Blu-ray Review Helen of Troy Blu-ray Review (1 Viewer)

[Matt Hough]

Robert Wise’s mostly unsuccessful attempt at a massive spectacle.



Helen of Troy (1956)



Released: 26 Jan 1956
Rated: Approved
Runtime: 118 min




Director: Robert Wise, Raoul Walsh
Genre: Drama, History, Romance



Cast: Stanley Baker, Rossana Podestà, Brigitte Bardot
Writer(s): John Twist, Hugh Gray, N. Richard Nash



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



IMDB rating: 6.1
MetaScore: N/A





Disc Information



Studio: Warner Brothers
Distributed By: Warner Archive
Video Resolution: 1080P/AVC



Aspect Ratio: 2.55:1
Audio: English 2.0 DTS-HDMA



Subtitles: English SDH
Rating: Not Rated



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[benbess]

Excellent picture quality on the blu-ray for Helen of Troy helps highlight the spectacle found in this fairly epic if sometimes stagey movie. The score by Max Steiner is magnificent, and almost worth the price of admission all by itself.



As Matt Hough writes in his perceptive review above, however, the movie does have some dramatic weaknesses and issues:

"....With Paris now cast as the hero of the story (instead of the cowardly abductor from the myths) and Helen a willing refugee from Sparta, two of principals from the tales with their motivations entirely new to this story now take center stage. Unfortunately, all of their scenes together are written in a sappy, over-earnest style that’s more laughable than romantic making us long to return to the squabbles between Spartan lords....Director Robert Wise handles the scenes of spectacle with thousands of extras with a firm hand, the initial attack on Troy in an extended sequence that’s the best thing in the movie. The sets and props are quite impressive, too (that Trojan Horse casts quite a majestic shadow over the fateful Troy), easily justifying the film’s $6 million budget.

With both of the leads dubbed by others, it’s difficult to assess their performing abilities. They certainly are beautiful to look at (though Rossana Podesta is pretty rather than ravishing), but their love story is only fitfully of interest. The huge cast contains some famous and not so famous faces: Sir Cedric Hardwicke gives Priam the gravitas necessary for his position as defender of the city, and Ronald Lewis as Paris’ brother Aeneas delivers a commendably loving and understanding performance. Stanley Baker has certainly caught the quicksilver, diva-like temperament of Achilles even if he doesn’t have quite the believable physique to fully convince as Sparta’s most accomplished warrior. Torin Thatcher has the wiliness for Ulysses and Robert Douglas the bluster for an effective Agamemnon. Janette Scott as the seer Cassandra has some very effective moments, and, yes, that’s Brigitte Bardot in a couple of charismatic scenes as Helen’s servant Andraste."


Overall, however, I was moderately entertained by this movie, even with its flaws, and recommend this blu-ray to fans of ancient world spectacles from the 1950s. My rating on the movie, which probably has some grade inflation, is a B-. For picture quality I'd say that it's an A-. Sound quality is very good too, which again features that fine score by Max Steiner.

 

[Ed Lachmann]

The lack of an official CD of Steiner's gorgeous score is something I dearly hope will be rectified one day. There is bootleg of dubious quality around, but we hope for better. Thankfully with this wonderful blu-ray we can enjoy the music as well as the majestic visuals together.