24 May 2012

for love or ???

ROSANNA PODESTA still IS the definitive version of HELEN - from THAT moment when she emerges from the sea [Ursula Andress is pretty close in "Dr. No] to those endless, and flawless close-ups of her face .... so vaguely reminiscent of Tom Tryon's CROWNED HEADS - FEDORA [another tale] seems like she - as whispered and Jack [Jacques] Sernas entered the witness protection program after this movie - unforgettable.As PARIS - Mr. Sernas is not overtly buff, neither scrawny - just a perfect model of malehood.UNLIKE the current version which is somewhat an eye-candy fest - this one does not dwell on the physical - more or less tells us that the Trojan seige was more about almighty bullion and booty - not quite for the love of a woman.Other performances? As Hector - Harry Andrews is suitably the family man - thrust into this saga for the honor of the family, as is the all seeing and so vunerable Cassandra - cursed and blessed with vision ..... the Greeks ? Agamemnon, Ulysses, Menelaos, Ajax, etc ... suitably depraved and very cunning.ACHILLES? This version reveals a startling fact or two - possibly not used in the current - and this version is somewhat correct .... Stanley Baker - very apt as this hero! [So Vain, so Arrogant, and ultimately a fool...]COSTUMES? Very detailed and obviously the helmets etc. are hand-made - or hand engraved, quite special ~ although not quite period perfect - but that does not matter ...MAX STEINER's score is lush and extravagant ... we are treated to the Overture, etc ... very satisfying.Would be quite a feat to see a version of THE ORESTEIA - the House of Atreus [Agamemnon, Clytemnestra, Aegisthes ... and little Elektra!], or "What Happened to the Greeks AFTER the Trojan War".Just a perfect DVD with sufficient extras to please just about everybody ....OH YES, and a very young Brigitte Bardot plays Helen's handmaiden ..... quite well too!

nora_nettlerash

23 May 2012

Admiration for the beauty of a marble image

Paramount and Cecil B. DeMille kick-started the 1949-66 wave of ancientworld epics with the biblical tale Samson and Delilah, while MGM andFox made their mark with gospel spin-off stories Quo Vadis and The Roberespectively. Warner Brothers were a bit slower to jump on thebandwagon, and when they did the fables they chose were refreshinglypagan. In 1954 they produced the delightfully silly Land of thePharaohs, and followed it up with this, one of the best-known and mostenduring myths of ancient Greece.Pictures like this have a reputation for being somewhat corny andinsincere. And Helen of Troy is a shameless part of that tradition. Itis admittedly a neat and fast-moving retelling of the legend, but itsdialogue ranges from laughable to banal. Characters make woodenstatements that were obviously someone's idea of ancient wisdom. Slavestalk back to their masters without so much as a telling off. What isparticularly inept is the way the writers obviously felt they had toget in famous lines like "The face that launched a thousand ships" and"Beware of Greeks bearing gifts", so we have to listen to them bendingthe dialogue towards these clichés, to the point where they soundutterly trite – "Hmm, that's a lot of ships out there, at least a fewhundred… no I'd say a thousand. And what launched them, eh?" Other than poor writing, another thing that tended to make these epicslacking in intimacy was poor use of the new Cinemascope aspect ratio.This was a big problem in The Robe, which was the earliest release inthat format, but Helen of Troy's director Robert Wise handles the widerimage with care. While he takes full advantage of the extra space forcrowds and spectacles, for the more intimate scenes he brings theperformers closer to the camera, and mutes the backgrounds so as not tooverwhelm the moment. He also makes great use of tiny bits of light ormovement, especially the recurring fire motif, to draw our attention tocertain bits of the screen, defying the tendency for individuals to getlost in a big screen. One of the best examples of Wise's control hereis the first scene at the Spartan palace where Paris and Ajax havetheir knuckleduster dual. It's pretty clear that Jack Sernas andMaxwell Reed fight like, well, like a couple of bad actors, but Wiseinstead focuses us on the fervour of the crowd to give us a more savageimpression of the brawl. He then moves in to close-ups of NiallMacGinnis and Rossana Podesta against plainer backgrounds, but stillwith a little movement in the frame to match their emotions.But all this sensitive direction cannot save us from some appallingacting performances. I can see why Sernas and Podesta were cast in thelead roles. They are both young and beautiful, and their unfamiliarfaces give them a freshness and innocence. But they can't act, and thedubbing doesn't help. It's not all bad though. Niall MacGinnis gives atremendous performance. He boils the character of Menelaus down tonothing more than a jealous husband, and his intense manner dominatesthe screen. Stanley Baker is also really good, radiating thoughtlessaggression with his every move. As for the rest, no-one really standsout or satisfies, even such worthy names as Cedric Hardwicke and NoraSwinburne.The Warner Brothers epics of the 50s were really little more thanB-picture with A-budgets. Like the equivalent productions at rivalstudios, they featured gargantuan sets, hordes of extras andbreathtaking spectacles, but they also suffered from weak scripts anddull casts. Still, some of Robert Wise's best efforts up to this pointwere actual B-pictures that he had treated with credibility and managedto eke some depth and sentiment out of. It is his intelligent handlingof the elements in the frame plus the handful of classy performancesthat raise this one just a little above a mediocrity.As a kind of postscript to this comment, here are a few miscellaneouspoints of interest. Max Steiner's score has his usual habit ofcommenting hysterically on every line or movement, but there are somenice little musical touches to the scene of the Greeks marching on Troythat are worth listening for. Later on, have a look at those siegetowers. Isn't it convenient that the trapdoors fit exactly between thebattlements of the Trojan walls? They must have got someone to go roundwith a tape measure before they built them. And finally, listen out foran early use of the Wilhelm scream sound effect, decades before itbecame hip and ironic.

