Genres

Visitors Review

2012-05-24 19:01:39

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.

rpurdy 2012-05-24 08:31:02

a very good film but not Homeric

I saw this one back in the late 50's and again, recently, on DVD. Ienjoyed it back then and was pleased to find that it's held up verywell over the years. But be warned - this is Hollywood's version of thestory and is not faithful to the story in Homer or the other ancientsources that form the Trojan Cycle in Greek Mythology. The film focuseson the love between the Trojan prince, Paris and the Spartan queen,Helen. That's not inconsistent with the mythological version. But thefilm portrays Paris as a hero whereas Homer portrayed him as awomanizing coward, disliked by his own countrymen and mocked by theenemy Greeks. In spite of this, the film is well worth watching. Thebattle scenes are well staged, particularly the climactic duel betweenAchilles and Hector. The fall of Troy is also a highlight. The actorsplaying Helen and Paris are adequate. Stanley Baker as Achilles andNial MacGinnis as Menelaus steal the show.

jetsetcol 2012-05-23 21:59:37

You have to be kidding

I can't believe some of the comments here in the reviews. The film isdated of course, and from our comfortable viewpoint in the age of CGG alot of the special effects are deeply unconvincing now. But evenallowing for this, Helen of Troy is so bad that it is almost laughable. The scripting is awful, just awful, with no characterisation at all.The performances suffer as a result, you can see the likes of Hardwickeand Andrews writhing in an agony of embarrassment as they deliver themost ridiculous shallow trite codswallop lines. The writers seem tofeel the need to explain almost everything in a dreadful didacticscreenplay that allows the viewer to decide nothing for him/herself atall. The beginning of the movie spells out the historical background asif no one had ever heard of ancient Greece; I know they had Americanaudiences to take into consideration, but the patronising way we aretold everything twice to make sure we understood the action is reallyawful.I honestly can't believe the comments above describing this movie as agreat epic film. Even allowing for the comparatively primitivecinematography and the relative sophistication of today's audience,this movie truly stinks.

2012-05-23 15:29:58

Star-crossed lovers and epic battles

This rendition of the story of Troy was probably, like last years's miniseries, brought out because of the recent release of Brad Pitt in "Troy". However, this film can well stand on its own with a literal cast of thousands, grand sets, beautifully done action scenes both large and small, and a very good cast of mostly British/European actors. Stanley Baker and Harry Andrews stand out above the rest as Achilles and Hector and they both do well in their single combat scene towards the end of the picture. Rosana Podesta does look like an Aphrodite clone and is far more appealing, in my eyes, than the actress who was in the recent miniseries. Admittedly there is some overacting--especially by Sir Cedric--but these were part of the acting style when the film was made. The first battle between the Trojans and the Greeks is worth the price of the disc---which is pristine and beautiful as only Warnercolor could be!

wes-connors 2012-05-23 09:30:01

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

Roger Burke 2012-05-22 21:59:35

The most epic love story of all time…maybe…

Big budget Hollywood epic at its best (although made in Italy), anddirected by one of Hollywood's greats, Robert Wise (noted for The Daythe Earth Stood Still, The Desert Rats, Somebody up there likes me,Westside Story and many others), this production shows what could bedone, back in the fifties when there was still money enough to splurge.For example, according to the jacket cover on the DVD I bought, thisfilm cost $6 million in 1955 – that's maybe equivalent to $600 millionin today's money! And, all the more intriguing, considering that thiswas made right at the tail end of the Classic Hollywood period. Butthen, movies were fighting back against the rising tide of TV...And movies won, didn't they? Because, you can still get this movie onDVD and once again enjoy the spectacle of thousands of real people (notregurgitated computer generated drones) having a gigantic tussle on areal beach and plain, all as a backdrop to one of the most well-knownlove stories and sieges of all time. How can you resist it? Well, I couldn't. I'd seen this in a big cinema when I was fifteen, andwas just smitten by Rossana Podesta as Helen. Who cared about the storythen? Not me – I was just happy to sit through two hours of exquisitebeauty. Oh, yeah – the great battle scenes too...The story follows the usual myth: Paris (Jacques Sernas) is shipwreckedwhen on his way to Sparta to get a peace treaty with nasty kingMenelaus (Niall MacGinnis). Lovely Helen finds him on the beach. Theyhit it off, natch, and instead of getting a treaty, Paris gets himselfa treat, returns to Troy with Helen and tells Priam (Cedric Hardwicke),and all, to prepare for war. Then, battle, battle, Achilles (StanleyBaker) kills Hector (Harry Andrews) in a well-staged duel, Paris gets alucky strike and kills Achilles, more battle, then Ulysses with somehorse sense, the sack of Troy, Paris is killed, Helen is left sobbingas she sails back to Sparta. Fade to black.Seeing it again, well, I think it's definitely a well-produced film.The cinematography is at the high standard you'd expect from Wise andhis crew. The staging of the battles is excellent – look at some ofthose battle scenes and just imagine the management problem alone. Theediting is superb; the sound effects are well done. Compared to suchepics as Cleopatra (1963), The Ten Commandments (1956), Helen of Troystacks up as an equally good romantic classic.I've seen the more recent Troy (2004) but that is a very different takeon the battle for Troy; it's more a story about Achilles than it isabout Helen and Paris. Both films are good in their own right and Ithink it's counter-productive to nitpick between the two, despite mycriticism about computer drones, above.Seeing it again now, I did notice that this film produced one of thegreatest lines in movie history – for me – and all done inadvertently.For those who don't know, this film was an early effort by BrigitteBardot who went on to become the sex symbol of the sixties andseventies – perhaps the most famous sex symbol of the mid 20th century.So, when I heard Paris (Jacques Sernas) utter these words to her whenthe palace occupants were asleep, I nearly fell off my chair, cacklingat the irony: "You should be in bed..." meaning it was very late andshe needed her sleep. You'll just have to see this movie - it's worththe two hours.Although, I'd skip the musical overture at the start – too long even atten minutes. In fact, it drags.Recommended for all.

