaus to influence his brother Agamemnon for the return of Priam's sister who was taken captive during the previous sack of Troy by Heracles. This is mythology, not history, and there are a lot more details distorted for the sake of movie making. Max Steiner delivered a very heroic and noisy score to back up the epic grandeur and battles. The production is a lavish and beautifully photographed Technicolor epic typical of the period with a good looking cast and a lot of action. Not too bad.
(15 May 2012)
No Ten Commandments
This review is from: Helen of Troy (DVD) Recommended to me by a friend it is a would be spectacular that didn't quite make it. Pageantry for sure but the story leaves a lot to be desired.
lwalsh (11 May 2012)
Good action sequences highlight an acceptable take on Homer
CinemaScope was first seen by many directors as getting rid of the needforcertain kinds of editing, since it allowed so much more of the action tobeseen at once. Robert Wise ("Odds Against Tomorrow," "Star Trek: The MotionPicture", etc.) decided otherwise, and became perhaps the first directortoedit a CinemaScope picture as if it were a regular Academy Ratio film. Theresults, primitive though they are by modern Steadicam and CGI standards,are more fluid than many early wide-screen epics, and, more importantly,remain quite enjoyable.The screenplay is nothing to write about. Leads Rossana Podesta (Helen)andJack Sernas (Paris) are never less than adequate, but their passion islessthan convincingly written, and the result leaves something of a hole atthefilm's dramatic center. Cedric Hardwicke is appropriately dignified asPriam, Niall MacGinnis a standout as Menelaus, and there are good bitsfromother actors, but the most impressive parts of the film are concerned withthe spectacle of the assaults on Troy.Wise lets out all the stops for the battles, which achieve a genuinepower,despite being rather tame by modern standards (though watch for a fewsurprising parallels with some of the assault on Minas Tirith in "Returnofthe King"). The matte and process work isn't perfect, but neither is itdistracting enough to derail the flow of the action. The Trojan repulseofthe Greeks develops a frenetic pace which is still exciting, and theTrojanrevelries following the victory, though rather chaste by comparison withmore recent on-screen orgies, are a highly effective foil to thesubsequentsilent Greek exit from the horse, and the ensuing destruction of Troy istinged with at least a touch of Homeric tragedy. Throughout the mainactionsequences, Wise's direction is immeasurably aided by Max Steiner's music,which is positively operatic at times.Anyone expecting fidelity to Homer had better look elsewhere than abig-budget Hollywood spectacle (the famous horse, for example, comes fromVirgil, not Homer). Those wanting a generally well made adaptation withsome good performances and at least a half hour's worth of excitingbattlescould do far worse than looking here. Robert Wise's films are never lessthan interesting, and here as always he demonstrates his ability to keeptheaudience's interest alive, even after almost fifty further years of swordand sandal epics.
(11 May 2012)
Better Than OK
First of all, anyone who depends upon films to understand history (especially ancient history) is on a fool's errand. Moreover, both of Homer's epic poems possess a scope and depth which simply cannot be accommodated within a film with a running time of less than 15-20 hours. That said, this is a generally entertaining presentation of the basic plot: Prince Paris of Troy (Jacques Sernas) visits Sparta, falls in love with Queen Helen (Rosanna Podesta) and she with him, they return together to Troy, her outraged husband Menelaus (Nial MacGinnis) organizes an army and follows them, lays siege to the city, and eventually Troy is occupied and then obliterated. Most of the film's tension (such as it is) involves Achilles (Stanley Baker) and his adversarial relationships with Menelaus and Agamemnon (Robert Douglas) and then with Prince Hector (Harry Andrews) whom he slays in hand-to-hand combat. This is an above average spectacle, comparable with predecessors Samson and Delilah (1949) and Demetrius and the Gladiators (1954). By no means a great film, nonetheless Helen of Troy (as directed by Robert Wise) offers generally solid acting throughout its cast and several memorable battle scenes without benefit of digital technologies when filmed in 1955. Yes, that's Brigitte Bardot as Andraste and Eduardo Ciannelli as Andros. And yes, I enjoyed seeing this film again, motivated to do so after seeing Wolfgang Petersen's Troy. The inclusion of various gods and goddesses in the earlier film now seems silly but the absence of a "superstar" such as Brad Pitt in one of its lead roles is (at least for me) refreshing.
