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The Trojan Women

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Ancient Greek plays with all their dramatic devices and often an emphasis on static speeches by the actors and the chorus often do not translate well to the screen. Euripides' "The Trojan Women," however, is an exception to the rule. What makes this production work is the fine acting by most of the performers as well as the beautiful language, though in translation, of Euripides.

The plot is simple and straight forward. Queen Hecuba (Katharine Hepburn), her now crazed daughter Cassandra (Genevieve Bujold), her daughter-in-law Andromache (Vanessa Redgrave) and a host of other Trojan women are now at the mercy of the Greek victors. The play builds as one catastrophe after another befalls these women. Cassanda will be the wife of Agammemnon, Andromache will go with the son of Achilles, and Hecuba will become the slave of Odysseus-- or as Hecuba so aptly puts it, "Anguish heaped upon anguish."

The Greek chorus-- or in this instance I suppose we must call them the "Trojan Chorus" works well. Irene Papas plays a different sort of Helen than we see through other writers' eyes. Here she is unbowed, even as she awaits her fate from the hands of her wronged husband Menelaus. In a quite wonderful scene, after Helen has made her pitch to him to spare her life, Hecuba delivers the great lines: "Kill her, Menelaus." Ms. Hepburn has a lot of such passages. I remember from having seen the movie when it was released in 1971 her lines: "Kindness unwanted is unkindness."

The theme is obvious. Wars always hurt the women and children most-- Andromache's son almost steals the movie, by the way-- and while the weaponry and locales may change, war in 2005 is not that much different than it ever was, a sad, sobering thought.

"The Trojan War" was written by the Greek tragic dramatist Euripides as a plea for peace after the Athenians had slaughtered the populace of the island of Melos for refusing to aid Athens in the war against Sparta, and as preparations were being made for the ruinous expedition against Syracuse. Consequently there is a strong rhetorical dimension to the play, which prophesies that a Greek force would sail across the sea after violating victims and meet with disaster. However, there the play also has a strong literary consideration in that the four Trojan Women all appear in the final chapter of the "Iliad," mourning over the corpse of Hector, retrieved by his father Priam from the camp of the Acheans. Following the episodic structure of Greek tragedy, we begin with the lamentations of Hecuba (Katharine Hepburn), queen of the fallen city, then have the wild prophecies of her crazed daughter Cassandra (Geneviève Bujold), and then have to watch Astyanax, the son of Hector and Andromache (Vanessa Redgrave), be ripped away from her mother's arms so he can be thrown from the walls of Troy. When the beautiful Helen (Irene Papas) is brought out, Hecuba tries to convince Menelaus (Patrick Magee) to kill his unfaithful wife. The tragedy ends with the women of Troy being taken to the ships of their captives.

This 1971 film was directed by Michael Cacoyannis, who is best known for directing "Zorba the Greek," but who also did an excellent version of another Euripides play "Electra" in 1962 with Irene Papas in the title role. Cacoyannis tries for something a bit more naturalistic than that previous effort, but the end result this time around creates an unfortunate distance between the characters and the audience that puts these performances in a weird sort of limbo. This is rather surprising because we are talking some formidable talent with these four actresses (who represent four different countries of origin). I first saw this film in high school, when I had absolutely no understanding of the forms and conventions of classical Greek tragedy, and I found I have less appreciation for the film today. Understand that I am a Katharine Hepburn fan of the first order and teach Greek tragedies at any and all opportunities, but I am just not inspired by this film. Hepburn's performance is overly animated, Bujold's is mannered affectation, Redgrave's is understated at the expense of the situation, and only Papas manages to bring some fire to her role that rings true.

"The Trojan Women" reflects the cynicism of Euripides at its most strident. In this play the Greeks do more than enslave the women of fallen Troy: they have already slain a young girl as a sacrifice to the ghost of Achilles and they take a little boy and kill him. Even the herald of the Greeks, Talthybius (Brian Blessed), cannot stomach the policies of his people. The play also reminds us that Helen was a most unpopular figure amongst the ancient Greeks, and there is no satisfaction in her saving her life. Your ability to enjoy this play, whether we are talking about watching the film or simply reading the text, is going to be based on how much you know about Homer's epic poem "The Iliad" and the entire story of the Trojan War. Final Note: Edith Hamilton, author of a classic book on mythology that I use in my Classical Greek and Roman Mythology course, did the English translation for the film.