2012-05-22 21:22:33

Helen of Troy Good video

This review is from: Helen of Troy [VHS] (VHS Tape) My boy, who is 8, saw this movie on t.v. and loved it. I liked the unique twist of having the movie be from Helen's point of view. I thought some of the acting was over the top, but hey this was the time of the big Hollywood epic. I wholeheartedly recommend this movie. It is suitable for kids as the violence is not graphic.

2012-05-22 05:39:52

"Further thoughts"

Shakespeare has a defeated Richard the Third declare he would give his kingdom for a horse. Here is the story of how the Greeks gave a horse, albeit a wooden one, and conquered a kingdom. "Helen of Troy" was made by Warner Bros. in the 1950s heyday of the screen epic movie,and it shows in the production values. The story tells of how Prince Paris of Troy undertakes a peace mission to warlike Sparta whose King Menelaus, husband to Helen, whilst feigning friendship is actually plotting, with his Greek allies, an attack on prosperous Troy. Paris is forced to flee for his life by the duplicitous King. His escape is aided by Helen, the two having experienced instant mutual attraction on first meeting (Paris being unware of who she really is). As Paris is bidding a cliff-top farewell to Helen they are discovered by Spartan soldiers hunting him. Helen is clearly implicated so Paris leaps to freedom with her in his arms. They flee to Troy on a friendly vessel waiting off the shore of Sparta. This triggers the Trojan War as Menelaus now has the perfect excuse.Jacques Sernas plays Paris and the, then, little known Rossana Podesta plays Helen and both are physically fine in their roles. Although not native speakers both spoke their parts in English. Sernas did speak English but Rosssana Podesta did not and learned her lines by rote. However, it was decided to dub the voice of Jacques Sernas. His accented English did not fit well with the strong classical voices of the British supporting players. This has the effect of making him sound rather wooden and unemotional, but does not detract from the overall enjoyment of the movie. Like all movies of this type it loses something when seen away from the large screen but, for all that, it is an exciting story well told and visually impressive, especially the battle scenes.Classical Greek scholars will notice the liberties that Hollywood took with the original tale by the blind Greek poet Homer. In this version Paris is portrayed as a strong, resolute and heroic figure and Helen as the unfortunate, unhappy, wife of the brutish King Menelaus. The movie commences with the original musical overture and the soundtrack has been remastered in Dolby Digital 5.1. The bonus material consists of three interesting "the making of" documentaries shown by Warner Bros. on the TV show they had at the time. In addition there is the original theatrical trailer. I first saw this movie in 1956 and liked it then and I still like it now. I have adjusted my star rating of this movie to reflect this.

