On that Beach is immortality - Take it - It's yours!

Rating: 9/10 (3 March 2012)

It is a bit of a shame that they could not follow the story of the Illiad closer however I believe that they have done a reasonably good job in bring out the theme of this story for the big screen. The problem with the Illiad though is that it is actually a single episode within a much larger story, a story that could not possibly be fully told on the big screen. Well, okay, if we decided to try, maybe three movies, we might actually get close, however I suspect having an entire TV series would be necessary to really tell the story of the Trojan War.
The bulk of this movie is the Illiad bookmarked by the events leading up to the story and the conclusion of the Trojan War. However, for those familiar with the legend, one would be aware that a lot more occurs when the Greeks attempt to return home. Unfortunately, the version of the film I watch runs for at least two and a half hours, there is simply not enough time to cover the murder of Agamemnon by his wife, and then Orestes' revenge (though it is a shame that nobody has even considered attempting to turn this story into a film). However the writers do not create a happily ever after type film, namely because, true to the Greek legend, most of the main characters meet a very sticky end (though Menelous doesn't die).
The story of the Illiad, as mentioned, is only an episode in this grand epic of war and betrayal (and I must say that despite me thinking highly of Brad Pitt as an actor, he simply does not seem to bring out Achilles' wrath or sulkiness in this film). The theme of the Illiad is the wrath of Achilles and begins with Achilles and Agamemnon, the commander of the combined Greek forces, disputing over possession of the slave girl Briesis. As Achillies is not allowed to have her, he withdraws all of his forces from the war effort and prepares to set off home. However, his lover Patroclus (in the film he is Achilles' cousin, but in the legend they are homosexual lovers, something I feel Hollywood would have been too uncomfortable to portray in such a film) steals Achilles' armour and goes into battle, only to be killed by Hector, the Trojan champion. In a rage, Achilles goes to battle Hector, and wins, and then Priam, king of Troy, approaches Achilles and begs for the return of his son's body, and pretty much that is where the book ends.
I want to finish off though with a mention of Agamemnon. The writers, I believe, have done a very good job in developing the political manoeuvrings of the overking of Greece in this film. The ancient sources that we have of this mythological period of Greek history doesn't show the extent of Agamemnon's games that he plays to set himself up as king of the Grecian world. However it is very clear from this film that he is an imperialist, and that the war against Troy had little to nothing to do with him defending his brother's honour, and everything to do with him gaining power over the Aegean. Troy sits near the Borsophorous (opposite the Galipoli peninsula) and would have dominated this very strategic position. If Agamemnon were to control this region his influence could stretch across the Aegean and into the Black Sea. So, when an excuse to go to war with Troy arose, he took it.
However he does not live to see or even indulge in his conquests. In the film he is killed by Briesis, and in the Greek legend he is killed by his wife and her lover. The reason for his death in both stories is a woman. The Greek legend is because he brought Cassandra back, but also because he sacrificed his daughter, Iphigenia, so that they might have good winds to send them to Troy. However, the reasons behind his murder are complex, and it really does depend on which ancient author we read as to the reasons for his murder.