Customer Reviews

Helen of Troy

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(29)
3 star:		(18)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(26)

 

 

Having enjoyed Homer's The Iliad and Virgil's Aeneid and as a long time fan of Greek mythology, I was looking forward with great anticipation to this mini-series. Helen of Troy is a creditable follow-up to greek myth-based offerings such as The Odyssey (starring Armand Assante), Clash of the Titans and Jason and the Argonauts (both versions) and is brought to us by USA Networks, which recently released the acclaimed mini-series Attila (starring Gerard Butler).

The first half of the story centers on Helen of Sparta (Sienna Guillory) and Paris of Troy (Matthew Marsden). It introduces us to Helens family - King Tyndareus, her sister Clytemnestra and brother Pollux (though his twin Castor is nowhere to be found) and shows the abduction of Helen by Thesseus, King of Athens (Stellan Skarsgard). We are also introduced to Paris/Alexandros who is fated to cause the destruction of Troy should he live. On his birth, Prince Alexandros is therefore left on top of Mount Aida to die but is taken in by a shepherd and raised as his own son (hence, re-named Paris).

As a young man, Paris discovers his true heritage and is reconciled with his family - namely, King Priam (John Rhys-Davies), Queen Hecuba (Maryam dAbo), Prince Hector (Daniel Lapaine) and Princess Cassandra (Emilia Fox). Helen marries King Menelaus (James Callis) of Sparta, younger brother to the power-hungry and vicious King Agammemnon (Rufus Sewell), whose thirst for power is so great that he makes the ultimate sacrifice in his quest to become king of the Aegean. When Helen and Paris meet, fall in love and elope, the stage is set for Agammemnon to use the elopement as an excuse to declare war on Troy. Those of us who are familiar with tales of ancient Greece know how it all ends, but this adaptation does provide a few surprises and some notable changes to Homer and Virgils tales.

Highlights of this mini-series are the memorable performances, attractive cast, high production values and outstanding special effects. Rufus Sewell (Cold Comfort Farm, The Very Thought of You and BBCs Middlemarch), newcomer Matthew Marsden (Black Hawk Down), Emilia Fox (Pride and Prejudice, The Round Tower) and veteran John Rhys-Davies (The Lord of the Rings, Indiana Jones) provide great performances. Kudos goes to Rufus Sewell for his fantastic performance as the hard-hearted and villainous Agammemnon. Matthew Marsden and Daniel Lapaine (Prince Hector - though sadly in a much reduced role) are likeable, handsome, charismatic heroes. The locations in Malta are believable and realistic. The story itself is compelling and provides a great introduction to those who are unfamiliar with the Trojan War.

The mini-series does have its shortcomings. For one, I was not impressed with Sienna Guillorys performance as Helen. To be true, anyone who takes on the role of Helen carries a great deal of weight on her shoulders. After all, very few women can live up to being called the most beautiful woman in the world. Though pretty, Seinna's beauty and talent fall a little short of the demands of the role and she sometimes plays Helen as a pouty, simpering little brat. I was also disappointed at the treatment of Menelaus and Hector. While Menelaus (who barely fights in the book) is treated as this kick ... warrior, the mighty Hector (who is the equivalent of Gladiators Maximus and is one of the greatest warriors in classic literature) actually takes a good beating from his enemies! Achilles is, at best, a one-dimensional he man who is all brawn but no brains.

All these grievances aside, this is an enjoyable mini-series that deserves to be seen. I will most likely purchase this when it comes out on DVD. Those who enjoy a good dose of mythology and ancient/classic tales will no doubt enjoy this. I am now looking forward even more to the upcoming film version of the Trojan War - Troy (starring Brad Pitt, Eric Bana, Sean Bean and Orlando Bloom) - and hope to see a slightly different take on this classic story of love, hate, greed, revenge and honor.

I actually enjoyed this TV version of the fated story...it was not the epic that "Troy" is, with the multi-million dollar scenery and costumes--not to mention Brad Pitt--but the storyline was much more Homer...plus I feel that the actors were more into their characters and not so "Hollywood." (It's kind of hard to see Brad Pitt as Achilles, b/c he's Brad Pitt, even if he is a great actor)...I saw this on TV and fell in love with it...I really liked the way Agamemnon and Helen's relationship was portrayed, even if it isn't accurate...Helen is portrayed as much more childlike and naive, but she was only a child, a beautiful, pawned child...Agamemnon is seen as teetering on the brink of madness throughout the entire movie, as he probably was...the fight scenes were nothing to write home about and neither were several of the performances, but they had Cassandra and her foretellings, Agamemnon sacrificing his daughter in order to sail for Troy, Agamemnon being killed by Clytemnestra (even if it was in Troy), the pre-story of Paris and the fate of Troy, Pollux (but no Castor), and the fact that Helen was a Spartan (not through marriage to Menalaus but by birth--Menelaus inherited Sparta by marrying Helen)...in all, this movie is worth watching, if only for another take on the classic story.

