Helen of Troy Wikipedia film pages

Helen of Troy (film)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

This article is about the 1956 film. For the 2003 TV miniseries, see Helen of Troy (miniseries).

Helen of Troy
Troy moviep.jpg
Original film poster

Directed by
Robert Wise
Written by
Hugh Gray
N. Richard Nash
John Twist
Starring
Rossana Podestà
Jacques Sernas
Sir Cedric Hardwicke
Stanley Baker
Niall MacGinnis
Music by
Max Steiner
Cinematography
Harry Stradling
Edited by
Thomas Reilly
Distributed by
Warner Bros.

Release dates
 January 26, 1956 (USA)

Running time
 118 min. (US version)
Country
USA
Italy
France
Language
English
Budget
$6 million[1]
Box office
$3.2 million (US)[2]
 2,397,769 admissions (France)[3]
Helen of Troy is a 1956 Warner Bros. epic film, based on Homer's Illiad and Odyssey. It was directed by Robert Wise, from a screenplay by Hugh Gray and John Twist, adapted by Hugh Gray and N. Richard Nash. The music score was by Max Steiner and the cinematography by Harry Stradling Sr. The film stars Rossana Podestà, Stanley Baker, Sir Cedric Hardwicke and Jacques Sernas, with Niall MacGinnis, Maxwell Reed, Nora Swinburne, Robert Douglas, Torin Thatcher, Harry Andrews, Janette Scott, Ronald Lewis, Eduardo Ciannelli, Esmond Knight and a young Brigitte Bardot as Andraste, Helen's handmaiden.


Contents  [hide]
1 Plot
2 Production
3 Cast
4 See also
5 References
6 External links

Plot[edit]
The film retells the story of the Trojan War, albeit with some major changes from the Iliad's storyline: Paris of Troy (Jacques Sernas) sails to Sparta to secure a peace treaty between the two powerful city-states. His ship is forced to return to Troy in a storm after he has been swept overboard on the shore of Sparta. Paris is found by Helen, Queen of Sparta (Rossana Podestà), with whom he falls in love. He goes to the palace where he finds Helen's husband, King Menelaus (Niall MacGinnis), Agamemnon (Robert Douglas), Odysseus (Torin Thatcher), Achilles (Stanley Baker) and many other Greek kings debating whether to go to war with Troy. Menelaus, who is denied by Helen, sees that his wife and Paris are in love and, pretending friendship, plots Paris' death.
Warned by Helen, Paris flees and, after they are both nearly caught by the Spartans, takes Helen with him to Troy. Under the pretense of helping Menelaus regain his honor, the Greeks unite, and the siege of Troy begins. Much blood is shed in the long ordeal, with the Trojans blaming their plight on Paris and Helen until it turns out that the Greeks are solely after Troy's riches, not Helen. The siege culminates in Greek victory through the ruse of the legendary Trojan Horse. While trying to flee, Helen and Paris are cornered by Menelaus. Paris faces the Spartan king in single combat, but just as he wins the upper hand he is stabbed from behind, denying him a fair trial by arms. Helen is forced to return with Menelaus, but she is serene in the knowledge that in death she will be reunited with Paris in Elysium.
This project makes several departures from the original story, including showing Paris as a hero and great leader, and most of the Greek lords as treacherous and opportunistic pirates who are using Helen's flight as an excuse to win the treasures of Troy. The 2003 miniseries sharing its name with this film would later partially re-employ this plot device.
Production[edit]
The film was made in Rome's Cinecittà Studios and in Punta Ala, Grosseto.
The scene of the Greek initial assault on the walls of Troy features a series of shots that are directly copied from a sequence in the Persian attack on Babylon in D. W. Griffiths' silent film classic Intolerance. Some shots from this sequence would in turn be reused in the introductionary scenes of the 1963 film Jason and the Argonauts.
Cast[edit]
Rossana Podestà - Helen of Troy
Jacques Sernas - Paris
Sir Cedric Hardwicke - Priam
Stanley Baker - Achilles
Niall MacGinnis - Menelaus
Robert Douglas - Agamemnon
Nora Swinburne - Hecuba
Torin Thatcher - Odysseus
Harry Andrews - Hector
Ronald Lewis - Aeneas
Brigitte Bardot - Andraste
Marc Lawrence - Diomedes
Maxwell Reed - Ajax
Robert Brown - Polydorus
Barbara Cavan - Cora
Patricia Marmont - Andromache
Guido Notari - Nestor
Tonio Selwart - Alephous
George Zoritch - Singer
Esmond Knight - High Priest
Terence Labrosse - Patroclus
Harry Semels - Patis
Janette Scott - Cassandra
Eduardo Ciannelli - Andros

See also[edit]
List of American films of 1956
List of historical drama films
Greek mythology in popular culture
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ MOVIELAND BRIEFS. (1954, Sep 07). Los Angeles Times (1923-Current File) Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/166671038?accountid=13902
2.Jump up ^ 'The Top Box-Office Hits of 1956', Variety Weekly, January 2, 1957
3.Jump up ^ Box office information for film at Box Office Story
External links[edit]
Helen of Troy (1956) at DBCult Film Institute
Helen of Troy at the Internet Movie Database
Helen of Troy at AllMovie


[show]
v ·
 t ·
 e
 
Films directed by Robert Wise













































[show]
v ·
 t ·
 e
 
Homer's Iliad (8th century BC)












































































































































































































































































































  


Categories: English-language films
1950s drama films
1956 films
Classical war films
Film scores by Max Steiner
Films about women
Films based on poems
Films based on works by Homer
Films directed by Robert Wise
Films based upon European myths and legends
Films set in classical antiquity
Screenplays by N. Richard Nash
Warner Bros. films
American epic films
American films
Trojan War films
French epic films
Italian epic films
French films


Navigation menu



Create account
Not logged in
Talk
Contributions
Log in



Article

Talk









Read

Edit

View history

















Main page
Contents
Featured content
Current events
Random article
Donate to Wikipedia
Wikipedia store

Interaction
Help
About Wikipedia
Community portal
Recent changes
Contact page

Tools
What links here
Related changes
Upload file
Special pages
Permanent link
Page information
Wikidata item
Cite this page

Print/export
Create a book
Download as PDF
Printable version

Languages
العربية
Deutsch
فارسی
Français
Italiano
Lëtzebuergesch
Nederlands
Polski
Português
Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски
Türkçe
Edit links
This page was last modified on 6 September 2015, at 19:15.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
Privacy policy
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Contact Wikipedia
Developers
Mobile view
Wikimedia Foundation
Powered by MediaWiki
  
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_of_Troy_(film)










Helen of Troy (film)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

This article is about the 1956 film. For the 2003 TV miniseries, see Helen of Troy (miniseries).

Helen of Troy
Troy moviep.jpg
Original film poster

Directed by
Robert Wise
Written by
Hugh Gray
N. Richard Nash
John Twist
Starring
Rossana Podestà
Jacques Sernas
Sir Cedric Hardwicke
Stanley Baker
Niall MacGinnis
Music by
Max Steiner
Cinematography
Harry Stradling
Edited by
Thomas Reilly
Distributed by
Warner Bros.

