365 Films A Year!

I found Troy to be a great movie from a lot of different angles. It is beautifully shot. The performances were much better than I expected, and I was particularly impressed with how the filmmakers had a healthy disrespect for the story as it previously existed, and instead told the story they wanted to tell.

But, wait. Didn’t I slam King Arthur for that very thing? Well, yes. Perhaps I was harsher on King Arthur because of my personal interest in the Arthurian legend, but I don’t think so. The difference is in the films’ intentions. King Arthur made pretenses of being a “true” account of the story while providing a story that couldn’t possibly be true. It also told a story that ran contrary to the nature of the traditional story we are used to.

Troy does neither of these things. While it tries to get some of the details more correct than previous films, it esentially is trying to convey the same sense of epic scale and human frailty that the original stories did, just with a new focus.

This is shown by the fact that many characters who historically are presented as surviving the Battle of Troy (Agamemnon, Menelaus) are shown being killed, while key characters like Paris, always portrayed as dying, are allowed to live. (It is also wrth noting that Helen goes home with Menelaus in the original Homer, whiel she escapes with Paris here.)

But the story of the fall of Troy was never about the specific outcome of the characters (except, perhaps, Hector and Achilles), but about the foolhardy actions of the Trojans and that is on display in spades. The single-mindedness of Priam (Peter O’Toole) is well documented as well as the ruthlessness of Agamemnon (Brian Cox). The hubris of Achilles (Brad Pitt), the nobility of Hector (Eric Bana) and the basic cowardice of Paris (Orlando Bloom) are all clearly on display, maintaining the original themes of the story.

And important to this is the choice of the cast. It’s an impressive collection of veterans and more recent names and they all live up to the character’s potential. It was Bana as Hector who stood out the most for me. He showed wisdom that escapes most of the other characters and his death has real impact, altering the mood of the rest of the film. Pitt, too, is really good, showing that, despite his essential shalowness, there is a lot more behind Achilles’ love of glory and quest for immortal fame.

And I must commend director Wolfgang Peterson for showing restraint in the filming of the action sequences, never degenerating into chaos, yet keeping things thrilling and in constant motion. He also uses action sparingly, allowing the story to be told without constantly being interrupted for fights.

Ultimately, Troy is one of the best historical action dramas I have seen in a long time and one I often stop to watch if it happens to be on TV (always a sign of a film I really like). I think it has the potential to appeal to a wider audience than, say, 300 or other films that think the answer to presenting ancient history is to treat the characters as modern people or slap a lot of action on top.

This entry was posted on Friday, March 16th, 2007 at 2:00 pm and is filed under 2004, Based on Real Events, Drama, Historical, Military. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.