Quote:
Originally posted by Timber Loftis:
Now, I've got to bust out the Iliad and search out all the discrepancies -- but the director covered his ass by noting it was "based upon" the Iliad.
Tomorrow night on the History channel at 8 pm (Eastern time?) they begin a historical/factual review of the Trojan War -- I intend to be there.
|
I agree with most people here. I really liked the battles, hoplite formations and individual fight scenes. However, in my opinion good action scenes do not a good movie make...
BUT
I think there is alot wrong with this film. Here are some of the really glaring 'Hollywoodisations' that made me feel nautious:
- The characterisation of 'Good guys vs Bad guys' made me so damn angry! (ie: Horrible greedy Agamemnon vs Noble, if somewhat naive Priam etc) Homeric poetry contains no concept of 'good vs evil'. 'Strong vs Weak' maybe, but never the Christian idea of a moral high-ground. Heroes were heroic because they won battles and took glorious risks, or were part of a kingly bloodline. They could rape as many women as they wanted and enslave as many children, and still be noble, respectable men, so long as they were strong and brought home the bacon in battle. The only concept of Homeric morality rests in respect and recognition of the Gods and their dominance, which was at least touched on in the film, if somewhat superficially. And all men, no matter how cruel or how merciful, end up in the darkness and misery of the underworld. So a key message in Homeric poetry is to take what glory and wealth that you can, while you can!
- Menelaus, Agamemnon and Ajax do not die! They survive the 10-year-long war. Menelaus takes his prize (Helen) back home to Pylos and lives a long and happy life. In fact, Telemachus, the son of Odysseus, comes to him to seek help in reclaiming his lands later on in 'The Odyssey'.
Agamemnon is murdered by his wife Clytemnestra upon returning home to Mycenae as vengeance for sacrificing their daughter Iphigenia to Zeus before leaving for Troy. This in turn sparks off the great 'Oresteia' saga which follows Orestes (son of Agamemnon) killing his mother to avenge his father and in turn being harried by the furies for commiting matricide.
Ajax dies on the journey home, killed by Poseidon as punishment for desecrating one of his temples.
The idea that 'bad guys' have to die (indeed that 'bad guys' truly exist at all) in order for an ending to be satisfying makes me physically ill.
- Achilles does not fall in love with Briseis. She is a prize, an object, a spoil of war that Agamemnon and Achilles bicker over, nothing more. Agamemnon claims Briseis as his own, part of his tribute for being the King of the Achaens. Later on, when Achilles removes himself from battle Agamemnon offers him Briseis and a whole bunch of land and treasure in order to coax him into rejoining the combat. Achilles rejects the offer, he cares nothing for Briseis, she is so much war booty, as are all women in Homeric poetry (except maybe married Queens, who even so are still very subservient to their husbands). Achilles has several sons born to various concubines. He is by no means a loving monogamous partner. But again, we have the sickening addition of a Hollywood 'Love Story' in order to make this movie more appealing to the masses of consumer whores... err, I mean, to the 'general public'.
- The Trojan war lasted 10 years, not three days. If, as a director, you are worried that you can't fit the entire Iliad into a feature-length movie, you probably can't. So don't try. You insult the spirit of the original legend by trying to squeeze into a few hours a legendary tale that would have taken ancient Greek bards many nights to tell.
I have plenty more gripes, but you are probably getting tired with my ranting already. I really think that this is a half-decent story. If it wasn't based on Greek legend, but was instead a fantasy-story with different characters and locations then I would have liked it. But as it stands, Wolfgang Peterson has raped the legend of the Trojan War, turning it into a sickening farce of modern-day Hollywood sensibilities and money-making thematic tripe. I don't hate this movie per se, I just hate the artisitic dilution and cultural dumbing-down that this movie represents. Lord of the Rings was distorted enough, just as well
IT wasn't directed in Hollywood [img]smile.gif[/img]
Mr Peterson is an American Jesus, he turned a fine vintage wine into a plastic bottle of Coca Cola. (and yes, I know he's German [img]tongue.gif[/img] )
[ 05-16-2004, 04:09 AM: Message edited by: The Hierophant ]