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:

Stanley Baker, Rossana Podestà, Brigitte Bardot

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:

siege | escape | trojan war | bare chested male | bow and arrow | 

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Taglines:

The Face That Launched a Thousand Ships!

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | History | Romance | War

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 January 1956 (USA)

Also Known As:

Die schöne Helena

Filming Locations:

Punta Ala, Castiglione della Pescaia, Grosseto, Tuscany, Italy

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$6,976,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min (theatrical) 116 min (with overture and exit music) 116 min (uncut) 114 min (cut) 121 min (with overture)

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

Sergio Leone was one of the second unit directors. He had a more rewarding experience on this American film since he was able to communicate directly with the director, Robert Wise, since both of them could speak French.

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Goofs

When the Greeks are first shown marching to attack Troy, the shot appears to be flopped since all the Greek soldiers appear to be left handed. They carry their spears with their left hands, and their shields in their right.

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Quotes

Patroclus: Achilles, Agamemnon does not speak for all our people.
Achilles: Dogs! Jackals! I'll never fight his battles again.
Patroclus: But, for Greece, you'll fight.
Achilles: No more!

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Crazy Credits

In the United States, the credits on the film, and the promotional material, list Jacques Sernas as "Jack Sernas."

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Connections

Featured in A Treasure of Gold (2012)

User Reviews

a Homer ' un

It is good for the viewer to see this cinemascope spectacular from 1956 after seeing the new TROY with Brad and Eric. HELEN OF TROY as directed by craftsman Robert Wise is very pleasingly made and with excellent action and spectacle - especially in the well populated fiery siege scenes. No CGI in those days, there really was a couple of thousand dressed and armed extras running all over the huge set. Apparently Robert Wise is on record as having said he took the $6 million assignment because he hadn't yet directed a spectacular....! Told from a different perspective than the 2004 version, this 50s view is from the point of Paris as opposed to Archilles in the new one. It would be like the new one being told from Orlando Bloom's perspective rather than from Brad Pitt's. HELEN OF TROY on DVD has good extras including the TV specials made with Gig Young as a promo of the time. The huge set created in Italy was recycled into SODOM AND GOMORRAH given the orange pillars and layout. HELEN OF TROY has excellent Warnercolour and beautiful art direction. It is a good film and well worth seeing after you see TROY as a companion/chaser.