09-15-2003, 03:18 AM
I rented Helen of Troy yesterday, out of curiosity. And since the board’s been a bit slow lately, I’ll try my hand at movie reviewing!<br>
<br>
(ahem) Costuming:<br>
Not bad, overall. Though many people (military and civilian alike) are shod in Roman army caligae, there are definitely enough Corinthians and chaitons to make this feel like ancient Greece! I didn’t see one Roman gladius or pugio, all were the Greek style (no falcata, though); the spears, however, were all well short of the well recorded 18’ length. The Trojan soldiers appear to be wearing Roman cavalry helmets similar to the Aux Cav A model, with long, knob-mounted horsehair crests, no doubt to better distinguish them from the Corinthian-wearing Greeks. Another anachronism: the dreaded leather lorica segmentata makes a very brief appearance. But those cool Figure-8 shaped shields (the Greek style, not the later Celtic ones) are sprinkled nicely amongst the Greek hoplon-pattern ones. A quick word about crested Corinthian helmets: they have an immense visual impact that the Roman helmets, even with crests, simply can’t match, IMHO… this movie really make that apparent!<br>
<br>
The Hollywood Image Of The Bad Guy: you guessed it, the forces of Sparta and Mycenae [the ones attacking Troy] are clad predominantly in black, and many even sport black-painted (or blued) Corinthians. (I may be mistaken, but weren’t the Spartans all about <em>red?)</em><br>
<br>
Most impressive scene: seeing dozens of Greek soldiers leaping off the sides of the biremes, into water [over their heads in one shot), fully armed with crested Corinthians, hoplon shields, and cuirasses (both bronze and linen). From there, they fight their way ashore, while Trojan archers on the bluffs take a heavy toll, <em>a la</em> Saving Pvt Ryan.<br>
<br>
Second most impressive scene: At one point during an all-out melee between the Greeks and the Trojans, [the Spartan] King Menalaus spies Helen observing the battle from a parapet above. The action entirely freezes, but for him and her… he walks towards her, while combatants are frozen in bloody embrace all around… there are even arrows stopped in mid flight (that one threw me for a loop! CGI, of course). Then, when he looks away from her, the hell of close combat, ancient world style, resumes (and the arrows suddenly shoot forward from their stationary mid-flight position)… a great scene.<br>
<br>
Third most impressive: simply seeing the Aegean Sea filled with hundreds of oncoming Greek warships! Again, CGId no doubt, but thrilling to behold… the real thing must have looked something similar.<br>
<br>
Casting: some, like King Priam and Agamemnon (played by the same actor that portrayed Count Agmar in Knight‘s Tale… coolly Mediterranean-looking), appeared absolutely perfect for their depicted period and location. Most others were nondescript enough to make it all work. The only glaringly stupid choice was that of Achilles: a tall, painfully Caucasian with a shaved head, which effectively reduced the towering Greek hero of legend to a skinhead, to our misfortune. And not just in appearance; Achilles is portrayed as a very one-dimensional character, mindlessly thirsting for blood. Indeed, the historic scene where he killed Paris’ brother Hector, then drags his body off behind his chariot, is turned into a marathon performance of Achilles driving his chariot around in circles, Hector’s body in tow, seemingly for hours (the sun actually sets, and he’s still at it!), whipping his horses and screaming to the thong of cheering Greek soldiers… one thinks the fun would have wore off after the first few hours.<br>
<br>
The Trojan Horse scene was well done, with the horse looking like it was <em>definitely</em> hewn out of raw lumber and held together by hammered iron. Nice job overall.<br>
<br>
Historical anachronisms: the movie makes no mention of the well-know feud between [nominal allies] Achilles and Agamemnon. Also, the Greeks are shown as the besiegers, and the Trojans the besieged. Homer tells us that the Greeks, with their ships beached onshore, were actually often under attack by the Trojans, who themselves set up camp <em>outside</em> their walls, not inside.<br>
<br>
Still, did the film make me wanna run out and buy a crested Corinthian helmet? HELL YEAH!<br>