(11 May 2012)
50's style splashy, superficial treatment of the Iliad
Having seen Troy, the blockbuster from the Hollywood "Pitt of horror," I also aver that other efforts to tell the story of the Iliad have met with limited success. Take the case of Helen Of Troy, the 1955 movie with Rossana Podesta and an all-star British cast. Despite its near two-hour length, it's all splashy pageantry with no substance, with all sorts of liberties taken with Homer's tale.In this version, Paris, en route to Sparta on a peace mission with his cousin Aeneas, is swept overboard, and rescued from Menelaus's soldiers by Helen. Menelaus is portrayed as a portly bearded unloving tyrant, similar in Troy, but he nevertheless rallies Agamemnon, Nestor, Diomedes, Achilles, and Ulysses (he's not called Odysseus here) when Paris and Helen flee and sets sail for Troy.Naturally, Paris is condemned by nearly every Trojan for bringing the Greeks to their doorstep. Helen of course still cherishes him, as does his brother Polydorus, someone all too eager to spill some Spartan blood. Priam's wife Hecuba is the only other one to show sympathy for Helen.Another contrast between this and Troy is that the latter spends too much time on certain aspects, whereas Helen Of Troy only brushes the surface. The conflict between Agamemnon and Achilles over Briseis played a huge part in Troy. Here, Briseis is not even mentioned by name, but Achilles refuses to fight per the Iliad.So what does work? The costumes on both sides, the actual ships with oars and the sight of marching Greek phalanxes, and the city of Troy itself is of good 50's quality. And the grief on Andromache's face is visible on her face, as she realizes that Hector is about to be killed--pretty good for the 50's.However, anachronistic errors include the medieval wooden towers the Greeks use to scale the walls of Troy and the battering ram. The funniest are the leopard or jaguar skins worn by Achilles and at one point Hector. Achilles, king of the jungle... yeah right! And the statue of Athena is so grotesque that I wondered if I was looking at Medusa, or worse yet, Kali.As for the performers, Harry Andrews was an interesting choice as Hector. Ronald Lewis shines as Aeneas, as does as Nora Swinburne as Hecuba and Robert Brown as Polydorus. But Janette Scott as Cassandra is my favourite, a slip of a girl maddened by the gift of foresight, yet doomed not to be believed. And Jacques Sernas's wooden blonde, blue-eyed Paris was clearly meant for the women at the time. He does bring shame to Troy, but he's more of a fighter here than Orlando Bloom's version, as he bests Ajax in Sparta. However, Stanley Baker's Achilles leaves much to be desired. Brigitte Bardot has a small part as Andraste, Helen's cute personal slave, before she became a blonde temptress in the 60's and much worse later.Movies in the 1950's only took a superficial cliched approach to novels or classics, with a sheer disregard for accuracy (Paris kills Patroculus here, not Hector), and that is Helen Of Troy's Achilles heel. At the sight of the Greek ships massing along the Aegean, Priam says the phrase of "the face that launched a thousand ships." I'd probably launch a few row boats after this Helen, but not a thousand ships. Later, it is Helen who seeing the wooden horse wheeled in, steals Laocoon's line: "Timeo danaos et dona ferente." Or in English per the movie, "Beware of Greeks bearing gifts." A not bad, though dated effort, especially for those used to hoards of digital armies and gory violence.
wes-connors (10 May 2012)
She'll Always Have Paris
In ancient Greece, handsome Trojan prince Jacques Sernas (as Paris) isshipwrecked in Sparta, where he meets beautifully-figured slave girlRossana Podesta (as Helen). The two are mutually attracted, but she isreally the Queen of Sparta. Naturally, this means WAR... Thisadulteration of Homer's "Iliad" is nicely costumed and decorated, butcomes across as overblown and plodding. The direction from Robert Wiseis pointed, helping make the production more obvious than engaging.Narration, dubbing, and the soundtrack music keep it distant, althoughlooking good certainly counts for something... It is interesting to seefuture "sex kitten" Brigitte Bardot play a dark-haired handmaiden, andNiall MacGinnis (as Menelaus) does well in his supporting role.**** Helen of Troy (1/26/56) Robert Wise ~ Rossana Podesta, JacquesSernas, Niall MacGinnis, Brigitte Bardot
ragosaal (05 May 2012)
Good Entertainment in Ancient Greece
If you say this film is based on characters created by Homer you wouldbe absolutely right. Homer's characters are there but the story haslittle to do with his version of the Troyan war as narrated in TheIliad.That aside, "Helen of Troy" stands as an enjoyable and entertainingancient Greece adventure due mainly to spectacular battle scenes, wideopen sceneries, lots of extras, adequate armours and costumes,carefully designed interior settings, a fine musical score andacceptable acting. You always have the feeling that producers didn'ttry to save money on this movie and director Robert was "Wise" enoughto understand that long duration is not what makes an spectacular epicfilm.The main couple, Paris (Jack Sernas)and Helen (Rossana Podesta),deliver standard performances and though both of them may have the"phisique du rol" for their characters, you come to understand why noneof them quite reached stardom. Fortunately in this aspect, the rest ofthe cast brings a strong support to the doomed lovers.Stanley Baker plays correctly a sort of mean and easy raging Achilles;Robert Douglas is at his best as ambitious king Agamemnon; NiallMcGinnis is very convincing as the deceived husband Menelaus; CedricHardwicke is as good as usual as king Priam; Harry Andrews and TorinTatcher are also good as Hector, the Troyan champion, and Ulysses theclever one. A very young Brigitte Bardot is also around in one of herfirst appearances on screen.The single combat between Achilles and Hector is very well handled anda highlight in the picture.In all, if you don't take "Helen of Troy" as a version of Homer's Iliadbut just as an action/adventure/romance film in ancient times, you'llfind it most enjoying and entertaining. A good one in my opinion.