Although it lacks the grandeur, spectacle and cinematic composition of Wolfgang Peterson's film version, "Helen of Troy" does a credible and interesting job of presenting Homer's The Illiad. With some stunning performances by Rufus Sewell ("Dark City"), Stellan Skarsgard ("The Exorcist-The Beginning)and John Rhys Davies ("Raiders of the Lost Ark")and a number of nice action pieces, "Helen of Troy" does simplify the tale quite a bit but also manages to get in some dramatic and powerful moments as well.

This three hour movie doesn't have any cut sequences or any scenes specifically for the international market, so you're not getting anything you didn't see on the USA Network when it was broadcast last year. The picture quality is good with solid colors and blacks but the overall feel of the film lacks the epic scope and digitally enhanced battle sequences that made Petersen's film so memorable.

The DVD also includes a 20 minute featurette on the making of the film. More than likely, this is the same promo that was shown on cable when promoting the film although I can't say for certain as I didn't see it then. Well worth watching for some strong performances from world class actors although the last hour of the show dragged a bit.

I cannot for the life of me understand why people enjoyed this movie. For someone who has studied Greek myth for nearly 20 years, it is pretty hard to please me, but this was just horrible in every way. To the reviewer who asked how we know what happened: because the myths are written a particular way; the creative license taken here is far too great.

Theseus and Polydeukes did not kill each other, Paris and Hektor did not fight one another, Akhilleus was not a third-rate wrestler who murdered Hektor without hand-to-hand combat. The producers obviously made this movie to villainize the Greeks and portray the Trojans as pure and innocent people. The license taken with Agamemnon was acceptable due to his character in myth *and Rufus Sewell did an excellent job, and apart from Rhy-Davies (who is always good) as Priam, the only decent actor in the picture* Helen was ridiculously miscast, as was Paris, Menalaos, Akhilleus, and virtually every other character.

If a director is going to make a historical, even legendary, picture, he has a responsiblity to stay somewhat true to the story. Gladiator took a great deal of license, but it did not center on a historical character or on traditional characters that have travelled down through the centuries in a way that they seem real to the modern mind. It is forgivable in Gladiator's case, not so in this film's. A great disappointment and I can only say I hope the writers and producers of this film are reprimanded greatly for their vast mistakes.

I'll start be explaining the 1 star I awarded this movie, half was for the visual effects which were pretty good for a TV-mini series, but not ground breaking, the other half was for the acting which was commendable. It lost the other 4 stars for the story, which by the end of the movie had me shaking my head in disgust.

I'm not going to go into detail about the inaccuracies because that would far exceed the 1000 word limit, so I will simply say that if you have ever read the Iliad or for that matter know anything about the Trojan war don't watch this movie, also note that at this point if you're asking yourself: "What the heck is the Iliad?" than don't bother reading the rest of this review and enjoy the movie.

There were 3 main parts of the story that bothered me the most:
- the first was the over emphasis on Paris and Helen's love affair. The timeline is all out of sync. The fact is that at the time of the fall of Troy Paris was long dead and Helen was already re-married to Deiphobus and Odysseus and Menelaus killed him, Helen then went willingly back to Sparta.

- the second point were the deaths of Hector, Achilles, and Paris all of which were done wrong

- the last point is the character assassination of Agamemnon, they turned him into this typical Hollywood bad guy which is nothing like the character portrayed in the Iliad, then they have him kill Paris and in the end rape Helen, two scenes that almost made me turn off the TV.

I would write more but I'm to upset at wasting 4 hours of my life on this movie. I am looking forward to the theatrical release of Troy next year and I have full confidence in Wolfgang Petersen to do honour to the legend of the Trojan War.

This movie was an awesome movie!!!! Loved the acting, costumes, and scenery.
The only problem is it is inaccurate, but if you PAID ATTENTION in the beginning Menelaus says,"..but that is not the story. Let me tell you the real story; I know, I was there." He (and the directors) are basically saying that this is supposed to be the story from Helen's view. Her story of her undying love and how she launched a thousand ships. This isn't the Trojan war story we are used to, it's Helen's version. It kinda rough, but it is a totally different view of a classic story.
The first time I saw it i was a little diappointed in the inaccuracy, but it kept me on my toes. I LOVE THIS MOVIE, just don't look too deep into, like some critics did, considering the fact that Helen wasn't real, nor do we know her story/view.