Release dates
 January 26, 1956 (USA)

Running time
 118 min. (US version)
Country
USA
Italy
France
Language
English
Budget
$6 million[1]
Box office
$3.2 million (US)[2]
 2,397,769 admissions (France)[3]
Helen of Troy is a 1956 Warner Bros. epic film, based on Homer's Illiad and Odyssey. It was directed by Robert Wise, from a screenplay by Hugh Gray and John Twist, adapted by Hugh Gray and N. Richard Nash. The music score was by Max Steiner and the cinematography by Harry Stradling Sr. The film stars Rossana Podestà, Stanley Baker, Sir Cedric Hardwicke and Jacques Sernas, with Niall MacGinnis, Maxwell Reed, Nora Swinburne, Robert Douglas, Torin Thatcher, Harry Andrews, Janette Scott, Ronald Lewis, Eduardo Ciannelli, Esmond Knight and a young Brigitte Bardot as Andraste, Helen's handmaiden.


Contents  [hide]
1 Plot
2 Production
3 Cast
4 See also
5 References
6 External links

Plot[edit]
The film retells the story of the Trojan War, albeit with some major changes from the Iliad's storyline: Paris of Troy (Jacques Sernas) sails to Sparta to secure a peace treaty between the two powerful city-states. His ship is forced to return to Troy in a storm after he has been swept overboard on the shore of Sparta. Paris is found by Helen, Queen of Sparta (Rossana Podestà), with whom he falls in love. He goes to the palace where he finds Helen's husband, King Menelaus (Niall MacGinnis), Agamemnon (Robert Douglas), Odysseus (Torin Thatcher), Achilles (Stanley Baker) and many other Greek kings debating whether to go to war with Troy. Menelaus, who is denied by Helen, sees that his wife and Paris are in love and, pretending friendship, plots Paris' death.
Warned by Helen, Paris flees and, after they are both nearly caught by the Spartans, takes Helen with him to Troy. Under the pretense of helping Menelaus regain his honor, the Greeks unite, and the siege of Troy begins. Much blood is shed in the long ordeal, with the Trojans blaming their plight on Paris and Helen until it turns out that the Greeks are solely after Troy's riches, not Helen. The siege culminates in Greek victory through the ruse of the legendary Trojan Horse. While trying to flee, Helen and Paris are cornered by Menelaus. Paris faces the Spartan king in single combat, but just as he wins the upper hand he is stabbed from behind, denying him a fair trial by arms. Helen is forced to return with Menelaus, but she is serene in the knowledge that in death she will be reunited with Paris in Elysium.
This project makes several departures from the original story, including showing Paris as a hero and great leader, and most of the Greek lords as treacherous and opportunistic pirates who are using Helen's flight as an excuse to win the treasures of Troy. The 2003 miniseries sharing its name with this film would later partially re-employ this plot device.
Production[edit]
The film was made in Rome's Cinecittà Studios and in Punta Ala, Grosseto.
The scene of the Greek initial assault on the walls of Troy features a series of shots that are directly copied from a sequence in the Persian attack on Babylon in D. W. Griffiths' silent film classic Intolerance. Some shots from this sequence would in turn be reused in the introductionary scenes of the 1963 film Jason and the Argonauts.
Cast[edit]
Rossana Podestà - Helen of Troy
Jacques Sernas - Paris
Sir Cedric Hardwicke - Priam
Stanley Baker - Achilles
Niall MacGinnis - Menelaus
Robert Douglas - Agamemnon
Nora Swinburne - Hecuba
Torin Thatcher - Odysseus
Harry Andrews - Hector
Ronald Lewis - Aeneas
Brigitte Bardot - Andraste
Marc Lawrence - Diomedes
Maxwell Reed - Ajax
Robert Brown - Polydorus
Barbara Cavan - Cora
Patricia Marmont - Andromache
Guido Notari - Nestor
Tonio Selwart - Alephous
George Zoritch - Singer
Esmond Knight - High Priest
Terence Labrosse - Patroclus
Harry Semels - Patis
Janette Scott - Cassandra
Eduardo Ciannelli - Andros

See also[edit]
List of American films of 1956
List of historical drama films
Greek mythology in popular culture
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ MOVIELAND BRIEFS. (1954, Sep 07). Los Angeles Times (1923-Current File) Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/166671038?accountid=13902
2.Jump up ^ 'The Top Box-Office Hits of 1956', Variety Weekly, January 2, 1957
3.Jump up ^ Box office information for film at Box Office Story
External links[edit]
Helen of Troy (1956) at DBCult Film Institute
Helen of Troy at the Internet Movie Database
Helen of Troy at AllMovie


[show]
v ·
 t ·
 e
 
Films directed by Robert Wise













































[show]
v ·
 t ·
 e
 
Homer's Iliad (8th century BC)












































































































































































































































































































  


Categories: English-language films
1950s drama films
1956 films
Classical war films
Film scores by Max Steiner
Films about women
Films based on poems
Films based on works by Homer
Films directed by Robert Wise
Films based upon European myths and legends
Films set in classical antiquity
Screenplays by N. Richard Nash
Warner Bros. films
American epic films
American films
Trojan War films
French epic films
Italian epic films
French films


Navigation menu



Create account
Not logged in
Talk
Contributions
Log in



Article

Talk









Read

Edit

View history

















Main page
Contents
Featured content
Current events
Random article
Donate to Wikipedia
Wikipedia store

Interaction
Help
About Wikipedia
Community portal
Recent changes
Contact page

Tools
What links here
Related changes
Upload file
Special pages
Permanent link
Page information
Wikidata item
Cite this page

Print/export
Create a book
Download as PDF
Printable version

Languages
العربية
Deutsch
فارسی
Français
Italiano
Lëtzebuergesch
Nederlands
Polski
Português
Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски
Türkçe
Edit links
This page was last modified on 6 September 2015, at 19:15.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
Privacy policy
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Contact Wikipedia
Developers
Mobile view
Wikimedia Foundation
Powered by MediaWiki
  
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_of_Troy_(film)








Helen of Troy (miniseries)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search



 This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2011)

Helen of Troy
Helen of troy.jpg
Written by
Ronni Kern
Directed by
John Kent Harrison
Starring
Sienna Guillory
Matthew Marsden
John Rhys-Davies
Emilia Fox
 With Rufus Sewell
 and Stellan Skarsgård
Theme music composer
Joel Goldsmith
Country of origin
United States United States, Malta, Greece
Original language(s)
English
Production

Producer(s)
Ted Kurdyla
Editor(s)
Michael D. Ornstein
Cinematography
Edward J. Pai
Running time
177 minutes
Production company(s)
Fuel Entertainment
Distributor
Universal Home Entertainment
Release

