Troy (2004)

An adaptation of Homer's great epic, the film follows the assault on Troy by the united Greek forces and chronicles the fates of the men involved.

Director:

Wolfgang Petersen

Writers:

Homer (poem), David Benioff (screenplay)

Stars:

Julian Glover, Brad Pitt, Eric Bana

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 3 wins & 17 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Julian Glover	...	Triopas
Brian Cox	...	Agamemnon
Nathan Jones	...	Boagrius
Adoni Maropis	...	Agamemnon's Officer
Jacob Smith	...	Messenger Boy
Brad Pitt	...	Achilles
John Shrapnel	...	Nestor
Brendan Gleeson	...	Menelaus
Diane Kruger	...	Helen
Eric Bana	...	Hector
Orlando Bloom	...	Paris
Siri Svegler	...	Polydora
Lucie Barat	...	Helen's Handmaiden
Ken Bones	...	Hippasus
Manuel Cauchi	...	Old Spartan Fisherman

Storyline

It is the year 1250 B.C. during the late Bronze age. Two emerging nations begin to clash after Paris, the Trojan prince, convinces Helen, Queen of Sparta, to leave her husband, Menelaus, and sail with him back to Troy. After Menelaus finds out that his wife was taken by the Trojans, he asks his brother Agamemnon to help him get her back. Agamemnon sees this as an opportunity for power. So they set off with 1,000 ships holding 50,000 Greeks to Troy. With the help of Achilles, the Greeks are able to fight the never before defeated Trojans. But they come to a stop by Hector, Prince of Troy. The whole movie shows their battle struggles and the foreshadowing of fate in this remake by Wolfgang Petersen of Homer's "The Iliad."

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Plot Keywords:

troy | greek | trojan | prince | fate | 

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Taglines:

For Passion

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for graphic violence and some sexuality/nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros [France] Warner Bros. [Japan]

Country:

USA Malta UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 May 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

Untitled 'The Illiad' Project

Filming Locations:

Blue Lagoon, Comino, Malta

Box Office

Budget:

$175,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$710,941 (Hong Kong) (18 June 2004)

Gross:

$133,228,348 (USA) (13 August 2004)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., Helena Productions, Latina Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

163 min 196 min (director's cut)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Historians are sharply divided about whether or not the Trojan War actually occurred, and if it did, which archaeological site is actually Troy. Discoveries at the beginning of the 21st century provide new evidence of several armed battles in the right area at the right time, but definitive proof is hard to find, largely due to the historical practice of building one city on the ruins of another. Homer's Illiad (and similar epics depicting the Trojan War) were written hundreds of years after the Trojan War supposedly occurred, and are of little use in determining factual historical events because they include many mythological elements. One theory is that the Troy of Homer's lifetime was destroyed by an earthquake, and that the Illiad is a symbolic reinterpretation of that, since a horse is the symbol of the Greek god of earthquakes. The producers decided to eliminate all mythological elements from the story, giving the film an air of historical authenticity not present in the original works.

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Goofs

When Hector's infant son sticks the lion in his mouth and pulls it away, the end of a modern pacifier is in the baby's hand.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Odysseus: [voiceover] Men are haunted by the vastness of eternity. And so we ask ourselves: will our actions echo across the centuries? Will strangers hear our names long after we are gone, and wonder who we were, how bravely we fought, how fiercely we loved?

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Connections

Featured in Maltin on Movies: Awards Special 2012 (2012)

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Soundtracks

"Remember"
Music by James Horner
Lyric by Cynthia Weil
Produced by David Foster
Performed by Josh Groban with Tanja Tzarovska
Josh Groban appears courtesy of 143 Records/Reprise Records

User Reviews

So it's not(!) the Iliad...

But it's an inspiring tale of men(!) at war in ancient times. The movie, albeit long, moves along a good pace, with mercifully brief romantic and philosophical breaks between the combat scenes. This movie is action, with more than a little thought put into accurately presenting the realities of the tactics used in Greek warfare. Troy is also to be congratulated for not over-armoring the cast like previous Hollywood productions and staying true to the lightness of armor prevalent during the historical period.

Lovers of Homer and Greek mythology may be disappointed but keep in mind this film is about the Trojan War, not the Iliad. This war is epic in scale and isn't about poetry.

Still, it would be great if Sean Bean were given the opportunity to play Odysseus again. Although not on screen much in Troy, his performance is edgy and true to the legends of the cunning king of Ithaca.