I first saw this movie in college freshman English way back in 1974, before I knew anything about feminism or Greek myths. I had no idea what was going on most of the time. But it got under my skin so effectively that the images stayed with me for nearly 30 years, and when war became an issue in the US I suddenly HAD to see it again. By now I knew more about feminism and Greek myths, but it still retains incredible power. Maybe it is stilted and showing the 1971 age, but the power of the playwright stands through it all. A true classic in the best possible sense.

With this production, Cacoyannis has achieved his best ever performance and has shown his directing genius; with this film, he can be considered as one of the best directors worldwide and a unique master in transferring classic Greek Drama to the screen.

Trojan Women is one of the best dramas written by Euripides 480~406 BC and can be truly appreciated from the way Cacoyannis remain faithful to the original script(415 BC)and his ability to transfer a theater masterpiece to a film.
He simplified the scenery, he utilized pastel soft colours for the background, he limited the scenery to the bare minimum and he brought forward the characters as Euripides himself indented it.

Cacoyannis has presented the best abilities of a group of exceptional actresses such as Vanessa Redgrave, Katharine Hepburn Genevieve Bujold, Ireni Papas.

One of best ever performances of Katharine Hepburn in one of the most difficult roles, as a queen of a defeated country, a wife of a proud King, a leader of the women, a mother of heroes and a mother of a daughter with an exceptional personality, a proud mother in law and a loving grandmother, struggling to maintain sense in a senseless tragic situation.

Irene Papa has performed extremely well the provocative and proud role of Helen to the point that the viewer might easily develop sentiments of hate towards her.

Vanessa Redgrave represented the very meaning of pride, character, and determination and yet at the same time the suffering of the wife of a hero and the mother of a child that must be eliminated by those who claim victory.

One of the best performances is the one of Genevieve Bujold in the role of Cassandra, in what can be considered as a perfect interpretation in one of the most complicated and universal statements ever made in the history of mankind when in her craziness is able to question the meaning of war, the very meaning of victors and losers.
This specific part must be observed with special attention as it can be compared only with the meanings that emerged from the epitaph of Pericles and it forms the core meaning of the entire drama.

A classic script that became accessible to millions through the excellent work of Cacoyannis.

In conclusion we can return to the terminology of the Greeks that when they refer to the classic drama they do not use the word " see a tragedy " but " A tragedy is taught"

The other reviews capsulate pretty much the story and the performances, and the movie will not appeal to those unfamiliar with Greek history. No one can watch this movie without misting up when the child, Astyanax, is taken from Andromache. Hecuba's big mistake is in letting Helen defend herself, although for the story she has to have her defense. I don't find it stilted, over dramatized or disjointed. Not to those of us who love the plays of Euripides. The translation is by the author Edith Hamilton and updates most of archaic phrases. The movie is unmatched in telling the story of the women left behind in any war, offensive or defensive. However, to paraphrase Cassandra, who says it best, "Trojans died defending their country, no glory greater".

I am conflicted about this film. On the one hand, it has a phenomenal cast: Katherine Hepburn as Hekabe; Vanessa Redgrave as Andromache; Irene Papas as Helen; Genevieve Bujold as Cassandra; Brian Blessed as Talthybius; and Patrick McGee as Menelaus. On the other, Euripides' play itself is static, consisting solely of the lamentations of the royal female captives after the siege of Troy.

I think it might have worked for a modern audience within the ritualized setting of a Greek Theatre, say, at Epidaurus, with a traditional production (e.g., masked actors, a stylized chorus, and Athena and Poseidon, who are absent from the film). Somehow thrusting Euripides into a 'realistic' setting, outside the walls of what was supposed to be Troy, paradoxically brought an artificiality to the drama, at times making Hepburn and Bujold seem as if they were tearing their passions to tatters--an impression enhanced by their grungy costumes. To me, Hepburn's portrayal of the Queen worked best when she was lamenting over the child Astyanax, or inciting Menelaus to murder Helen.

