<font color=deepskyblue>I've seen the previews for this a few times now and it looks like it will be a great film with epic battle scenes equal to those in ROTK. Starring Brad Pitt, Eric Bana (Hulk), and Orlando Bloom (in yet another epic film), this looks like it will be another automatic addition to the DVD collection too.

Anybody else planning on seeing this one?</font>

Fackin A, im interested to see how they portray the myth. Also, does anyone know if Odysseus is cast in it and if he is by whom?

Odysseus will be played by none other than Lord of the Rings' Boromir, Sean Bean. yeee hah!

Needless to say I treat the old Homeric myths with an almost religious veneer, so I'm gonna be VERY hard to please when watching this movie. Hope it's a goodun! [img]smile.gif[/img]

HAHAHAHA thats awesome, do you kno if he has a big part?

Well, In Homer's Iliad he has a pretty big part. Since the movie is based upon this tale, we can only hope that he has a big part on screen too. However, judging by the shorts of the film, it looks like Hollywood may try to emphasise the parts of the 'heart throb' characters played by Brad Pitt (Achilles) and Orlando Bloom (Paris). I hope this isn't really the case though, as Odysseus is without a doubt my favourite character of ancient Pagan myth/legend.

[ 04-10-2004, 04:44 AM: Message edited by: The Hierophant ]

I thought orlando bloom was playing king agmemnon or menelaus

hahahahahaha. Oh, sorry, I don't mean to laugh. But could you actually imagine Orlando 'prissy' Bloom playing the King of the Achaens Agamemnon? Or better yet the 'Lord of the Warcry' Menelaus? No, he's playing pretty-boy Paris, the one whom Helen runs away with. It's a role tailor-made for him ;)

LOL

The trailers do indeed look good, and Orlando Bloom is fast becoming one of my favourite actors. Maybe now Sean Bean has a role that won't get himself killed. [img]tongue.gif[/img] Or maybe he does, I have no idea!

Like I said, the trailers impressed me, and I LOVE greek legend and mythology...unfortunately, I know very little about it. I generally like the old stories about the gods and old heroes.

Nope, Odysseus is one of the very few Greek heroes of the Trojan War that lives to a ripe old age. Not that he doesn't have his fair share of miseries and toils though...

[ 04-10-2004, 07:51 AM: Message edited by: The Hierophant ]

I have mixed feelings on this. First, to me Pitt does not represent my idea of Achilles. Second, it seems that they are going to rework the tale so Achilles is the main star, I dont know if I am up for this or not. Third, Pitt is really annoying, yet for some reason I always enjoy his films. Bloom is a perfect Paris though.

Totally agree with your second doubt, Smoothie. It's not that I think Pitt can't handle the job, I just don't understand the whole concept of changing the epic poem into something that wasn't the intention.

Sure, the Iliad starts off with "menin aeide thea, Peleiadeo Achileos" --> Oh muse sing to me the wrath of Achilles, son of Peleus. This does not, however, mean that Achilles is the main character in the story.

Indeed, the thing I like about the Iliad is that there are no glaringly dominant characters in the story. Everyone has their own aggenda and allotted 'screentime'.

yea, but paris defenently isn't a big time hero or anything, Hector was on the trojans side, but from what ive seen he seems to be more of a bad guy in the movie. oh, who plays hector?

Bana is Hector. Go here for more info:

http://troymovie.warnerbros.com/

i notice no mention of Cassandra on that site.

<font color=skyblue>I am in a Greek Myth Class this semester, and the only book that has really caught my attention is the Iliad, and I cannot wait to see this!

I agree with the casting of Orlando Bloom, but I do not think Brad Pitt is the right guy for his part. I don't see him having what it takes. Well, best of luck to him. </font>

Saw the preview when we went to Hell Boy... it looks excellent, and just like LOTR they're starting with an outstanding story.

If they don't screw it up with too much love story it's looking like a kick butt movie.

