Troy (2004)
DVDs are getting cheaper (at the low end), and so I become more likely to buy them without having seen them. This week it was Troy, an epic retelling of the semi-mythical Trojan War.
I'm not sure what I expected, but it's the film I hoped for. Most of the perfomances are good (Brian Cox as Agamemnon is somehow a little light-hearted in a way that jars slightly, and Brad Pitt as Achilles is just slightly wrong; it may be the whole American pretty-boy thing), the action is frequent and both exciting and convincing, there's plenty of human interest, and the plot shows through it all nicely.
I've looked into the legendry a little, and my understanding is that even the best accounts we have of the actual events were written several hundred years after. With the omission of the gods (in all but reference) it feels much more like a historical account than recital of myth, and I think that adds a lot to it.
Eric Bana as Hector is great. Orlando Bloom is entirely convincing as the useless and cowardly Paris, which I probably mean as a compliment. I was surprised to see Sean Bean as Odysseus, but he plays the part characteristically well and without anything to recall previous exploits, no matter how much they tried to get out ('Chorsen men? Well ahh din' bloody chose ya'). A sequel as Sean Bean does the Odyssey on the way home from Troy could be fun, although with the myth cut out as it was with this film, I think there's much less story there.
I'm with the director, Wolfgang Petersen, in not wanting Helen to appear. The producers insisted she be there, and I'm just not convinced (as you'd expect) that she's the most beautiful woman ever. The fact that I think both of the other noteworthy women are more attractive doesn't help.
Mind you, with regard the 'face that launched a thousand ships': the ships are an impressive sight...
I must say, it's probably best if you don't know how it goes (well, it's like Titanic: you probably know about the Horse incident, but the rest of the plot may be a mystery to you). If you have read the Iliad or otherwise know some version of the tale, be warned that this probably isn't the same version. It's like that King Arthur thing: it's not the story you'd expect, it's a story in its own right.
Well, except that King Arthur is rubbish, and Troy is very good.
Thoroughly recommended, says the person who loves all films.
On an unrelated note, a conversation I had the other day made me decide to give The Prisoner another chance, and on finding the complete series on DVD for £20, I put my money where my mouth is. One of my friends or family may be getting their very own copy of it soon.
I'm not sure what I expected, but it's the film I hoped for. Most of the perfomances are good (Brian Cox as Agamemnon is somehow a little light-hearted in a way that jars slightly, and Brad Pitt as Achilles is just slightly wrong; it may be the whole American pretty-boy thing), the action is frequent and both exciting and convincing, there's plenty of human interest, and the plot shows through it all nicely.
I've looked into the legendry a little, and my understanding is that even the best accounts we have of the actual events were written several hundred years after. With the omission of the gods (in all but reference) it feels much more like a historical account than recital of myth, and I think that adds a lot to it.
Eric Bana as Hector is great. Orlando Bloom is entirely convincing as the useless and cowardly Paris, which I probably mean as a compliment. I was surprised to see Sean Bean as Odysseus, but he plays the part characteristically well and without anything to recall previous exploits, no matter how much they tried to get out ('Chorsen men? Well ahh din' bloody chose ya'). A sequel as Sean Bean does the Odyssey on the way home from Troy could be fun, although with the myth cut out as it was with this film, I think there's much less story there.
I'm with the director, Wolfgang Petersen, in not wanting Helen to appear. The producers insisted she be there, and I'm just not convinced (as you'd expect) that she's the most beautiful woman ever. The fact that I think both of the other noteworthy women are more attractive doesn't help.
Mind you, with regard the 'face that launched a thousand ships': the ships are an impressive sight...
I must say, it's probably best if you don't know how it goes (well, it's like Titanic: you probably know about the Horse incident, but the rest of the plot may be a mystery to you). If you have read the Iliad or otherwise know some version of the tale, be warned that this probably isn't the same version. It's like that King Arthur thing: it's not the story you'd expect, it's a story in its own right.
Well, except that King Arthur is rubbish, and Troy is very good.
Thoroughly recommended, says the person who loves all films.
On an unrelated note, a conversation I had the other day made me decide to give The Prisoner another chance, and on finding the complete series on DVD for £20, I put my money where my mouth is. One of my friends or family may be getting their very own copy of it soon.
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