23 May 2012

Helen of Hollywoods Troy

This is my favorite movie version of the story of Helen of Troy. It's more melodramatic and theatrical than the recent cable TV miniseries, but it is faster paced and has a grandeur and fascination with Greek mythology lacking in that version. At least Cassandra is Kassandra in this film - she's endowed with the gift of prophecy, yet no one believes her until it's too late. Then again, many other mythological details are sacrificed for simplicity's sake.In the role of Helen, Rossana Podesta is radiantly beautiful. She indeed has the face that could launch a thousand ships. And the Paris of Jacques Sernas is nearly as beautiful as his beloved. Their passion is believable, if a tad overblown. The rest of cast is good too, especially the Priam of Sir Cedric Hardwick, Achilles of Stanley Baker and Odysseus of Torin Thatcher. Although the Trojan War occured during Mycenaean times, most of the set designs and costumes appear to use Classical Greece as the model, and to very good effect, for it gives the movie a nobility lacking in the more recent version. It's all pure Hollywood and many liberties have been taken. The spectacular scenery, great matte work and action sequences nevertheless make for a very entertaining movie. So where's the DVD?

23 May 2012

Be sure to check Regions...this one is NOT for Region 1

This review is from: Helen of Troy (1956) [All Region, Import] (DVD) I've seen the film, loved it as a kid. So, this review is NOT for the film. Rather a caution for those of you looking for the DVD. Check out the other one here on Amazon which is for Region 1. This particular DVD, which I purchased, is definitely for an Asian audience and respective audio-vid gear. My bad...can't blame anyone, I did not read it carefully enough. Just an FYI. Thanks

Jonathan Farrugia

20 May 2012

Classic Greek Saga given Hollywood treatment

The first thing I read about this movie was that it was terrible and thatthe first lady even though very gifted as far as bust is concerned was anightmare when it comes to acting. However when I saw this film I had todisagree with those critics who tried to ruin a good movie. Even though thesets are nothing to those of "Ben-Hur", "Cleopatra" and other screen giantsthe sets of Cinecitta are stupendous. The colour is magnificent and theacting is quite good. It is true that the part of the heroine could haveportrayed some more fragility, still Ms. Podesta' was quite satisfying. Thecinematography is very good and the story never lingers. It isaction-packed and is bound to marvel anyone who likes thisgenre.