Original channel
USA Network
Original release
United States April 20, 2003
Helen of Troy is a 2003 television miniseries based upon Homer's story of the Trojan War, as recounted in the epic poem, Iliad. This TV miniseries also shares the name with a 1956 movie starring Stanley Baker. It stars Sienna Guillory as Helen, Matthew Marsden as Paris, Rufus Sewell as Agamemnon, James Callis as Menelaus, John Rhys-Davies as Priam, Maryam d'Abo as Hecuba, as well as Stellan Skarsgård as Theseus. The series was entirely shot on location in the islands of Malta.
The film is placed in the early classical period rather than the correct late Bronze Age: the Greeks are shown with Iron Age classical hoplite dress and arms. Made on a relatively low budget, Helen of Troy was released at a time when interest in the subject was high due to the soon-to-be-released Troy.
The film also focuses more on the life of Helen herself rather than simply the Trojan War. The entire first half deals with Helen's life before Troy and includes a number of mythological facts that other versions either gloss over or omit, such as Helen's abduction by Theseus and the actual agreement of the Greek kings to use her marriage as their peace agreement.
In contrast to Troy (which was roughly based on the Iliad which itself only depicts some of the events of the final year of the war), the film tells much of the story of the War. Most notably, Helen of Troy features and discusses the intervention of the deities (the film's opening scene shows Hera, Athena and Aphrodite at the Judgment of Paris) as written by Homer. This does not mean, however, that it is more accurate, as a number of the characters (namely Paris, as stated above), do not resemble their Homeric counterparts. Both films feature the interpretation of Agamemnon as a domination-hungry tyrant, although this Helen of Troy adds a new dimension by addressing Agamemnon's sacrifice of his daughter Iphigenia to the deities.
Plot summary[edit]
The film begins with the birth of Paris, as well as Cassandra's prophecy that he would be the cause of Troy's destruction. Worried, his father King Priam leaves him on Mount Ida, where he is found and raised by the shepherd Agelaus. When he is an adult, he judges Aphrodite as the fairest of the three goddesses, Hera, Athena and Aphrodite. After awarding her the golden apple she promises him the love of Helen of Sparta, the most beautiful woman in the world.
Meanwhile in Sparta, Helen sees Paris's judgement in a pool of water and happily accepts his choice of her love. She later meets the Mycenaean King, Agamemnon, who has come to claim her sister, Clytemnestra, as his bride, but is also immediately taken by Helens' attractiveness. During the wedding, Helen is kidnapped by two Athenians, Theseus and his friend Pirithous. They take her to Athens, where Helen falls for Theseus, before her brother Pollux raids Athens and kills him. As he is dying, Theseus stabs Pollux. In Sparta, Helen's father Tyndareus rages at his daughter, blaming her for losing his heir. He presents her to the many suitors who seek her hand, bidding them to do as they wish.
The suitors draw lots after swearing an oath suggested by clever Odysseus that if anyone disrespect her husband's claims to her, they should unite and wage war against him. Odysseus rules himself and Agamemnon out of the lot, since they are both married. They agree to the oath and Agamemnon's brother Menelaus wins. Agamemnon is visibly jealous.
Meanwhile, Paris' favorite bull is taken for the Trojan tribute games. Paris insists on competing, despite his father's protests. After winning in every competition and being recognized by his sister Cassandra, Paris is welcomed by an overjoyed Priam to Troy. Cassandra, a seer, as well as his elder brother Hector are upset at their father's decision.
Paris is sent to Sparta to draw out a peace treaty with Sparta, Menelaus alone, which angers Agamemnon. His treaty is refused and both Menelaus and Agamemnon plot to have him murdered. While there, however, he encounters and recognizes Helen and later prevents her from committing suicide. He then gains her love and she helps him flee. Together they sail to Troy.
When Menelaus finds this out, he demands that his brother launch war on Troy and the former suitors are gathered to fulfill their oath. But the winds are not in their favor and after a month, a soothsayer reveals that Artemis wants Agamemnon to sacrifice his daughter Iphigenia in return for favorable winds. He carries out the deed, despite a heavy heart.
Helen and Paris arrive at Troy with the Greek army at their heels. Priam is at first reluctant to allow Helen to remain at Troy, until he sees her. When the Greeks send an embassy of Menelaus and Odysseus to demand Helen's return, Priam refuses, thus the Greeks plan an attack.
In the morning, the battle is joined on the beach of Troy, with Hector nearly killed by Agamemnon. The battle ends with the Trojan army's crushing defeat and the Greeks camping on the beach.
Ten years pass. Agamemnon agrees to end the war with a single combat, between Menelaus and Paris. If Menelaus wins, Helen will be returned. If Menelaus loses, the Trojans may keep her. Whatever the outcome, the Greeks have to leave Troy.
Agamemnon cheats, poisoning Menelaus' javelin without telling him. During the duel Paris is cut and the poison disorientates him. Menelaus, however, does not take advantage of him: instead, they stop fighting and make peace between each other as a fog hides them from view.
As the fog lifts, Agamemnon's cheating is exposed. Hector challenges Agamemnon to a duel that will end the war—this time, to the death. Achilles takes up the challenge, fighting for Agamemnon, but agrees to fight not for Helen but for his own honor. Achilles easily succeeds in killing Hector.
That night Helen, fearing for Paris's safety, goes to the seer Cassandra and asks to know what she can do to protect Paris. Cassandra replies that her only choice is to give herself to the Greeks. Helen agrees, presenting herself in Agamemnon's tent and offering a trade—her for the body of Hector. Agamemnon refuses, as he does not want his daughter's death to be in vain, as well as chases her around the camp, but Paris arrives in time to save her, challenging Agamemnon for the safety of Troy. Achilles charges at him, but Paris seizes a bow and shoots Achilles in the heel, killing him. Afterwards the Greeks attack him, but he is saved by Trojan soldiers and is reunited with Helen. Shortly thereafter, Agamemnon finds him and stabs Paris. He dies in Helen's arms, whispering the word, "goddess".
During Paris' funeral, the Greeks are reported to have sailed away—leaving a massive wooden horse on the shore. It is taken into the city and Troy celebrates late into the night. Unbeknownst to them though, there are some Greek soldiers inside the wooden horse. When they are all asleep, the Greeks come out and sack the city, slaying Priam and Hecuba. The great Agamemnon seats himself proudly on Troy's throne as the new Emperor of the Aegean and Ruler of the World. Agamemnon has his men bring Helen to his throne and orders her to kneel at his feet. Agamemnon strokes Helen's hair, restrains her and then begins to rape her. Menelaus tries to stop him, but is held back by Agamemnon's guards. He orders Agamemnon to leave his wife alone, but his brother pays no mind to his commands and continues to rape Helen. Odysseus is also shocked at Agamemnon's act but can do nothing.
The next morning, as the Greek soldiers ravage the ruins of Troy of its riches and take its people as slaves, Clytemnestra arrives in the royal palace of Troy, where she ventures into the royal pool. There, she finds Agamemnon and Helen, both naked. Agamemnon relaxes in triumph, while Helen sits near the pool, not saying a word. Clytemnestra covers her sister with a robe and sends her away, leaving her (Clytemnestra) alone with Agamemnon. She tells him she comes for their daughter, Iphigenia. Agamemnon replies that she is not here. Clytemnestra replies "I know" then attacks, throwing her net-like shawl over her husband and stabs him to death in the pool.
Helen wanders woefully through the ruined city, collapsing at the spot where Paris was slain. There, she sees an apparition of Paris and they embrace. Helen begs Paris to take her with him to the afterlife and he tells her that he has prepared a place for her, but she must wait until it is her time. He disappears and Menelaus arrives, sword in hand. Helen prepares for her punishment, but Menelaus can do nothing but feel sorry for her. Helen tells him she cannot love him, but she "will follow". The two head back to the Greek ships, ready to live the rest of their lives as King and Queen of Sparta.
Cast[edit]
Sienna Guillory as Helen
Matthew Marsden as Paris
Rufus Sewell as Agamemnon
John Rhys-Davies as King Priam of Troy
Maryam d'Abo as Queen Hecuba
Emilia Fox as Cassandra, Princess of Troy
James Callis as Menelaus
Daniel Lapaine as Hector
Nigel Whitmey as Odysseus
Stellan Skarsgård as Theseus
Joe Montana (actor) as Achilles
Katie Blake as Clytemnestra
Craig Kelly as Pollux
Manuel Cauchi as Priam
Kristina Paris as Iphigenia
External links[edit]
Helen of Troy at the Internet Movie Database
Helen of Troy at AllMovie