(04 May 2012)
Jack Sernas whom you may have never seen
This review is from: Helen of Troy (DVD) Jacques Sernas was featured in LA DOLCE VITA. His looks stood out as he was very handsome. I saw him in person in Hollywood at a fund raiser for the widow of the owner of the Mocambo. Frank Sinatra was performing that night.Jack was with his wife?Anyway, I had missed the theatrical run of HELEN OF TROY. Rossana Podesta was the female lead and Brigitte Bardot had a small part in the beginning.This was made in the '50's or '60's. It cannot compare with the new TROY starring Brad Pitt. But the actions scenes are spectacular. No computerized imaging (CPI) in those days. Real cast members and hundreds in the battle scenes. Jack is extremely handsone as is Rossana.It is truly a collectible and one you can watch over and over. Beautiful transfer. I bought it on Amazon too. Doubtful if this is in any rental store.
Marcin Kukuczka (29 April 2012)
Its Towering Wonders Span the Age of Epic Heyday
Although the most glamorous and the most exquisite ancient epics havemostly been associated with Cecil B DeMille who, after D.W. Griffith,reigned in the Hollywood showmanship throughout the years, here comesthe name of Robert Wise, a renowned director; yet, inexperienced inthis very genre. After the innovative style of his EXECUTIVE SUITE inthe mid 1950s, he takes time and effort to film 'all the storiedwonders of Homer's immortal 'Iliad' and all the gloried moments of itsinspired romance,' as HELEN OF TROY trailer announced... Mr Wise'seffort aimed at creating a genuine production and resulted in one ofHomer's best screen adaptations ever made. For me, personally, it was an additional pleasure to watch this filmbecause of a certain sentiment. I have heard about Wise's HELEN OF TROYsince my childhood from my father who had seen it on the big screen asa young boy. Therefore, it is one of the films that has a place in ourfamily tradition. But let me leave my own sentimental targets and getto the objective analysis of this greatly significant production.In the mid 1950s, it was not difficult to predict that filming thestory of a woman whose 'face launched a thousand ships' and whose'temptations plunged the world into the conflict' would occur asmashing success. After the triumphant return of epics with LeRoy's QUOVADIS? and Koster's THE ROBE, the motion picture was in need for newthrilling stories of antiquity, the immortal stories filmed inTechnicolor, the 'towering wonders' that could span the period.Therefore, the first and the most significant 'wounder' of this film isthe love story of Prince Paris (Jacques Sernas) and Helen (RossanaPodesta). It occurs to be at the core of viewers' attention and rightlyso. Their scenes shine with memorable chemistry and appear to be trulyconvincing. The handsome Sernas and the beautiful Podesta are still anunderrated cinema pair. Not much has been said about them in filmarticles and we should regret that. Not a top notch couple in fame buta top notch couple in love!Another 'towering wonder' of the film are some clear references touniversal cinema merits. Mr Wise nicely combines the ancient plot withthe modern depiction of the events perfectly adjusted to the needs ofthe audience. The couple occurs to be very modern, we empathize withthem and follow their thoughts as if the story took place in our times.That subtle and up-to-date handling of the topic together with thedesirable respect towards Homer and historical material is a greatmerit of the film. Although it has often been seen by some critics as'Hollywood ignorance towards history,' I think that this combinationwith the right balance makes this film valuable. There are certainlimits in the liberties taken and HELEN OF TROY clearly respects them.The supporting cast offer us very clear appearances so that thecharacters can remain vividly in our memories. That is a feature notevery epic film can boast of. In many films, certain characters arebeing confused because of some shortage in the uniqueness of concreteportrayals. HELEN OF TROY does not commit that 'sin.' Starting with SirCedric Hardwicke who beautifully portrays the good hearted and kindruling Priam, through yet to come sex symbol Brigitte Bardot asAndraste, Stanley Baker as the brave warrior Achilles, Nora Swinburneas subtle and delicate Hecuba, Harry Andrews as good hearted Hector toNiall MacGinnis as cruel and wretched Menelaus. Except for theaforementioned cast, the real revelation appears to be Janette Scott inthe role of Cassandra, a key figure in the mystery of Troy's downfall.Ms Scott is excellent as the priestess of Athena and a prophetess whoforesaw the events, the one whose heart was with Troy and whosethoughts dwelt in the inevitable tragedy. Cassandra, though not givenmuch time on the screen, remains forever in the memory of a viewerafter seeing this film. Her face is DESTINY and this face is youthfulJanette Scott's.Finally, the