Melvin M. Carter

20 May 2012

As suggested by Homer

An adequate attempt at portraying Homer's Iliad which suffers frommiscast leads and a biased viewpoint. Ms. Podesta and Monsieur Sernasas the instigators of the ensuing carnage don't give off themelodramatic lust of doomed lovers,while some of the other actors lookas if holding their weapons and armor for any length of time would havebeen a strain. Torin Thatcher is a good cynical Ulyssees,but isovershadowed by Kirk Douglas and Armand Assante portrayal of the toughand wily king of Ithaca. Robert Douglas does capture Agamemnon though aproud,ambitious overlord with over arching delusions of his ownimportance while Stanley Baker though not physically my image ofAchilles the greatest warrior of that far off age,does bring out hiseasily stung sense of honor and his bloodthirstiness. Also in scenethere is a hint of a "relationship" between he and Patroclus that hascaused gossip since Virgil's day. Only Menelaus in this film isportrayed as a complete chump The intervention of Aphrodite/Venus intohis his marriage and the fact that in Homer, though not as skilled andrenowned a warrior as Achilles, Ajax,Ulysses and others on the Greekside he is brave and noble unlike the weasel Paris in the story who isconstantly berated by family and Helen for his less than stellarparticipation in the war. The first assault on the walls of Troy, theduel between an enraged Achilles and a in over his head Hector, and thesacking of the city are the highlights of this Wise effort. If onlySteve Reeves and Sophia Loren had been available.

mack-38

20 May 2012

Very Please, Well Done

I have waited over 20 years for this film to show up, thought it had beenlost. Though not quite accurate according the Greek Mythology, I enjoyedthis film as I am a Greek Mythology fan, many such films are not oftenmadevery well, this one as well as Jason and the Argonauts stand out, maybebecause Robert Wise did the directing and it was not dubbed. A great fanfor Greek Mythology fans.

19 May 2012

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.

19 May 2012

Ordered as a gift, did not view

This review is from: Helen of Troy (DVD) Received the DVD very promptly but did not view, as it was a gift to a friend

18 May 2012

Helen Of Troy

Helen the wife of Sparta's King Menelaus. Unhappy in her marriage, she longed for the company of the gorgeous man whom she had seen only in a vision: Paris the Prince of Troy. Action-Sienna Guillory .

17 May 2012

GREAT!

I saw the movie in Germany in 1956. It was a great movie then and it is still a great movie. I received the product in just a few days and it was in excellent condition. I am very satisfied and would buy from this seller again.

rebeljenn

17 May 2012

A romantic portrayal of the Trojan War

'Helen of Troy' follows the story of Helen and the outbreak of theTrojan War. This is more of a love story between Helen and Paris, whois shipwrecked and falls in love with Helen without knowing she isqueen. The film portrays the couple as lovesick and wanting nothingmore than to be together. (Other films and books have differentportrayals of the characters, but in this one, they are simplyhopelessly in love.) The film is pretty slow-moving in some places, butthe battles and the detail to the scenery are done pretty well. Thereare also some good performances. I thought that the slave girl did aparticularly good job, and she was one of the most well-likedcharacters.Overall, this is a good adaption if you can look beyond the slow-movingstory in places and look beyond some of the cheesy romance anddialogue. In my opinion, a perfect Iliad film version has not yet beencreated, but this one is entertaining and does have some good bits.

17 May 2012

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.

16 May 2012

Queen of Beauty

This movie I believe was made in the 50's, but even so it's pretty well done. I felt they portrayed Helen in a good light and not just some love struck hussy who leaves her husband for a younger man. They even give her some sort of Spartan reserve which is missing in the newest version Troy. The acting is well done. I didn't expect it to be as good as it was really and I really enjoyed it. I also felt that the costumes and sets were pretty well done also and that this movie moved along at a good pace. Many movies from this era, and the 60's, tend to bog down in details that were never really needed. This film doesn't do that. I recommend this film to anyone who loves Greek myths or the Trojan War.

14 May 2012

Beware of Greeks Etc.