[show]
v ·
 t ·
 e
 
USA Network programming










































































































































[show]
v ·
 t ·
 e
 
Homer's Iliad (8th century BC)












































































































































































































































































































  


Categories: 2000s American television miniseries
2000s American television series
2003 American television series debuts
2003 American television series endings
Films based on works by Homer





Navigation menu



Create account
Not logged in
Talk
Contributions
Log in



Article

Talk









Read

Edit

View history

















Main page
Contents
Featured content
Current events
Random article
Donate to Wikipedia
Wikipedia store

Interaction
Help
About Wikipedia
Community portal
Recent changes
Contact page

Tools
What links here
Related changes
Upload file
Special pages
Permanent link
Page information
Wikidata item
Cite this page

Print/export
Create a book
Download as PDF
Printable version

Languages
Deutsch
Français
Italiano
Lietuvių
Polski
Português
Русский
Edit links
This page was last modified on 11 August 2015, at 03:51.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
Privacy policy
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Contact Wikipedia
Developers
Mobile view
Wikimedia Foundation
Powered by MediaWiki
  
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_of_Troy_(miniseries)









Helen of Troy (miniseries)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search



 This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2011)

Helen of Troy
Helen of troy.jpg
Written by
Ronni Kern
Directed by
John Kent Harrison
Starring
Sienna Guillory
Matthew Marsden
John Rhys-Davies
Emilia Fox
 With Rufus Sewell
 and Stellan Skarsgård
Theme music composer
Joel Goldsmith
Country of origin
United States United States, Malta, Greece
Original language(s)
English
Production

Producer(s)
Ted Kurdyla
Editor(s)
Michael D. Ornstein
Cinematography
Edward J. Pai
Running time
177 minutes
Production company(s)
Fuel Entertainment
Distributor
Universal Home Entertainment
Release

Original channel
USA Network
Original release
United States April 20, 2003
Helen of Troy is a 2003 television miniseries based upon Homer's story of the Trojan War, as recounted in the epic poem, Iliad. This TV miniseries also shares the name with a 1956 movie starring Stanley Baker. It stars Sienna Guillory as Helen, Matthew Marsden as Paris, Rufus Sewell as Agamemnon, James Callis as Menelaus, John Rhys-Davies as Priam, Maryam d'Abo as Hecuba, as well as Stellan Skarsgård as Theseus. The series was entirely shot on location in the islands of Malta.
The film is placed in the early classical period rather than the correct late Bronze Age: the Greeks are shown with Iron Age classical hoplite dress and arms. Made on a relatively low budget, Helen of Troy was released at a time when interest in the subject was high due to the soon-to-be-released Troy.
The film also focuses more on the life of Helen herself rather than simply the Trojan War. The entire first half deals with Helen's life before Troy and includes a number of mythological facts that other versions either gloss over or omit, such as Helen's abduction by Theseus and the actual agreement of the Greek kings to use her marriage as their peace agreement.
In contrast to Troy (which was roughly based on the Iliad which itself only depicts some of the events of the final year of the war), the film tells much of the story of the War. Most notably, Helen of Troy features and discusses the intervention of the deities (the film's opening scene shows Hera, Athena and Aphrodite at the Judgment of Paris) as written by Homer. This does not mean, however, that it is more accurate, as a number of the characters (namely Paris, as stated above), do not resemble their Homeric counterparts. Both films feature the interpretation of Agamemnon as a domination-hungry tyrant, although this Helen of Troy adds a new dimension by addressing Agamemnon's sacrifice of his daughter Iphigenia to the deities.
Plot summary[edit]
The film begins with the birth of Paris, as well as Cassandra's prophecy that he would be the cause of Troy's destruction. Worried, his father King Priam leaves him on Mount Ida, where he is found and raised by the shepherd Agelaus. When he is an adult, he judges Aphrodite as the fairest of the three goddesses, Hera, Athena and Aphrodite. After awarding her the golden apple she promises him the love of Helen of Sparta, the most beautiful woman in the world.
Meanwhile in Sparta, Helen sees Paris's judgement in a pool of water and happily accepts his choice of her love. She later meets the Mycenaean King, Agamemnon, who has come to claim her sister, Clytemnestra, as his bride, but is also immediately taken by Helens' attractiveness. During the wedding, Helen is kidnapped by two Athenians, Theseus and his friend Pirithous. They take her to Athens, where Helen falls for Theseus, before her brother Pollux raids Athens and kills him. As he is dying, Theseus stabs Pollux. In Sparta, Helen's father Tyndareus rages at his daughter, blaming her for losing his heir. He presents her to the many suitors who seek her hand, bidding them to do as they wish.
The suitors draw lots after swearing an oath suggested by clever Odysseus that if anyone disrespect her husband's claims to her, they should unite and wage war against him. Odysseus rules himself and Agamemnon out of the lot, since they are both married. They agree to the oath and Agamemnon's brother Menelaus wins. Agamemnon is visibly jealous.
Meanwhile, Paris' favorite bull is taken for the Trojan tribute games. Paris insists on competing, despite his father's protests. After winning in every competition and being recognized by his sister Cassandra, Paris is welcomed by an overjoyed Priam to Troy. Cassandra, a seer, as well as his elder brother Hector are upset at their father's decision.
Paris is sent to Sparta to draw out a peace treaty with Sparta, Menelaus alone, which angers Agamemnon. His treaty is refused and both Menelaus and Agamemnon plot to have him murdered. While there, however, he encounters and recognizes Helen and later prevents her from committing suicide. He then gains her love and she helps him flee. Together they sail to Troy.
When Menelaus finds this out, he demands that his brother launch war on Troy and the former suitors are gathered to fulfill their oath. But the winds are not in their favor and after a month, a soothsayer reveals that Artemis wants Agamemnon to sacrifice his daughter Iphigenia in return for favorable winds. He carries out the deed, despite a heavy heart.
Helen and Paris arrive at Troy with the Greek army at their heels. Priam is at first reluctant to allow Helen to remain at Troy, until he sees her. When the Greeks send an embassy of Menelaus and Odysseus to demand Helen's return, Priam refuses, thus the Greeks plan an attack.
In the morning, the battle is joined on the beach of Troy, with Hector nearly killed by Agamemnon. The battle ends with the Trojan army's crushing defeat and the Greeks camping on the beach.
Ten years pass. Agamemnon agrees to end the war with a single combat, between Menelaus and Paris. If Menelaus wins, Helen will be returned. If Menelaus loses, the Trojans may keep her. Whatever the outcome, the Greeks have to leave Troy.
Agamemnon cheats, poisoning Menelaus' javelin without telling him. During the duel Paris is cut and the poison disorientates him. Menelaus, however, does not take advantage of him: instead, they stop fighting and make peace between each other as a fog hides them from view.
As the fog lifts, Agamemnon's cheating is exposed. Hector challenges Agamemnon to a duel that will end the war—this time, to the death. Achilles takes up the challenge, fighting for Agamemnon, but agrees to fight not for Helen but for his own honor. Achilles easily succeeds in killing Hector.
That night Helen, fearing for Paris's safety, goes to the seer Cassandra and asks to know what she can do to protect Paris. Cassandra replies that her only choice is to give herself to the Greeks. Helen agrees, presenting herself in Agamemnon's tent and offering a trade—her for the body of Hector. Agamemnon refuses, as he does not want his daughter's death to be in vain, as well as chases her around the camp, but Paris arrives in time to save her, challenging Agamemnon for the safety of Troy. Achilles charges at him, but Paris seizes a bow and shoots Achilles in the heel, killing him. Afterwards the Greeks attack him, but he is saved by Trojan soldiers and is reunited with Helen. Shortly thereafter, Agamemnon finds him and stabs Paris. He dies in Helen's arms, whispering the word, "goddess".
During Paris' funeral, the Greeks are reported to have sailed away—leaving a massive wooden horse on the shore. It is taken into the city and Troy celebrates late into the night. Unbeknownst to them though, there are some Greek soldiers inside the wooden horse. When they are all asleep, the Greeks come out and sack the city, slaying Priam and Hecuba. The great Agamemnon seats himself proudly on Troy's throne as the new Emperor of the Aegean and Ruler of the World. Agamemnon has his men bring Helen to his throne and orders her to kneel at his feet. Agamemnon strokes Helen's hair, restrains her and then begins to rape her. Menelaus tries to stop him, but is held back by Agamemnon's guards. He orders Agamemnon to leave his wife alone, but his brother pays no mind to his commands and continues to rape Helen. Odysseus is also shocked at Agamemnon's act but can do nothing.
The next morning, as the Greek soldiers ravage the ruins of Troy of its riches and take its people as slaves, Clytemnestra arrives in the royal palace of Troy, where she ventures into the royal pool. There, she finds Agamemnon and Helen, both naked. Agamemnon relaxes in triumph, while Helen sits near the pool, not saying a word. Clytemnestra covers her sister with a robe and sends her away, leaving her (Clytemnestra) alone with Agamemnon. She tells him she comes for their daughter, Iphigenia. Agamemnon replies that she is not here. Clytemnestra replies "I know" then attacks, throwing her net-like shawl over her husband and stabs him to death in the pool.
Helen wanders woefully through the ruined city, collapsing at the spot where Paris was slain. There, she sees an apparition of Paris and they embrace. Helen begs Paris to take her with him to the afterlife and he tells her that he has prepared a place for her, but she must wait until it is her time. He disappears and Menelaus arrives, sword in hand. Helen prepares for her punishment, but Menelaus can do nothing but feel sorry for her. Helen tells him she cannot love him, but she "will follow". The two head back to the Greek ships, ready to live the rest of their lives as King and Queen of Sparta.
Cast[edit]
Sienna Guillory as Helen
Matthew Marsden as Paris
Rufus Sewell as Agamemnon
John Rhys-Davies as King Priam of Troy
Maryam d'Abo as Queen Hecuba
Emilia Fox as Cassandra, Princess of Troy
James Callis as Menelaus
Daniel Lapaine as Hector
Nigel Whitmey as Odysseus
Stellan Skarsgård as Theseus
Joe Montana (actor) as Achilles
Katie Blake as Clytemnestra
Craig Kelly as Pollux
Manuel Cauchi as Priam
Kristina Paris as Iphigenia
External links[edit]
Helen of Troy at the Internet Movie Database
Helen of Troy at AllMovie