Helen of Troy wasn't the greatest tv movie... They left out a TON of stuff!! I'll start with: Castor, Helen's older brother and Polydeuces' twin- uh.. where did he go off to? Also...Polydeuces didn't die that way. He gave up his immortality after his brother Castor fell off a cliff in a duel to follow him to the Elysian Fields. While Menelaus was a kind and just ruler, in the Iliad, he didn't just stand around- he fought just as fiercely as the rest of the Aegean kings. Next- when Iphigenia was sacrificed, she was already the mother of one of Achilles' children... she wasn't exactly 7 years old. Helen was not actually made to parade around naked in front of a bunch of kings AND she actually chose Menelaus as her husband in the Iliad. Where exactly was Patrocolus? How can they justify the brutal killing of Hector by Achilles without the motivation of Hector's brutal killing of Patrocolus, one of Achilles' dearest friends? Another thing- Hector didn't just stand there and let Achilles throw a javelin through his stomach! He was the Trojan army's best warrior! Also, Achilles dragged Hector's body 3 times around the actual city of Troy, not some fire, before returning it to Priam for burial, which signaled the end of the poem, the Iliad. The movie really didn't emphasize that the Trojan War was also a battle involving opposing gods. Aphrodite rooted for the Trojans ( and her son, Aeneas who was the Trojan army's second best warrior), while Athena and Hera helped the Greeks. The war god, Ares, fought for both sides. Also, Helen is generally thought to have been under a strong spell, cast by Aphrodite, to make her fall in love (temporarily) with Paris. She was actually living a happy life with Menelaus prior to her abduction by Paris. After the end of the Trojan war and Helen went home with Menelaus, they led a happy life together once again. Another thing the movie fails to mention is Helen and Menelaus' daughter, Hermione. Also, Helen was not raped by Agamemnon, but Cassandra was raped by her brother Helenus at the Palladium, which is another critical part of the Trojan War which was not in the movie. Also, Briseis, who was Achilles' paramour, was not mentioned in the movie. Briseis is at the center of a quarrel between Agamemnon and Achilles in the first chapter of the Iliad. In addition to all that, after Paris died, Helen was married to his brother, Deiphobus before being returned to Menelaus. Oh well. It's alright. You'd be better off reading the Iliad. That movie Troy is coming out this May and that should be pretty good.

After seeing the movie TROY - which disappointed my highly - I rented this DVD from my neighbourhood video store not expecting much. I was in for a surprise! I spent the next three hours glued to my TV screen and enjoyed it so much I ended up buying the film to add to my growing DVD collection.
As far as TV movies go, this one is above average. One must remember this film was made for TV. If they don't think the special effects were much, than the money that went in to the costumes, sets and props tells you how original the producers and the director wanted them to be. The documentary on the making of the production tells you that much.
Those who are familiar with Homer's classic poem will have their own idea of how the Iliad should be told. We are informed at the beginning of the film, by Menelaus himself, that this is the real story. What he himself saw, not Homer. You then know that you are in for a fresh version. What I found was most of the important parts of the original story with minor additions or changes that had no negative effect.
Sienna Guillory was given a challenge in playing the part of Helen. It is no easy task as everyone has their own idea of what Helen should look like or behave. Here she played an adolescent Helen as well as a older, wiser one. For a 25 year old woman to try to come across convincingly as a 15 year old still innocent to the world is no easy task. She also convinced me by playing a Helen who felt she was the responsiblity for the death and destruction around her when it was actually Agamemnon's greed, Priam's poor judgement and Paris' selfishness.
The film also took Homer's two of Homer's romantic heroes and exposed them for the people their probably really would have been. Rufus Sewell (an actor who I've been keeping an eye on) was excellent in portraying Agamemnon as a cruel, arrogant king who coveted the wealth of Troy and Menelaus' wife. Joe Montana surprised me in his performance as Achilles. What lines he had he delivered well, and his intensity convinced me that Achilles wasn't a good guy. Instead he was vainglorious and lusted for the violence of battle. Those who complained about him being bald should try to imagine Montana in a blonde wig like the one Brad Pitt wore. Just doesn't fit, does it.
As for the true heroes, Matthew Marsden, though a pretty boy, held up his role as Paris very well. I've always seen Paris as a flawed hero, his love for Helen meaning more to him than the safety of the city and people of Troy. He truly dies a heroes death at the hands of Agamemnon. Menelaus is another flawed hero. A man who, at the willing of the gods, falls in love with Helen and wins her as his trophy wife, only to lose her. James Callis made me sympathise with Menelaus, his strong but sensitive portrayal of the Spartan king convincing me that in the end Helen was returned to a husband who would no longer take her for granted. By the way, Menelaus and Helen went on to have their own adventures in Egypt while on their return to Sparta, and had three sons and a daughter named Hermione.
As for the true hero, Daniel Lapaine is truly a courageous Hector. John Rhys-Davies easily fills the shoes of the wise but flawed King Priam, Katie Blake impressed me with her sympathetic portrayal of the vengeful Queen Clytemnestra, and Emilia Fox as Cassandra, cursed by Apollo to always tell the truth but never be believed, was very believable. A talent she inherieted from her father Edward Fox, no doubt. The rest of the cast was suberb.
This is a good film to watch on a rainy weekend afternoon with a bowl of popcorn. I highly recommend it!

