Comic book kitsch

Rating: Null/10 (25 May 2004)

Yikes! Where to begin!? I know Greek mythology well, so this original screenplay `inspired' by Homer was shocking to me since it bears only a slight resemblance to its source material. For starters, the ten years of the Trojan War have been condensed into a couple of weeks. Menelaus is killed by Paris early on and Briseias (of all people) kills Agamemnon, effectively truncating the entire saga of the House of Atreus.! (In this version of things Iphigeneia is not sacrificed and Agamemnon will not return home to be murdered by his wife, and Orestes will never avenge him and be driven mad by the Furies.) If you can get past that, you may find this film mildly interesting if you like spectacular scenery, sets and costumes, attractive performers and lots of violence. Some of the camera work is stunning. There are several scenes that are almost direct lifts from the paintings of Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, especially Helen's entrance into Troy. But there are also a couple of scenes where the light is too bright and everything looks washed out. The music, for the most part, is intrusive and borrows heavily from Wagner and Thomas Tallis, among others. The dialogue is comic book kitsch. The audience laughed several times at the showing I attended. The performers, under the circumstances, bear up well. Julie Christie, thankfully free of the ravages of cosmetic surgery, adds dignity to her brief scene early in the film. Peter O'Toole as Priam is as hammy as ever. Brad Pitt looks good, which, along with some athletics, is all he is really required to do. (He's a lot older than the mythological original, which makes his character rather peculiar.) If you are completely ignorant of Homer you may enjoy this film. I predict that in the future, TROY will be a part of your local TV's late night `Sword and Sandal Time,' along with HERCULES VERSUS THE VAMPIRES.