[show]
v ·
 t ·
 e
 
USA Network programming










































































































































[show]
v ·
 t ·
 e
 
Homer's Iliad (8th century BC)












































































































































































































































































































  


Categories: 2000s American television miniseries
2000s American television series
2003 American television series debuts
2003 American television series endings
Films based on works by Homer





Navigation menu



Create account
Not logged in
Talk
Contributions
Log in



Article

Talk









Read

Edit

View history

















Main page
Contents
Featured content
Current events
Random article
Donate to Wikipedia
Wikipedia store

Interaction
Help
About Wikipedia
Community portal
Recent changes
Contact page

Tools
What links here
Related changes
Upload file
Special pages
Permanent link
Page information
Wikidata item
Cite this page

Print/export
Create a book
Download as PDF
Printable version

Languages
Deutsch
Français
Italiano
Lietuvių
Polski
Português
Русский
Edit links
This page was last modified on 11 August 2015, at 03:51.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
Privacy policy
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Contact Wikipedia
Developers
Mobile view
Wikimedia Foundation
Powered by MediaWiki
  
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_of_Troy_(miniseries)









Alexander (2008 film)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search


Question book-new.svg
 This article relies largely or entirely upon a single source. Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page. Please help improve this article by introducing citations to additional sources. (April 2015)

Alexander

Directed by
Igor Kalyonov
Produced by
Rustam Ibragimbekov
Written by
Sergey Gerasimov
Yuri Kavtaradze
Starring
Svetlana Bakulina
Igor Botvin
Bohdan Stupka
Music by
Andrey Antonenko

Production
 company

Revolver Entertainment


Release dates

May 1, 2008


Running time
 110 minutes
Country
Russia
Language
Russian
Alexander is a 2008 Russian film about Alexander Nevsky.


Contents  [hide]
1 Plot
2 Cast
3 Reception
4 References
5 External links

Plot[edit]
The film starts with Nevsky's wedding which involves an attempt of poisoning by his former friend Ratmir. Yashka, a jester at the wedding tried to warn him but was dragged away and was put under a table by the Nevsky's guards. Desperate to serve his leader as a savior, not only as a fool, Yashka comes out of the table and drinks from Nevsky's cup in which suspected poison was placed. After the attempt, Ratmir escapes the ceremony and gallops away on a horse. After the ceremony, Alexander orders to find him, because he suspects that Ratmir was plotting it from the orders of the Swedes who were approaching Novgorod at that time. Meantime, the Boyars and Mongols are sieging the city as well. Alexander then goes underground where he finds Boyars and kill their leader.
Cast[edit]
Anton Pampushnyy — Alexander Nevsky
Svetlana Bakulina — Alexandra Nevskaya
Igor Botvin — Ratmir
Bohdan Stupka — Yaroslav
Dmitriy Bykovskiy-Romashov — Birger Jarl
Andrey Fedortsov — Kornily
Yuliya Galkina — Daria
Valeriy Kukhareshin — Eric XI
Sergey Lysov — Misha
Aleksandr Orlovskiy
Valentin Zakharov — Savva
Semyon Mendelson — Yakov
Denis Shwedov — Sbyslav Yakunovich
Pavel Trubiner — Dmitry
Artur Vaha — head of Boyars
Artyom Leschik — Ulf Fasi
Yuriy Tarasov — jester of Eric XI
Evgeniy Kapitonov — Roman Kulik
Roman Litvinov — Alexey Batkov
Reception[edit]
Alexander received negative reviews in the West in general, but the Russian site RusKino said that such films are important for Russia and its people since the Russian youth don't get much education about history from its teachers.[1][relevant? – discuss]
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ Патриотический кинокомикс [Patriotic comic-movie] (in Russian). Retrieved December 19, 2014.
External links[edit]
Aleksandr. Nevskaya bitva at the Internet Movie Database
Review of Alexander on KinoAfisha
  


Categories: 2008 films
Russian-language films
2000s action films
2000s adventure films
Russian films
Films set in Russia
Russian action films
Russian adventure films