2012-05-20 23:09:01

Remembering the Memory

I remember seeing this movie back in the fifties and being completely in awe of it. I read where Warner Bros. searched all over for the face that could launch a 1000 ships. I thought they succeeded with their choice of Rosanna Podesta. I remember seeing this movie many times and thinking it was as great as I remembered it. As I boy I sent a letter to Warner Bros. in Hollywood for a picture of Rosanna Podesta along with a lot of stamps for sending the picture back. I didn,t receive the picture then, but 7 years later I received a picture of Rosanna along with inscription in Italian " to my little boy". When I watched this movie again in latter life, I realize it wasn,t as great as I thought it to be but the memory still is. P.S. The review above was for the VHS version. I purchased the DVD of this movie and once again -IT WAS GREAT!!! Rosanna Podesta was truly tremendously feminine and beautiful whilst still being a bit of young girl whom we all fell in love with in our youth.

2012-05-20 11:50:38

Wish list

These classic movies are work of art. I wish somebody inform film studios to develop DVD version of these movies.

foxfire1 2012-05-19 13:54:25

As good as I remember

I loved "Helen of Troy" when I was a young girl in the 50's. Paris,played by Jacques Sernas, was the most gorgeous man I had ever seen andto me, made his character come alive. I wondered how I would feel aboutJacques' performance after seeing Orlando Bloom play a rather wimpyParis in "Troy". Sadly, there didn't seem to be any chemistry betweenParis and Helen in the new version. When comparing the original,classic version, I was pleased to find that it still remains anexciting and dynamic story and could not be improved with extravagantspecial effects. "Helen of Troy" has a romantic, poignant warmth andthe audience is compelled to hope that Helen and Paris can have a happylife together. In the new version, it didn't seem to matter if theystayed together or not, their story almost felt secondary to theglorious story of Brad Pitts' Achilles. Needless to say, I highlyrecommend the remastered DVD of "Helen of Troy, 1956" for thediscerning movie viewer.  

2012-05-18 18:44:05

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

Joe 2012-05-18 04:19:17

Beautiful

This was a beautiful movie with well directed battle scenes. It was visually spectacular, with careful attention to detail. The costumes, background scenery and weapons were perfect. Rossana Podesta was ideal to play Helen, and Jack Sernas was perfect as Paris. Some parts of the story left something to be desired (such as the part leading up to the fight between Achilles and Hector, which was inconsistent with the traditional story) but most of the story was well written and the dialogue was excellent.

scttwortman 2012-05-17 07:39:23

Better with Age

This is a film that I understand was a disappointment when it first hit thetheatres. Maybe because the quality of today's efforts in this genre are somediocre; this film has improved with time.I've read an interview withdirector Wise, and he reveals his ambivalence for this film. He actuallystates he took it on for no other reason then he was curious about epic filmmaking! I'm surprised his experiment with other people's money turned out tobe more then adequate!The mystery of the euro unknowns in the leads isexplained by the difficulty of casting the ancient world's version of Rhettand Scarlett.So he beat the debate by not going with the already famous!Sadly, he does not reveal who dubbed their voices.After numerous viewings, Ibelieve Ann Blyth did Helen, and Edmund Purdom did Paris. If anyone reallyknows[or has a better guess]; leave a new comment. I'll keep checkingback.

2012-05-16 20:44:07

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.

2012-05-16 02:39:52

Long before there was "Troy," there was "Helen of Troy"