The performances that I really found compelling were those of Redgrave and Papas--the former in her role as the distraught mother and the latter as the beautiful schemer. Both women portrayed their characters with subtlety. It is Redgrave's understatement of her role that renders her ultimate howl of grief so heart-shattering. Similarly, Papas barely glances at her wronged husband Menelaus, but as she circles him we know that she is binding him with her plausible spell of honeyed words, and that he will never kill his errant wife.

Part of the difficulty of the play for a modern audience is that much of Euripides' script is based upon rhetoric. For instance, the confrontation between Hekabe, Helen, and Menelaus, is little more than a legalistic argument (Euripides' plays, according to Quintilian, were recommended readings for Roman attorneys, such as Cicero or Pliny the Younger.). Athenian audiences, who spent hours in the law courts, were mad about rhetoric and legalisms.

Another difficulty comes from the DVD, which has no closed captioning or subtitles. Significant sections of Hepburn's dialogue in particular become lost. The colour on the transfer is good, but because the costumes and desolate countryside are so dust-ridden, the film might have been more effective in black-and-white (But perhaps this was not the case when the film was shown on a large screen in theatres in 1971).To appreciate the poignancy of Euripides' play to its fullest, if one does not have access to the original Greek, a good translation is recommended, such as Philip Vellacott's, which can be found in Penguin's Euripides, "The Bacchae and Other Plays."

"The Trojan Women" did not win prizes when it was produced in 415 (perhaps because the Athenian audience did not want to face unpopular truths, such as their destruction of the island of Melos, earlier in the year--because the Aegean island wanted to opt out of a coercive alliance--and Athens' consequent killing of the male population and the selling the women and children into slavery.). Without its historical context, the tragedy is perhaps even more difficult to watch today, although its underlying message about the victims of war still resounds with a universal truth.

The Kino DVD edition has poor sound quality and is out of sync. And the video quality is not that good either. This DVD is substandard, especially for the price. Let's hope there is an improved re-issue someday. In the meantime we can enjoy Cacoyannis' other mythic films, Electra and Iphigenia (both of these are better than The Trojan Women, anyway).

Like old wine this is a wonderful production of Euripides play, The Trojan Women. Controversial when it was first performed in 415BC, controversial when Michael Cacoyannis made it in 1971 in response to Greece's civil war it is still a powerful statement of the brutality of war and its victims. It's a star-studded cast led by the late great Katherine Hepburn, with unforgettable performances from Vanessa Redgrave, Irene Pappas and Genevieve Bujold. This is for connoiseurs not for those addicted to handheld cameras and fashion trends. It makes 'Troy' and 'Clash of the Titans' look like the trashy movies they are. It looks 'stagey' because it has kept faith with the original and used a Chorus of women, but once you accept that convention, the way you do when you go to the opera, and open yourself up to it, there is much to be moved by. Vanessa Redgrave, playing the tragic Andromache, wife to the great Trojan hero, Hector who Achilles killed, brings a cry of despair from beneath the earth through her body and out into the world that every time I watch the film my hair literally stands on end for the horror and pity of it all. One of those films you watch when you are looking for something meaty, not a souffle!

I first saw this movie in San Francisco in 1971. I've always thought it one of Hepburn's best performances. The DVD I received from Amazon is in excellent condition & I'm sure I'll enjoy it watching it many times.

There are some excellent performances in this production of The Trojan Women, but the picture never comes together as a whole. It's stilted in parts and very stagey. The best scene is the mock trial with Irene Papas (fabulous as Helen of Troy) and Katherine Hepburn (in a good turn as Hecuba) arguing what should be Helen's fate. If you're a fan of Bujold, Redgrave, or Papas you may want to watch this for their performances, as none of these actresses has a scene together the scene selection makes it easy to just see the actress that interests you (Hepburn is in the whole movie). Otherwise, you may feel like you are watching a homework assignment.