<br>
See you at the movies!<br>
<br>
Darius <p></p><i></i>
<br>
(ahem) Costuming:<br>
Not bad, overall. Though many people (military and civilian alike) are shod in Roman army caligae, there are definitely enough Corinthians and chaitons to make this feel like ancient Greece! I didn’t see one Roman gladius or pugio, all were the Greek style (no falcata, though); the spears, however, were all well short of the well recorded 18’ length. The Trojan soldiers appear to be wearing Roman cavalry helmets similar to the Aux Cav A model, with long, knob-mounted horsehair crests, no doubt to better distinguish them from the Corinthian-wearing Greeks. Another anachronism: the dreaded leather lorica segmentata makes a very brief appearance. But those cool Figure-8 shaped shields (the Greek style, not the later Celtic ones) are sprinkled nicely amongst the Greek hoplon-pattern ones. A quick word about crested Corinthian helmets: they have an immense visual impact that the Roman helmets, even with crests, simply can’t match, IMHO… this movie really make that apparent!<br>
<br>
The Hollywood Image Of The Bad Guy: you guessed it, the forces of Sparta and Mycenae [the ones attacking Troy] are clad predominantly in black, and many even sport black-painted (or blued) Corinthians. (I may be mistaken, but weren’t the Spartans all about <em>red?)</em><br>
<br>
Most impressive scene: seeing dozens of Greek soldiers leaping off the sides of the biremes, into water [over their heads in one shot), fully armed with crested Corinthians, hoplon shields, and cuirasses (both bronze and linen). From there, they fight their way ashore, while Trojan archers on the bluffs take a heavy toll, <em>a la</em> Saving Pvt Ryan.<br>
<br>
Second most impressive scene: At one point during an all-out melee between the Greeks and the Trojans, [the Spartan] King Menalaus spies Helen observing the battle from a parapet above. The action entirely freezes, but for him and her… he walks towards her, while combatants are frozen in bloody embrace all around… there are even arrows stopped in mid flight (that one threw me for a loop! CGI, of course). Then, when he looks away from her, the hell of close combat, ancient world style, resumes (and the arrows suddenly shoot forward from their stationary mid-flight position)… a great scene.<br>
<br>
Third most impressive: simply seeing the Aegean Sea filled with hundreds of oncoming Greek warships! Again, CGId no doubt, but thrilling to behold… the real thing must have looked something similar.<br>
<br>
Casting: some, like King Priam and Agamemnon (played by the same actor that portrayed Count Agmar in Knight‘s Tale… coolly Mediterranean-looking), appeared absolutely perfect for their depicted period and location. Most others were nondescript enough to make it all work. The only glaringly stupid choice was that of Achilles: a tall, painfully Caucasian with a shaved head, which effectively reduced the towering Greek hero of legend to a skinhead, to our misfortune. And not just in appearance; Achilles is portrayed as a very one-dimensional character, mindlessly thirsting for blood. Indeed, the historic scene where he killed Paris’ brother Hector, then drags his body off behind his chariot, is turned into a marathon performance of Achilles driving his chariot around in circles, Hector’s body in tow, seemingly for hours (the sun actually sets, and he’s still at it!), whipping his horses and screaming to the thong of cheering Greek soldiers… one thinks the fun would have wore off after the first few hours.<br>
<br>
The Trojan Horse scene was well done, with the horse looking like it was <em>definitely</em> hewn out of raw lumber and held together by hammered iron. Nice job overall.<br>
<br>
Historical anachronisms: the movie makes no mention of the well-know feud between [nominal allies] Achilles and Agamemnon. Also, the Greeks are shown as the besiegers, and the Trojans the besieged. Homer tells us that the Greeks, with their ships beached onshore, were actually often under attack by the Trojans, who themselves set up camp <em>outside</em> their walls, not inside.<br>
<br>
Still, did the film make me wanna run out and buy a crested Corinthian helmet? HELL YEAH!<br>
<br>
See you at the movies!<br>
<br>
Darius <p></p><i></i>