Navigation menu



Create account
Not logged in
Talk
Contributions
Log in



Article

Talk









Read

Edit

View history

















Main page
Contents
Featured content
Current events
Random article
Donate to Wikipedia
Wikipedia store

Interaction
Help
About Wikipedia
Community portal
Recent changes
Contact page

Tools
What links here
Related changes
Upload file
Special pages
Permanent link
Page information
Wikidata item
Cite this page

Print/export
Create a book
Download as PDF
Printable version

Languages
Čeština
Deutsch
فارسی
Français
Қазақша
Polski
Русский
Українська
Edit links
This page was last modified on 9 April 2015, at 10:13.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
Privacy policy
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Contact Wikipedia
Developers
Mobile view
Wikimedia Foundation
Powered by MediaWiki
  
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_(2008_film)









Alexander (2008 film)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search


Question book-new.svg
 This article relies largely or entirely upon a single source. Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page. Please help improve this article by introducing citations to additional sources. (April 2015)

Alexander

Directed by
Igor Kalyonov
Produced by
Rustam Ibragimbekov
Written by
Sergey Gerasimov
Yuri Kavtaradze
Starring
Svetlana Bakulina
Igor Botvin
Bohdan Stupka
Music by
Andrey Antonenko

Production
 company

Revolver Entertainment


Release dates

May 1, 2008


Running time
 110 minutes
Country
Russia
Language
Russian
Alexander is a 2008 Russian film about Alexander Nevsky.


Contents  [hide]
1 Plot
2 Cast
3 Reception
4 References
5 External links

Plot[edit]
The film starts with Nevsky's wedding which involves an attempt of poisoning by his former friend Ratmir. Yashka, a jester at the wedding tried to warn him but was dragged away and was put under a table by the Nevsky's guards. Desperate to serve his leader as a savior, not only as a fool, Yashka comes out of the table and drinks from Nevsky's cup in which suspected poison was placed. After the attempt, Ratmir escapes the ceremony and gallops away on a horse. After the ceremony, Alexander orders to find him, because he suspects that Ratmir was plotting it from the orders of the Swedes who were approaching Novgorod at that time. Meantime, the Boyars and Mongols are sieging the city as well. Alexander then goes underground where he finds Boyars and kill their leader.
Cast[edit]
Anton Pampushnyy — Alexander Nevsky
Svetlana Bakulina — Alexandra Nevskaya
Igor Botvin — Ratmir
Bohdan Stupka — Yaroslav
Dmitriy Bykovskiy-Romashov — Birger Jarl
Andrey Fedortsov — Kornily
Yuliya Galkina — Daria
Valeriy Kukhareshin — Eric XI
Sergey Lysov — Misha
Aleksandr Orlovskiy
Valentin Zakharov — Savva
Semyon Mendelson — Yakov
Denis Shwedov — Sbyslav Yakunovich
Pavel Trubiner — Dmitry
Artur Vaha — head of Boyars
Artyom Leschik — Ulf Fasi
Yuriy Tarasov — jester of Eric XI
Evgeniy Kapitonov — Roman Kulik
Roman Litvinov — Alexey Batkov
Reception[edit]
Alexander received negative reviews in the West in general, but the Russian site RusKino said that such films are important for Russia and its people since the Russian youth don't get much education about history from its teachers.[1][relevant? – discuss]
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ Патриотический кинокомикс [Patriotic comic-movie] (in Russian). Retrieved December 19, 2014.
External links[edit]
Aleksandr. Nevskaya bitva at the Internet Movie Database
Review of Alexander on KinoAfisha
  


Categories: 2008 films
Russian-language films
2000s action films
2000s adventure films
Russian films
Films set in Russia
Russian action films
Russian adventure films








Navigation menu



Create account
Not logged in
Talk
Contributions
Log in



Article

Talk









Read

Edit

View history

















Main page
Contents
Featured content
Current events
Random article
Donate to Wikipedia
Wikipedia store

Interaction
Help
About Wikipedia
Community portal
Recent changes
Contact page

Tools
What links here
Related changes
Upload file
Special pages
Permanent link
Page information
Wikidata item
Cite this page

Print/export
Create a book
Download as PDF
Printable version

Languages
Čeština
Deutsch
فارسی
Français
Қазақша
Polski
Русский
Українська
Edit links
This page was last modified on 9 April 2015, at 10:13.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
Privacy policy
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Contact Wikipedia
Developers
Mobile view
Wikimedia Foundation
Powered by MediaWiki
  
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_(2008_film)









Alexander the Great (1956 film)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search


Alexander the Great
Alexander great poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster

Directed by
Robert Rossen
Produced by
Executive producer:
Gordon Griffith
Producer:
 Robert Rossen
Written by
Robert Rossen
Starring
Richard Burton
Claire Bloom
Fredric March
Danielle Darrieux
Michael Hordern
Harry Andrews
Music by
Mario Nascimbene
Cinematography
Robert Krasker
 Theodore J. Pahle
Edited by
Ralph Kemplen
Distributed by
United Artists

Release dates

March 22, 1956
(Royal World Premiere, London)

Running time
 135 minutes
Country
United States
Language
English
Box office
$2.5 million (US)[1]
Alexander the Great is a 1956 American sword-and-sandal epic film about the life of Macedonian general and king Alexander the Great, written, directed and produced by Robert Rossen with Gordon S. Griffith as executive producer. It was released by United Artists and stars Richard Burton as Alexander[2] along with a large ensemble cast.


Contents  [hide]
1 Plot summary
2 Cast
3 Production
4 Reception
5 See also
6 References
7 External links