most significant wonder of HELEN OF TROY is undoubtedlyits colossal nature. Thanks to some scenes that still occur impressiveespecially when being viewed on the big screen, it is certainly one ofthe grand spectacles. Thanks to the cinematography by Harry Stradlingand music by Max Steiner, the moments provide the epic with glamor andmajesty. I hereby refer to the monumental depiction of the siege ofTroy with crowds of extras (more than 30,000), the lavish sets built inthe Cinecitta Studios near Rome, the sea storm that brings Paris to theshore of Aphrodite, the lustful bacchanalia scene when the Trojan horsehas just been brought within the city walls...The bacchanalia momentrequires special attention as a very daring yet a tasteful depiction...'Beware of Greeks bearing gifts...' yet, 'the night smiles at us...'The entire drama and illusion of this moment is so awesome: dancinggirls, orgasm-like tunes, ancient melodies, laughing god ofvineyards... do they make us dwell in the final hour of Troy? Is it allreal or just an illusion? Can we recapture the spirit of the 'almost'victorious citizens? Can we look forward to the dawn that will nevercome?A very nice epic film, a must see for all film freaks and buffs of oldmotion pictures; indeed another production of those golden years whenthe commercial gave way to the artistic, the heyday of might andmajesty that you will never forget.
Poseidon-3 (28 April 2012)
Attractive coating on the outside, but the filling isn't tremendous.
Noted (and versatile) director Wise amassed a considerable team ofbehind the scenes personnel and an impressive array of actors for thislarge-scale epic rendition of the legendary story of the titlecharacter. Unfortunately, the production suffers somewhat from thecasting of the leads, primarily stemming from the fact that neither onewas able to use his or her own voice. Sernas plays a prince of Troy whojourneys to Sparta to attempt to establish peace between them and hisown people. Shipwrecked before he can even get there, he is greeted onthe shore by Podesta, to him the most beautiful woman he has ever seen.After recovering from his close call, he heads to the palace to speakto king MacGinnis and is sorely mistreated and disbelieved. He thendiscovers that his object of affection is, in actuality, MacGinnis'queen! Circumstances lead him to spirit her back to Troy where she isskeptically received by his unhappy family. MacGinnis pulls together amassive army of men from various Greek states and proceeds to attackTroy. When things look almost impossible, one of his men oversees theconstruction of the famed Trojan Horse, which makes things look awfullybleak for Sernas and Podesta who are, by now, deeply in love. Podestais curvaceous and attractive, but not necessarily what one might expectas the woman whose face launched a 1000 ships. Having learned her linesphonetically just to get through the shoot, she was then dubbed by anAmerican actress. This, along with the fact that her platinum wigsdon't really compliment her dark coloring, prevents her from reallyregistering very heavily in the role. Sernas (who is caressed by thecamera almost every bit as much as Podesta is, frequently shirtless) islikewise dubbed and, though he gives it a good shot, winds up not beingable to craft a character that audiences could really care a great dealabout. (Some of this stems from the fact that the character reallywasn't written as heroic or particularly likable in the original Homerstory to begin with!) Fortunately, a host of fine character actors ison hand to help out. Hardwicke plays Sernas' father, Swinburne is hismother, Andrews is his brother and a nearly unrecognizable Scott is hissoothsaying sister. MacGinnis is strong in his part and is ably matchedby Thatcher, Baker and Douglas as his associates. Reed appears brieflyas the hulking Ajax, who takes on Sernas in a fairly savage grudgematch. Also popping up to good effect is an ebullient Bardot in anearly role as one of Podesta's servants. She, too, is dubbed by anEnglish-speaking actress. There is a lot going for the film, includinga splendid Max Steiner score, a vast collection of extras, impressivesets and moments of genuinely good drama. On the flip side, thecostumes often lean towards the pedestrian, the script lacks zest andsome of the model work is a tad poor. This film includes references tothe Greek Gods, but eliminates them as actual characters and does notattribute any of their own actions to them directly. Rather, thingstake place as if they are occurring without the interference or directinfluence or aid of the deities. Though it's certainly not blatant,there is the opportunity to read Baker and his chief aid Longdon'srelationship as more than platonic. Fans of epic films ought toappreciate the pageantry and scope of it, but may find themselveswishing for a little more meat in the story and, perhaps, moresignificant acting from the leads.