Personally, I found the movie entertaining and did get more than a few chuckles out of the present handling nad mischaracterization of the Greek story. It has little or nothing to do with the epic Helen or the Illiad, and Oddessey which could cause the movie to fall flat on its face for lack of any real connection to the actual story. The very worst part to me is the mishandling and misrepresentaion of Achilles and the way he lived, fought, and died. The portrayed rape of Helen by Agamemnon was a serious deviation from the epic poetry and other than groos and unnecessary sensationalizing of a terrible event which is entirely missing from the literature. Helen did accompany Menelaus back to Sparta and they seem to have lived out their lives there. I would recommend this movie for entertainment purposes only with the hope that it might stimulate others into reading Homer, about Crete, About Mycenae, and about Greek in particular. I will not criticize tha actors in this drama although I think they were underprepared for the role but did the best they could with what they had been given. If it stimulates the viewer's interest into exploring the other fine books and DVD's that are currently coming out, the movie will have far exceeded its potential. I would strongly recommend Homer's Illiad/Oddessey, Paul Cartledge's The Spartans, Anything by Bettand Hughes, a historian extrordinaire and a story teller of the very highest quality. Her books and DVD's will touch you heart and soul. In addition, Tom Holland's Persion Fire is an exceptional read which literally makes history come alive as does Steven Pressfield's Gates of Fire which is a historical narrative of the Battle for the Gates of Thermoplyae. Having experienced the blood, sweat, tears, fear, and terror of hand to hand combat, I can attest the his book will make you feel like you were there and you understood, and will understand, why men can dedicate themselves to a country and a cause much bigger than themselves. All soldiers fear being hurt or killed on a humbug (events bordering on incompentence) but are prepared to die honorably if the cause is just. His book is the closest you will ever come to sharing the frontline without actually getting out there and doing it. Kudos to him. I love the book.

As there are few things more distasteful than a badly-done rendition of an epic story, this effort at re-creating the Homeric world is very refreshing and engrossing. The production value of this ambitious venture is top-notch; I can't think of why anyone who has ever read Homer would be disappointed with this DVD.

The novice might be inclined to believe that the film is taken straight from the ILIAD. In fact, precious few scenes are actually in Homer's poem. The majority of the action depicted happens either before or after the ILIAD.

The episode of Helen being abducted by Theseus is based on an obscure myth. The major differences between the myth & the story in the DVD are (1): Helen is just a child in the myth (as opposed to a young woman in the film). (2): In the myth, Theseus is not killed by Helen's brothers when they come to fetch her back.

Given the fact that Homer's poem is saturated with the interaction of gods & goddesses, it comes as a surprise that the roles of the gods are muted in this story. Aside from the cameo of the 3 goddesses in the abbreviated JUDGMENT OF PARIS at the beginning of the tale, the entire Greek pantheon is basically left out of the remainder of the story.

The acting is quite good. The men, for the most part, fit their roles as Greeks & Trojans. Sienna Guillory plays a credible Helen & I thought she portrayed a believable young, innocent girl who gets in way over her head. Obviously, no matter who they pick to play "the most beautiful woman who ever lived," there will ALWAYS be some people who are unhappy w/the selection. That Guillory is in possession of acting skills is helpful; hiring a supermodel who can't act would have been a complete disaster.

Making Paris into some sort of quasi-hero was exceptionally bold and radical. It is something that would have been apt to strike the ancient Greeks as strange. It was a clever bit how they re-arranged the infamous duel between Menelaous and Paris.

That said, what the makers of this film did was very Greek in its manner. In Greek tragedies different characters are portrayed in a variety of ways, depending on the point that tradgedian was attempting to convey. This was true even in different plays by the SAME author.

This DVD is HIGHLY recommended to anyone who has read Homer, wants to read Homer or is even slightly interested in the mythology of the ancient Greeks. It blends some history and mythology (such as the reason that Troy was attacked) and does a balanced job of telling Homer's story. This one is truly a classic, based on a classic.