Plot summary[edit]
In the beginning of the film, Demosthenes is propagating for war to resist Philip II's takeover of Greek city-states.
While Philip II is leading a campaign to take over Olynthus, he is informed that his spouse Olympias has borne him a son who, she claims, is "a god born of a god." Philip is angry because he suspects that Olympias has committed adultery and that she was not impregnated by a god; however, General Parmenio advises the king to let Alexander grow up and succeed him.
While growing up, Alexander receives instruction in history, mathematics, logic and other subjects from Aristotle in Mieza. Alexander is eager to rule and tells his tutor that like Achilles he would rather have a "short life with glory" than a "long life of obscurity." Philip then decides to send Alexander to the Macedonian capital, Pella, as a regent to rule the city while Philip is away fighting wars. This is done to prevent Olympias from spreading rumors about her husband's death. Alexander uses this opportunity to rule in his own right — he becomes neither a pawn of his mother nor his father. Alexander later joins Philip and they go on campaigns of conquest together to places such as Athens in the Battle of Chaeronea in 338 BCE. After the battle is won, Alexander demands that no Greek city-state ever bear arms against Pella and that they supply men, arms, and ships for the war against Persia.
Philip II divorces Olympias accusing her of "unfaithfulness" and marries Attalus's niece Eurydice, thereby making her the new queen. This move creates a chasm between Alexander and his father, not only because Alexander's mother has been repudiated but also because his succession hangs in the balance since some men in Philip's court see him as a bastard.
Pausanias, a loyal friend of Alexander, assassinates Philip II whereupon Alexander kills Pausanias then and there. At this juncture, Alexander claims the loyalty of all Macedonians and assumes the titles of his father. He tells the Macedonians that the Treaty of Corinth still stands. Memnon is exiled for not pledging his loyalty to Alexander.
Alexander embarks on his mission to conquer the whole of Asia. Memnon, who is now in Darius III's court, advises him to retreat strategically and attack Alexander when his supplies run out. However, the lords of Persia underestimate the "boy" Alexander and resolve to fight him at Granicus.
After the victory at Granicus, Alexander goes to Phrygia and unravels the knot tied by King Gordius by cutting it.
Before the battle in Babylon, Alexander states that the lunar eclipse which some of his men thought was a bad omen means that "the Persian moon will be eclipsed by the Macedonian Sun" with which Aristander the seer agrees. After victory in Babylon, Darius III flees to the Caspian Gates to build and gather up an army; the dispirited commanders of Darius III kill him. In his will, Darius tells Alexander, "Take my daughter, Roxane, for your wife...that our worlds may become as one." Alexander then orders the lords of Persia that had committed regicide to be impaled upon stakes for their betrayal against their former kings.
At a drunken revelry in Babylon, Alexander declares, "I am the son of God" (Zeus) and "the world is my domain....We will march to the end of the world." In Athens, news reaches that Alexander is in India and is conquering there whereupon Aeschines proclaims, "He has outdone the gods."
Alexander takes his status to heart, his arrogance and paranoia increasing to unstable proportions, but the bold young leader's conquests come to an end after he kills his close friend, Cleitus, with his spear following a drunken argument. Grief-stricken and humbled, Alexander returns to Babylon from India, losing many of his men in the process. He marries Roxane at Susa, but falls ill soon after. When asked upon his deathbed to whom he will leave his empire, Alexander whispers, "To the strongest."
Cast[edit]
Richard Burton as Alexander the Great
Fredric March as Philip II
Claire Bloom as Barsine
Danielle Darrieux as Olympias
Barry Jones as Aristotle
Harry Andrews as Darius
Stanley Baker as Attalus
Niall MacGinnis as Parmenion
Peter Cushing as Memnon
Michael Hordern as Demosthenes
Marisa de Leza as Eurydice
Gustavo Rojo as Cleitus the Black
Rubén Rojo as Philotas
Peter Wyngarde as Pausanias
Helmut Dantine as Nectenabus
William Squire as Aeschenes
Friedrich von Ledebur as Antipater
Virgilio Teixeira as Ptolemy
Teresa del Río as Roxana
Julio Peña as Arsites
José Nieto as Spithridates
Carlos Baena as Nearchus
Larry Taylor as Perdiccas
José Marco as Harpalus
Ricardo Valle as Hephaestion
Carmen Carulla as Stateira
Jesús Luque as Aristander
Ramsay Ames as Drunken woman
Ellen Rossen as Amytis
Carlos Acevedo as Ochus
Production[edit]
Charlton Heston was sought for the title role, but turned it down, stating "Alexander is the easiest kind of picture to make badly". The decision to hire Richard Burton was later criticised as being the wrong age for the role, despite Burton being only 29 at the time.[3] Alexander had reigned from the age of 20 until his death at age 32.
Director Robert Rossen shot the film to run for over three hours, complete with an intermission, and was incredibly disappointed when the producers cut the film down to 141 minutes.[4]
Reception[edit]
The film has a 'rotten' rating on Rotten Tomatoes of "0%" derived from six reviews averaging 3.5 out of 10.[5]
See also[edit]

Portal icon Ancient Greece portal
Portal icon Film portal
List of American films of 1956
List of historical drama films
List of United Artists films

References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ "The Top Box-Office Hits of 1956". Variety. January 2, 1957.
2.Jump up ^ Alexander the Great at the Internet Movie Database
3.Jump up ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048937/trivia?ref_=tt_trv_trv
4.Jump up ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048937/trivia?ref_=tt_trv_trv
5.Jump up ^ http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1000580-alexander_the_great/
External links[edit]
Alexander the Great at the Internet Movie Database
Alexander The Great at Rotten Tomatoes
Alexander The Great at AllMovie


[hide]
v ·
 t ·
 e
 
The films of Robert Rossen


Films
Johnny O'Clock (1947) ·
 Body and Soul (1947) ·
 All the King's Men (1949) ·
 The Brave Bulls (1951) ·
 Mambo (1954) ·
 Alexander the Great (1956) ·
 Island in the Sun (1957) ·
 They Came to Cordura (1959) ·
 The Hustler (1961) ·
 Lilith (1964)
 

Screenplays
Marked Woman (1937) ·
 They Won't Forget (1937) ·
 Racket Busters (1938) ·
 Dust Be My Destiny (1939) ·
 The Roaring Twenties (1939) ·
 A Child Is Born (1939) ·
 The Sea Wolf (1941) ·
 Out of the Fog (1941) ·
 Blues in the Night (1941) ·
 Edge of Darkness (1943) ·
 A Walk in the Sun (1945) ·
 The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946) ·
 Desert Fury (1947)
 

Productions
The Undercover Man (1949)
 

  


Categories: 1956 films
English-language films
1950s drama films
1950s war films
1950s historical films
American biographical films
American films
American epic films
American war films
Spanish drama films
Spanish films
Films about Alexander the Great
Classical war films
Films directed by Robert Rossen
Films shot in Madrid
United Artists films




Navigation menu



Create account
Not logged in
Talk
Contributions
Log in



Article

Talk









Read

Edit

View history

















Main page
Contents
Featured content
Current events
Random article
Donate to Wikipedia
Wikipedia store

Interaction
Help
About Wikipedia
Community portal
Recent changes
Contact page

Tools
What links here
Related changes
Upload file
Special pages
Permanent link
Page information
Wikidata item
Cite this page

Print/export
Create a book
Download as PDF
Printable version

Languages
Català
Deutsch
Español
فارسی
Français
Italiano
עברית
Polski
Português
Русский
Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски
Türkçe
Edit links
This page was last modified on 23 September 2015, at 00:34.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
Privacy policy
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Contact Wikipedia
Developers
Mobile view
Wikimedia Foundation
Powered by MediaWiki
  
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_the_Great_(1956_film)









Alexander the Great (1956 film)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search


Alexander the Great
Alexander great poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster

Directed by
Robert Rossen
Produced by
Executive producer:
Gordon Griffith
Producer:
 Robert Rossen
Written by
Robert Rossen
Starring
Richard Burton
Claire Bloom
Fredric March
Danielle Darrieux
Michael Hordern
Harry Andrews
Music by
Mario Nascimbene
Cinematography
Robert Krasker
 Theodore J. Pahle
Edited by
Ralph Kemplen
Distributed by
United Artists

Release dates

March 22, 1956
(Royal World Premiere, London)

Running time
 135 minutes
Country
United States
Language
English
Box office
$2.5 million (US)[1]
Alexander the Great is a 1956 American sword-and-sandal epic film about the life of Macedonian general and king Alexander the Great, written, directed and produced by Robert Rossen with Gordon S. Griffith as executive producer. It was released by United Artists and stars Richard Burton as Alexander[2] along with a large ensemble cast.


