Helen of Troy (1956)

The Iliad's story of the Trojan war, told from the Trojan viewpoint.

Director:

Robert Wise

Writers:

John Twist (screenplay), Hugh Gray (screenplay),

Stars:

Rossana Podestà, Jacques Sernas, Stanley Baker

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Rossana Podestà	...	Helen (as Rossana Podesta)
Jacques Sernas	...	Paris (as Jack Sernas)
Cedric Hardwicke	...	Priam (as Sir Cedric Hardwicke)
Stanley Baker	...	Achilles
Niall MacGinnis	...	Menelaus
Nora Swinburne	...	Hecuba
Robert Douglas	...	Agamemnon
Torin Thatcher	...	Ulysses
Harry Andrews	...	Hector
Janette Scott	...	Cassandra
Ronald Lewis	...	Aeneas
Brigitte Bardot	...	Andraste
Eduardo Ciannelli	...	Andros
Marc Lawrence	...	Diomedes
Maxwell Reed	...	Ajax

Storyline

Prince Paris of Troy, shipwrecked on a mission to the king of Sparta, meets and falls for Queen Helen before he knows who she is. Rudely received by the royal Greeks, he must flee...but fate and their mutual passions lead him to take Helen along. This gives the Greeks just the excuse they need for much-desired war.

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Plot Keywords:

king | queen | slave | escape | trojan war | 

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Taglines:

Its towering wonders span the age of titans!

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | History | Romance | War

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA Italy

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 January 1956 (USA)

Also Known As:

Die schöne Helena

Filming Locations:

Cinecittà Studios, Cinecittà, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min 111 min (theatrical) 116 min (with overture and exit music) 116 min (uncut) 114 min (cut)

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (RCA Sound Recording) (magnetic prints) Mono (RCA Sound Recording) (optical prints)

Color:

Color (WarnerColor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.55 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Italian reference sources "Filmlexicon" and "Colonna Sonora" both credit the music score to Roman Vlad. The most likely explanation is that the Italian musicians' union insisted an Italian member (Vlad was affiliated to SIAE) be paid to write a score, even if it was never used.

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Quotes

Paris: Make me immortal with a kiss!

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Connections

Version of Helen of Troy (2003)

User Reviews

One Story Close enough to Homer's Book

As a fan of Greek Mythogy, Helen of Troy is the closest I've seen reenactment of the Trojan War. Under the Direction of Director Robert Wise, this is a well produced version in telling the story.

As most people know the ending it was still sad, they had it made, but the advice given by Helen "Beware of Greeks Bearing Gifts", was ignored and thus the downfall of the City of Troy.

All in all I did enjoy this version, I don't think anyone else will disagree