<font face="Verdana" size="3" color="#00FF00">If you think you will like this movie I recommend renting "Helen of Troy". I believe it was a TV mini series a released a couple years ago any way it is fairly recent (2002 I think). Really well done, even my fiancée enjoyed it. It should be available at your local Blockbuster, a Very Tragic tale!!! </font>

[ 04-12-2004, 12:23 PM: Message edited by: pritchke ]

I've enjoyed Sean Bean's acting since I saw him in the Sharpe's series. It nice to see he finally got a role in an american movie where he does not play the whiney guy the gets killed [img]smile.gif[/img]

If you can find the video's of the Sharpe series they are well worth checking out.

<font color=skyblue>My Myth teacher says that soemebody did a good version of the Odessey recently. Anybody seen it?</font>

O Brother, Where Art Thou? [img]smile.gif[/img]

Now running on the SciFi channel, starring Armand Assante as Odysseus. For some reviews go here: http://www.netflix.com/MovieDisplay?...mqso=60177681. I loved it. Of course it does not have the full story but that is a bit difficult to navigate. The plot runs nice and the actors are great.

Also stars:
Greta Scacchi as Penelope
Isabella Rosselinie as Athena
Vanessa William as Calypso

Definitey great.

I also saw Helen of Troy and it was watchable but a bit flat imo.

[ 04-13-2004, 11:04 AM: Message edited by: Smoothie ]

O Brother, Where Art Thou? [img]smile.gif[/img] </font>[/QUOTE]Completely off topic piece of trivia about O Brother Where Art Thou - John Turtorro was cast as Pete because the Coens hadn't read the Odyssey and heard a rumour that he had. Well, he was also cast because he's damned good of course, but you get the picture.

Troy looks like it could be cool. Having seen the trailer Eric Bana looks pretty menacing as Hector, but I'm in agreement with the majority about Brad Pitt as Achilles. Not sure if that will work. I don't have a problem with making the film about only that one aspect of the Iliad though. Its a hell of a long story altogether and I think if they tried to do everything then it might end up only done in a half-hearted fashion. Its better to follow one story through from beggining to end than to try and cram 6 hours of film into 2 and a half hours. In other words I'd rather see a decent film about Achilles than a crap one about Achilles, Odyseus, Diomedes, Aias, Nestor, etc...

Its probably also worth remembering that the Iliad is itself about only one aspect of the myth of Troy - the last 50 or so days. Maybe only covering a single event (Achilles falling out with Agammemnon and then killing Hector) and the back story to that, is in itself a bit of a tribute to the great Greek poet himself? Or maybe I'm just talking nonsense here.

Is the movie just based on the Iliad or is it based on the whole war? As Barry said the Iliad only covers some of the last 50 days - the wooden horse and Achilles's death aren't even in it. I saw a trailer that had the Greek fleet travelling, so I'm guessing it has some beginning stuff. If it is just based on the Iliad, then I have no problem with it being an 'Achilles is the star' movie - Achilles IS the star in the Iliad. The whole story hangs on him and his pride - his actions cause everything that happens. He doesn't necessarily have the majority of the airtime, but it's all him. You could have an Iliad without Odysseus, or Ajax, or Nestor, but no Iliad without Achilles.

While Achilles is A main star in the story, and whether or not he'll fight is crucial to who'll win the Troyan War, I don't believe the Iliad is ALL about him. The Iliad is rather an epic poem about the courage of one man, the cunning of the other, the might of the third. It resembles the better values of humans, at least back in the days of Ancient Greece.
Odysseus, with his cunning mind and marvellous ideas is equally important. Without Odysseus, Troy wouldn't have fallen. The Wooden Horse was his idea, and his idea only.
Ajax (or Aias, whatever you prefer) may not be as important as Odysseus, he WAS an actual hero on the battlefield. It is a shame he killed himself over Achilles' armor.

All in all, I would rather debate the imporance of Helena in the Iliad. Without Helena, there would be no attack on Troy. Same goes for Paris, or, if you would want to take it back even further, for the envy of the three female goddesses and the whole deal with the Golden Apple.

Yes but Troy didn't fall in the Iliad. It ended with Hector's death. So in the Iliad, though not the Trojan War, Odysseus need not have been there. Same with Helen and Paris - not that important in the Iliad, only in the backstroy. Really only Agamemnon is the only other absolutely crucial character in the Iliad since it was he who was the catalyst for Achilles' actions (or non-actions).