Contents  [hide]
1 Plot summary
2 Cast
3 Production
4 Reception
5 See also
6 References
7 External links

Plot summary[edit]
In the beginning of the film, Demosthenes is propagating for war to resist Philip II's takeover of Greek city-states.
While Philip II is leading a campaign to take over Olynthus, he is informed that his spouse Olympias has borne him a son who, she claims, is "a god born of a god." Philip is angry because he suspects that Olympias has committed adultery and that she was not impregnated by a god; however, General Parmenio advises the king to let Alexander grow up and succeed him.
While growing up, Alexander receives instruction in history, mathematics, logic and other subjects from Aristotle in Mieza. Alexander is eager to rule and tells his tutor that like Achilles he would rather have a "short life with glory" than a "long life of obscurity." Philip then decides to send Alexander to the Macedonian capital, Pella, as a regent to rule the city while Philip is away fighting wars. This is done to prevent Olympias from spreading rumors about her husband's death. Alexander uses this opportunity to rule in his own right — he becomes neither a pawn of his mother nor his father. Alexander later joins Philip and they go on campaigns of conquest together to places such as Athens in the Battle of Chaeronea in 338 BCE. After the battle is won, Alexander demands that no Greek city-state ever bear arms against Pella and that they supply men, arms, and ships for the war against Persia.
Philip II divorces Olympias accusing her of "unfaithfulness" and marries Attalus's niece Eurydice, thereby making her the new queen. This move creates a chasm between Alexander and his father, not only because Alexander's mother has been repudiated but also because his succession hangs in the balance since some men in Philip's court see him as a bastard.
Pausanias, a loyal friend of Alexander, assassinates Philip II whereupon Alexander kills Pausanias then and there. At this juncture, Alexander claims the loyalty of all Macedonians and assumes the titles of his father. He tells the Macedonians that the Treaty of Corinth still stands. Memnon is exiled for not pledging his loyalty to Alexander.
Alexander embarks on his mission to conquer the whole of Asia. Memnon, who is now in Darius III's court, advises him to retreat strategically and attack Alexander when his supplies run out. However, the lords of Persia underestimate the "boy" Alexander and resolve to fight him at Granicus.
After the victory at Granicus, Alexander goes to Phrygia and unravels the knot tied by King Gordius by cutting it.
Before the battle in Babylon, Alexander states that the lunar eclipse which some of his men thought was a bad omen means that "the Persian moon will be eclipsed by the Macedonian Sun" with which Aristander the seer agrees. After victory in Babylon, Darius III flees to the Caspian Gates to build and gather up an army; the dispirited commanders of Darius III kill him. In his will, Darius tells Alexander, "Take my daughter, Roxane, for your wife...that our worlds may become as one." Alexander then orders the lords of Persia that had committed regicide to be impaled upon stakes for their betrayal against their former kings.
At a drunken revelry in Babylon, Alexander declares, "I am the son of God" (Zeus) and "the world is my domain....We will march to the end of the world." In Athens, news reaches that Alexander is in India and is conquering there whereupon Aeschines proclaims, "He has outdone the gods."
Alexander takes his status to heart, his arrogance and paranoia increasing to unstable proportions, but the bold young leader's conquests come to an end after he kills his close friend, Cleitus, with his spear following a drunken argument. Grief-stricken and humbled, Alexander returns to Babylon from India, losing many of his men in the process. He marries Roxane at Susa, but falls ill soon after. When asked upon his deathbed to whom he will leave his empire, Alexander whispers, "To the strongest."
Cast[edit]
Richard Burton as Alexander the Great
Fredric March as Philip II
Claire Bloom as Barsine
Danielle Darrieux as Olympias
Barry Jones as Aristotle
Harry Andrews as Darius
Stanley Baker as Attalus
Niall MacGinnis as Parmenion
Peter Cushing as Memnon
Michael Hordern as Demosthenes
Marisa de Leza as Eurydice
Gustavo Rojo as Cleitus the Black
Rubén Rojo as Philotas
Peter Wyngarde as Pausanias
Helmut Dantine as Nectenabus
William Squire as Aeschenes
Friedrich von Ledebur as Antipater
Virgilio Teixeira as Ptolemy
Teresa del Río as Roxana
Julio Peña as Arsites
José Nieto as Spithridates
Carlos Baena as Nearchus
Larry Taylor as Perdiccas
José Marco as Harpalus
Ricardo Valle as Hephaestion
Carmen Carulla as Stateira
Jesús Luque as Aristander
Ramsay Ames as Drunken woman
Ellen Rossen as Amytis
Carlos Acevedo as Ochus
Production[edit]
Charlton Heston was sought for the title role, but turned it down, stating "Alexander is the easiest kind of picture to make badly". The decision to hire Richard Burton was later criticised as being the wrong age for the role, despite Burton being only 29 at the time.[3] Alexander had reigned from the age of 20 until his death at age 32.
Director Robert Rossen shot the film to run for over three hours, complete with an intermission, and was incredibly disappointed when the producers cut the film down to 141 minutes.[4]
Reception[edit]
The film has a 'rotten' rating on Rotten Tomatoes of "0%" derived from six reviews averaging 3.5 out of 10.[5]
See also[edit]

Portal icon Ancient Greece portal
Portal icon Film portal
List of American films of 1956
List of historical drama films
List of United Artists films

References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ "The Top Box-Office Hits of 1956". Variety. January 2, 1957.
2.Jump up ^ Alexander the Great at the Internet Movie Database
3.Jump up ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048937/trivia?ref_=tt_trv_trv
4.Jump up ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048937/trivia?ref_=tt_trv_trv
5.Jump up ^ http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1000580-alexander_the_great/
External links[edit]
Alexander the Great at the Internet Movie Database
Alexander The Great at Rotten Tomatoes
Alexander The Great at AllMovie


[hide]
v ·
 t ·
 e
 
The films of Robert Rossen


Films
Johnny O'Clock (1947) ·
 Body and Soul (1947) ·
 All the King's Men (1949) ·
 The Brave Bulls (1951) ·
 Mambo (1954) ·
 Alexander the Great (1956) ·
 Island in the Sun (1957) ·
 They Came to Cordura (1959) ·
 The Hustler (1961) ·
 Lilith (1964)
 

Screenplays
Marked Woman (1937) ·
 They Won't Forget (1937) ·
 Racket Busters (1938) ·
 Dust Be My Destiny (1939) ·
 The Roaring Twenties (1939) ·
 A Child Is Born (1939) ·
 The Sea Wolf (1941) ·
 Out of the Fog (1941) ·
 Blues in the Night (1941) ·
 Edge of Darkness (1943) ·
 A Walk in the Sun (1945) ·
 The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946) ·
 Desert Fury (1947)
 

Productions
The Undercover Man (1949)
 

  


Categories: 1956 films
English-language films
1950s drama films
1950s war films
1950s historical films
American biographical films
American films
American epic films
American war films
Spanish drama films
Spanish films
Films about Alexander the Great
Classical war films
Films directed by Robert Rossen
Films shot in Madrid
United Artists films




Navigation menu



Create account
Not logged in
Talk
Contributions
Log in



Article

Talk









Read

Edit

View history

















Main page
Contents
Featured content
Current events
Random article
Donate to Wikipedia
Wikipedia store

Interaction
Help
About Wikipedia
Community portal
Recent changes
Contact page

Tools
What links here
Related changes
Upload file
Special pages
Permanent link
Page information
Wikidata item
Cite this page

Print/export
Create a book
Download as PDF
Printable version

Languages
Català
Deutsch
Español
فارسی
Français
Italiano
עברית
Polski
Português
Русский
Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски
Türkçe
Edit links
This page was last modified on 23 September 2015, at 00:34.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
Privacy policy
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Contact Wikipedia
Developers
Mobile view
Wikimedia Foundation
Powered by MediaWiki
  
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_the_Great_(1956_film)