After watching the current big budget film "Troy" and complaining bitterly about what the screenplay did to Homer, Euripides, and other ancient writers it seemed time to finally check out the 1956 Hollywood version of "Helen of Troy," which stared Rossana Podestà in the title role and Jack Sernas as Paris. Podestà was an Italian sex siren her had to learn her lines by rote in English and who was picked over established stars including Elizabeth Taylor, Lana Turner, Rhonda Fleming, Ava Gardner and Yvonne DeCarlo for the part of Helen. Of course, it is hard to say she is the most beautiful woman in the film let alone the world since Brigitte Bardot is playing Andraste.The script by Hugh Gray, N. Richard Nash, and John Twist, does a good job of including the goddesses Aphrodite and Athena without having them literally appear. The idea of the pact among the princes of Greece to decide who would win Helen's hand and the promise to defend anyone who violated the pact is ignored. Helen's father, the king of Sparta, just married her off to Menelaus (Niall MacGinnis), who, along with his brother, Agamemnon (Robert Douglas), is interested in attacking Troy to take its riches. The kings of Greece have gathered in Sparta to plan the attack when Paris comes along, falls in love with Helen, and steals her away to Troy. Once there, nobody is happy to see this development. King Praimus (Cedric Hardwicke) and Hector (Harry Andrews) are upset over the fact the Greeks are going to come to attack Troy and the priestess Kassandra (Janette Scott) is crying gloom and doom, but, of course, nobody is listening to her. The people even come to throw things at Paris and his woman but he sways them with a short speech. Of course, nothing is going to stop the Greeks, because Helen is just an excuse for conquering the rich city that controls the Dardanelles (the importance of which is explained in the prologue), and we are treated to the spectacle of 30,000 men fighting it out on the plains of Troy in glorious Warnercolor.In terms of Homer's "Iliad," the wrath of Achilles (Stanley Baker) has to do with the fact that he flat out does not like Agamemnon, which is made clear the first time we see them together in Sparta. At some point he starts pouting in his tent. The death of Patroclus (Terence Longdon) still sets into motion the chain of deaths that defined the end of the Trojan War, but the context is different and reinforces the idea that the Trojans are the good guys. The extension of that is that our young lovers deserve to live happily ever after. But will the screenplay violate the classical story that far? Wily Odysseus (Torin Thatcher) comes up with the stratagem of a rather impressive looking Trojan Horse and the end game of the ten year war is played out.Like "Troy," this version also avoids the worst part of "The Trojan Women" by Euripides, allowing Andromache (Patricia Marmont) to flee with Aeneas (Ronald Lewis) instead of having her endure her baby boy being tossed off the walls of Troy (which reminds me: for future reference, finish looting a city before you start burning it). But once again Hollywood proves that when it comes to adapting Homer and the rest of the story of the Trojan War they always think they can improve on the original. Yet despite the spectacle there are no transcendent moments in this film, let along the dramatic highpoints of the epic poem by Homer. The battle sequences are certainly spectacular and much better than the individual combat sequences, so it is hard not to favor the marching formations of the thousands of extras with their spears and shields over the CGI tens of thousands we saw in "Troy." Director Robert Wise gives the action a sense of classical splendor while Max Steiner's rousing score standing out a lot more than the dialogue. There is an interesting feel to that dialogue and the performance of actors, most of whom are British and classically trained. They are not doing Shakespeare, but they give the drama a certain weight. There is no real passion between Helen and Paris, but at least he has the virtue this time around of being a real prince of Troy, capable of going toe to toe with Ajax (Maxwell Reed). The DVD contains the original trailer, with its hyperbolic titles, and a trio of black & white featurettes by Gig Young for some sort of 1950s television movie show in which he promotes "Helen of Troy." Ultimately this is a respectable version of the classical story and if it is not great at least it does not have any of those transcendantly bad moments found in so many of the European sandal-and-spear spectacles.

ptb-8 2012-05-16 22:14:03

a Homer ' un

It is good for the viewer to see this cinemascope spectacular from 1956after seeing the new TROY with Brad and Eric. HELEN OF TROY as directedby craftsman Robert Wise is very pleasingly made and with excellentaction and spectacle - especially in the well populated fiery siegescenes. No CGI in those days, there really was a couple of thousanddressed and armed extras running all over the huge set. ApparentlyRobert Wise is on record as having said he took the $6 millionassignment because he hadn't yet directed a spectacular....! Told froma different perspective than the 2004 version, this 50s view is fromthe point of Paris as opposed to Archilles in the new one. It would belike the new one being told from Orlando Bloom's perspective ratherthan from Brad Pitt's. HELEN OF TROY on DVD has good extras includingthe TV specials made with Gig Young as a promo of the time. The hugeset created in Italy was recycled into SODOM AND GOMORRAH given theorange pillars and layout. HELEN OF TROY has excellent Warnercolour andbeautiful art direction. It is a good film and well worth seeing afteryou see TROY as a companion/chaser.

2012-05-16 04:52:51

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.

2012-05-15 20:41:08

Classic Rewtelling Of The Trojan War And The Woman With The Face That Launched A Thousand Ships.

This classic retelling of the Trojan War (partly recounted in Homer's epic poem "The Iliad") and the woman with "The face that launched a thousand ships" is a good one, if inconsistent with several major and minor events of the legend. SPOILER WARNINGS: For example, all the characters are referred to by their Greek names, yet Odysseus is called Ulysses, his Roman name. Odysseus does not come up with the idea for the Trojan Horse as the ships land at Troy and puts this idea into execution once Achilles is foully murdered by Paris. Odysseus clearly does not respect Achilles very much, and Patroclus is not murdered by Paris. SPOILER WARNINGS OVER. These are just several inconsistencies with the legend, as related in "The Iliad." Look out for appearances by minor pre-"Ben-Hur" and pre-James Bond actors Terence Longdon and Robert Brown. The score by Academy Award winner Max Steiner ("Gone With The Wind," "Casablanca") is simply beautiful. Directed by Robert Wise. I also recommend "Troy" starring Brad Pitt. This film is Not Rated.

2012-05-15 09:58:55

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.