This review is from: Helen of Troy (DVD) I see that this 50s spectacle, "Helen of Troy", has attracted a number of favourable reviews--although a couple of these reviews seem to be as "epic' as the story in the film ! Very loosely based on Homer's "Iliad", and released on DVD no doubt to coincide with the new version of this tale in theatres, "Troy", "Helen of Troy" remains an enjoyable experience. It has fine production values--sets, costumes, cinematography--and an experienced director in Robert Wise. The plot is not too complicated, at least in this "Coles Notes" adaption of Homer's work. The Trojan prince, Paris, visits Greece on a peace mission and meets Helen, the wife of the Greek king, Menelaus. Paris and Helen fall for each other, and run off back to Troy. Of course, " this means war "--besides, the Greeks wanted war anyway ! The second half of the film is taken up with the siege of Troy, and there are some spectacular battle scenes here, with real people ! No digital effects in those days ! There is also a large, wooden horse--but you knew that, didn't you ? The supporting cast is mostly British--Sir Cedric Hardwicke, Harry Andrews, Janette Scott, Niall McGuinness, Torin Thatcher, Ronald Lewis and, as a perpetually-glowering Achilles, Stanley Baker, are all solid and professional. The two leads, however, went to unknown non-Brits, and perhaps this is what interests me the most about "Helen of Troy". This must have been an expensive production--why did the lead roles not be given to big names ? The beautiful, curvaceous Italian actress, Rossana Podesta, is Helen--while not a great actress, it is not difficult to imagine grown men fighting over her ! As Paris, we have French actor, Jacques Sernas, billed of course as "Jack". While he has a striking appearance, his acting skills--at least in this film--appear to be zero. If I had Rossana Podesta throwing herself at me ( yes--I know--sweet dreams ! ), I think I would be a little more animated than Mr. Sernas. While he continued to enjoy a long career in European productions, it's easy to see why Hollywood did not come calling again ! Speaking of France, a young French actress plays Helen's handmaiden--within a year, Brigitte Bardot would become more famous than any actor in "Helen of Troy". The colour, wide-screen DVD is gorgeous. There is also a trailer, and some black and white promotional material released at the time, featuring actor, Gig Young. Overall, I would give "Helen of Troy" three and a half stars--it is not as grand as say " The Ten Commandments", also released in 1956--but if you like old-fashioned historical spectacles, where entertainment takes precedent over authenticity or literary merit, you will find this DVD an enjoyable addition to your collection.

Poseidon-3

13 May 2012

Attractive coating on the outside, but the filling isnt tremendous.

Noted (and versatile) director Wise amassed a considerable team ofbehind the scenes personnel and an impressive array of actors for thislarge-scale epic rendition of the legendary story of the titlecharacter. Unfortunately, the production suffers somewhat from thecasting of the leads, primarily stemming from the fact that neither onewas able to use his or her own voice. Sernas plays a prince of Troy whojourneys to Sparta to attempt to establish peace between them and hisown people. Shipwrecked before he can even get there, he is greeted onthe shore by Podesta, to him the most beautiful woman he has ever seen.After recovering from his close call, he heads to the palace to speakto king MacGinnis and is sorely mistreated and disbelieved. He thendiscovers that his object of affection is, in actuality, MacGinnis'queen! Circumstances lead him to spirit her back to Troy where she isskeptically received by his unhappy family. MacGinnis pulls together amassive army of men from various Greek states and proceeds to attackTroy. When things look almost impossible, one of his men oversees theconstruction of the famed Trojan Horse, which makes things look awfullybleak for Sernas and Podesta who are, by now, deeply in love. Podestais curvaceous and attractive, but not necessarily what one might expectas the woman whose face launched a 1000 ships. Having learned her linesphonetically just to get through the shoot, she was then dubbed by anAmerican actress. This, along with the fact that her platinum wigsdon't really compliment her dark coloring, prevents her from reallyregistering very heavily in the role. Sernas (who is caressed by thecamera almost every bit as much as Podesta is, frequently shirtless) islikewise dubbed and, though he gives it a good shot, winds up not beingable to craft a character that audiences could really care a great dealabout. (Some of this stems from the fact that the character reallywasn't written as heroic or particularly likable in the original Homerstory to begin with!) Fortunately, a host of fine character actors ison hand to help out. Hardwicke plays Sernas' father, Swinburne is hismother, Andrews is his brother and a nearly unrecognizable Scott is hissoothsaying sister. MacGinnis is strong in his part and is ably matchedby Thatcher, Baker and Douglas as his associates. Reed appears brieflyas the hulking Ajax, who takes on Sernas in a fairly savage grudgematch. Also popping up to good effect is an ebullient Bardot in anearly role as one of Podesta's servants. She, too, is dubbed by anEnglish-speaking actress. There is a lot going for the film, includinga splendid Max Steiner score, a vast collection of extras, impressivesets and moments of genuinely good drama. On the flip side, thecostumes often lean towards the pedestrian, the script lacks zest andsome of the model work is a tad poor. This film includes references tothe Greek Gods, but eliminates them as actual characters and does notattribute any of their own actions to them directly. Rather, thingstake place as if they are occurring without the interference or directinfluence or aid of the deities. Though it's certainly not blatant,there is the opportunity to read Baker and his chief aid Longdon'srelationship as more than platonic. Fans of epic films ought toappreciate the pageantry and scope of it, but may find themselveswishing for a little more meat in the story and, perhaps, moresignificant acting from the leads.