JohnRouseMerriottChard (26 April 2012)
Robert Wise's often forgotten take on The Iliad story.
Now over fifty years old, this almost epic film pales in comparison toother more notable sword and sandal movies. The scale of the filmcannot be faulted, hundreds of extras & huge lavish sets are evident,while the piece is given a well regarded director in Robert Wise tochart its course.However, the problems with it are many. First off is that the film isterribly pedestrian for the first hour, a tepid script fails to engageand at times is unintentionally funny. Then there are major castissues. Taking the leads of Paris & Helen are Jacques Sernas & RossanaPodestà respectively. They look the part, both of them undeniablypretty, but neither of them can act for toffee. Filmed in Rome, Italy,it begs the question on if the casting director walked around Lazio andpicked the two blondest people available for the roles! In support ofthe Blondie's are a host of usually fine performers, Cedric Hardwicke,Stanley Baker, Niall MacGinnis, Harry Andrews, Torin Thatcher & RobertDouglas. A mixture of actors either too old for their roles, poorlywritten, or in the case of Douglas, an underused important character(Agamemnon).Shifting away from the awful back projection work, the action sequencesfair much better. There's enough here in the second hour to please thesword & sandal fan. But if it's enough to make this a saferecommendation to the potential first time crowd? Well I wouldn't stakemy life on it you know! It's a genre I personally love, so I wonderedwhy I hadn't heard about it long before now? After viewing it it becameevident why, it's just not any good. A generous 4/10 from me for thesiege of Troy action construction, the stunt work throughout and forBaker's moody show as Achilles.
(25 April 2012)
The Last Time I saw Paris...
It's about time somebody decided to tell the story of the Trojan War from the TROJAN point of view! Here we have had all of these centuries of western civilization passsing by and the story has always been passed down with the focus on the Achaians...though Homer is enough of a good storyteller and poet to give the Trojans their noble due......but this film is about Helen...and Paris, the Trojan prince, who abducts her from her cruel chubby, red-haired hubby Menelaus (obviouslyfrom the film's point of view she could only have married him for his kingdom!)...and when this strikingly handsome blond-haired prince from Troy shows up, what can she do but fall for him... and "allow" herself to be whisked away on his ship for Troy. Naturally, Menelaus, his brother Agamemnon, and the other Achaian (Greek) kings and princes are not going to let the Trojans insult Menelaus (or let a good chance go by to get some Trojan plunder -- while settling an affair of "honor"). What is to like about this film?...hmm... Paris...the Achilles is not handsome and hardly appears to be the best of the Achaians...most of whom look like scruffy, over-weight types out for a lark...rather than the thoughtful, athletic, civilized "savages" that Homer depicts...no one except Helen and Paris live up to their aesthetic expectations...and you can say good-bye to finely tuned acting... But until another well-financed, skillfully written, and finely directed attempt comes along, this version is going to have to serve the ILIAD...except for the flashbacks to the war and Troy in the recent version of THE ODYSSEY. Watch this in tandem with the Armand Assante helmed version of THE ODYSSEY...and the Kirk Douglas helmed version of ULYSSES (1950s)... and then take a look at the horse-hair fringed helmets in this film...the Navy gets the tillers, but the Army gets the flashy helmets! It's a good thing the Romans knew who reallywon this one!
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