Helen of Troy (TV 2003)

The abduction of beautiful Helen, wife of Spartan King Menelaus, by Paris of Troy triggers a long war.

Director:

John Kent Harrison

Writer:

Ronni Kern

Stars:

Sienna Guillory, Matthew Marsden, Rufus Sewell

Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 1 win & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sienna Guillory	...	Helen
Matthew Marsden	...	Paris
Rufus Sewell	...	Agamemnon
John Rhys-Davies	...	King Priam of Troy
Maryam d'Abo	...	Queen Hecuba
Emilia Fox	...	Cassandra, Princess of Troy
James Callis	...	Menelaus
Daniel Lapaine	...	Hector
Nigel Whitmey	...	Odysseus
Stellan Skarsgård	...	Theseus
Joe Montana	...	Achilles
Katie Blake	...	Clytemnestra
Craig Kelly	...	Pollux
Manuel Cauchi	...	Paris' Father
Kristina Paris	...	Iphigenia

Storyline

The abduction of beautiful Helen, wife of Spartan King Menelaus, by Paris of Troy triggers a long war.

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Plot Keywords:

king | knife | shot in the foot | trojan war | swimming | 

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Taglines:

Their passion ignited a war and destroyed an empire.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Romance

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Details

Official Sites:

USA Networks

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 April 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

Helena de Troya

Filming Locations:

Greece

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fuel Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

175 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Goofs

Chinese men wearing Manchu clothing, something they would not wear until the Chin Dynasty.

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Quotes

Menelaus: War is waged by nations, but it is human beings who pay the price.

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Connections

Version of Troy (2004)

User Reviews

There's a difference between myth and literature

As a big fan of mythology and the Iliad, I'm pretty surprised by how nitpicky people are being on the details. Having taken a "Mythology in Film" course, I can safely state the following:

1) It's not supposed to be "The Iliad," it's "Helen of Troy." 2) It's a film. Made 3,000 years later. Targeted at an entirely different audience. 3) Greek mythology tends to be greatly inconsistent anyway, depending on your source. 4) Patroklus is never mentioned to justify Achilles's rage against Hector. So what? If Achilles hadn't withdrawn from war, he would've killed Hector anyways. And having him withdrawing and re-entering into the war would only have distracted from the main story (Helen) without really adding anything.

There's a difference between myths and literature. One can stray from the literature of a story while staying true to the mythology of it. The Iliad itself was constantly being reinvented by generations of oral poets who changed the story every time they performed it. Back in ancient times, a person who merely recited the story verbatim would be considered an inferior, because he'd merely be a copycat rather than a storyteller.

When it comes to the spirit and tradition, "Helen" shines. For instance, in the Iliad, Achilles compares Agamemnon taking Brisius to Paris taking Helen. In the film, the comparison is made literal. Brilliant. Then you have themes and scenes taken from the Orestia. Three or four different ideas are brought together in the span of one.

"Helen" may be a bit loose with the details, but it shows a good understanding why those details took place, and stays true to capturing their motivations. Just because they don't follow the material exactly doesn't mean they don't know it really, really well. The same is true for a lot of other film productions, from "Desire Under the Elms" to "O Brother Where Art Thou" to "Medea" and even "Clash of the Titans."

All and all, a good flick, I was pleasantly surprised. My only real complaints was the casting of Achilles (I assume they were combining his character with Ajax/Diomedes) and the fact that Hector never gets to actually beat anyone in combat (That was disappointing, to say the least).