JohnRouseMerriottChard

10 May 2012

Robert Wises often forgotten take on The Iliad story.

Now over fifty years old, this almost epic film pales in comparison toother more notable sword and sandal movies. The scale of the filmcannot be faulted, hundreds of extras & huge lavish sets are evident,while the piece is given a well regarded director in Robert Wise tochart its course.However, the problems with it are many. First off is that the film isterribly pedestrian for the first hour, a tepid script fails to engageand at times is unintentionally funny. Then there are major castissues. Taking the leads of Paris & Helen are Jacques Sernas & RossanaPodestà respectively. They look the part, both of them undeniablypretty, but neither of them can act for toffee. Filmed in Rome, Italy,it begs the question on if the casting director walked around Lazio andpicked the two blondest people available for the roles! In support ofthe Blondie's are a host of usually fine performers, Cedric Hardwicke,Stanley Baker, Niall MacGinnis, Harry Andrews, Torin Thatcher & RobertDouglas. A mixture of actors either too old for their roles, poorlywritten, or in the case of Douglas, an underused important character(Agamemnon).Shifting away from the awful back projection work, the action sequencesfair much better. There's enough here in the second hour to please thesword & sandal fan. But if it's enough to make this a saferecommendation to the potential first time crowd? Well I wouldn't stakemy life on it you know! It's a genre I personally love, so I wonderedwhy I hadn't heard about it long before now? After viewing it it becameevident why, it's just not any good. A generous 4/10 from me for thesiege of Troy action construction, the stunt work throughout and forBaker's moody show as Achilles.

treagan-2

09 May 2012

Why dont they read the Illiad?

HELEN OF TROY is a very respectable Hollywood sword and sandal effort fromthe 1950s, with a strong international cast and very good production values. Except ...Why does every popular culture effort at retelling the Trojan War myth haveto make Paris the hero? In the Illiad, by far the most significant andauthoritative source of the story, at best shows Paris to be an ambiguousfigure--the best looking man of his generation, but often a coward inbattle. Helen expresses extraordinary contempt for him in one extendedpassage. In one or two brief sequences, Paris fights valiantly, but in hismajor appearance, his winner-take-all-and-Helen duel with Menaleus, afterbragging and crowing about his prowess, he completely wimps out in thebattle, and, once defeated, is transported by Aphrodite back to Troy to hidein his bedroom.HELEN OF TROY is not the only effort to mis-read the Illiad into aParis-and-Helen "runaway" love story. Perhaps in writing a commercialscreenplay, that's what any writer would be forced to do. But that doesn'tspeak well for our popular culture, one that can't sustain the ambiguity andcomplexity of another culture--of 2700 years ago!Still, the movie has its strong parts, particularly Stanley Baker asAchilles. Watch for Brigitte Bardot in an early, pre-star role as Helen'shandmaiden.

JBVH

09 May 2012

This Helen couldnt have launched an innertube

Saw this one in the theater when I was ten or eleven years old and thought it was incredibly good. Caught it some time ago on TV and couldn't believe how gawdawful it was! Cheesy sets, high school senior play-level acting, cornball script; you name it, it was bad. Some times I wish I was a kid again so I could uncritically enjoy more stuff.. Eagerly awaiting the new "Troy" next month to wipe out the memories of this one.

08 May 2012

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.