Troy is a
2004The year 2004 in film involved some significant events. Major releases of sequels took place. It included blockbuster films like Shrek 2, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, The Passion of the Christ, Meet the Fockers, Blade: Trinity, Spider-Man 2, Alien vs. Predator, Kill Bill Vol...
epicAn epic is a genre of film which places emphasis on human drama on a grand scale. They are more ambitious in scope than other genres which helps to differentiate them from similar genres such as the period piece or adventure film...
/
action filmAction movies are a film genre wherein the story is largely told through physical action as opposed to dialogue. The action typically involves individual efforts on the part of the hero. While action has long been an element of films, the "Action film" as a genre of its own began to develop in the...
concerning the
Trojan WarIn Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans after Paris of Troy stole Helen from her husband Menelaus, the king of Sparta. The war is among the most important events in Greek mythology and was narrated in many works of Greek literature, including the Iliad...
. It is loosely based on
HomerHomer is a legendary ancient Greek epic poet, traditionally said to be the author of the epic poems the Iliad and the Odyssey...
's
IliadThe Iliad is an epic poem recounting significant events during a portion of the final year of the Trojan War — the Greek siege of the city of Ilion — hence the title...
, besides material from
VirgilPublius Vergilius Maro was a classical Roman poet, best known for three major works—the Eclogues , the Georgics, and the Aeneid—although several minor poems are also attributed to him.The son of a farmer, Virgil came to be...
's
AeneidThe Aeneid is a Latin epic poem written by Virgil in the late 1st century BC that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Trojan who traveled to Italy, where he became the ancestor of the Romans. It is written in dactylic hexameter...
and other sources of the Epic Cycle, but it frequently diverges from myth. The film has the following cast of actors prominent at the time of its release:
Brad PittWilliam Bradley "Brad" Pitt is an American actor and film producer. He has been cited as one of the world's most attractive men, a label that entices the media to report on his off-screen life...
as
AchillesIn Greek mythology, Achilles was a Greek hero of the Trojan War, the central character and the greatest warrior of Homer's Iliad.Achilles also has the attributes of being the most handsome of the heroes assembled against Troy....
,
Eric BanaEric Bana is an Australian film and television actor. He began his career as a comedian in the sketch comedy series Full Frontal before gaining critical recognition in the biopic Chopper...
as
HectorIn Greek mythology, Hectōr , or Hektōr, is a Trojan prince and the greatest fighter for Troy in the Trojan War. As the son of Priam and Hecuba, a descendant of Dardanus, who lived under Mount Ida, and of Tros, the founder of Troy, he is a prince of the royal house. He acts as leader of the Trojans...
,
Orlando BloomOrlando Jonathan Blanchard Bloom is an English actor. Classically trained, he had his break-through roles in 2001 as the elf-prince Legolas in The Lord of the Rings and starting in 2003 as blacksmith Will Turner in the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy of films, and subsequently established himself...
as
ParisParis , the son of Priam, king of Troy, appears in a number of Greek legends. Probably the best-known was his elopement with Helen, queen of Sparta, this being one of the immediate causes of the Trojan War...
,
Diane KrugerDiane Kruger is a German actress and former fashion model who gained international recognition from 2004 to 2009 for her performances in the films Troy, Wicker Park, National Treasure, Joyeux Noël and Inglourious Basterds...
as
HelenIn Greek mythology, Helen , known as Helen of Troy , was the daughter of Zeus and Leda , wife of King Menelaus of Sparta and sister of Castor, Polydeuces and Clytemnestra. Her abduction by Paris brought about the Trojan War...
,
Brian CoxBrian Denis Cox, CBE is a Scottish actor.-Early life:Cox was born in Dundee, Scotland, the youngest of five children. His mother, Mary Ann Guillerline , was a spinner who worked in the jute mills and suffered several nervous breakdowns during Cox's childhood. His father, Charles McArdle Campbell...
as
AgamemnonIn Greek mythology, Agamemnon / is the son of King Atreus of Mycenae and Queen Aerope; the brother of Menelaus and the husband of Clytemnestra; different mythological versions make him the king either of Mycenae or of Argos...
,
Sean BeanShaun Mark Bean is an English film and stage actor. Bean has also acted in a number of television productions as well as performing voice work for computer games and television adverts. As an actor, he adopted the Celtic spelling "Sean" of his first name.His first successful role was his portrayal...
as
OdysseusOdysseus or Ulysses , in Greek mythology , was a legendary Greek king of Ithaca and the hero of Homer's epic poem, The Odyssey...
,
Rose ByrneMary Rose Byrne , best known as Rose Byrne, is an Australian actress. She has appeared in a number of feature films, including 28 Weeks Later, Troy, Sunshine, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, and Knowing, but is probably best-known for her ongoing role of Ellen Parsons in the US TV...
as
BriseisHippodameia Brisēís is a Trojan woman captured by the Greeks in the Iliad. She was first Achilles' prize of the Trojan war; he fell in love with her...
,
Garrett HedlundGarrett John Hedlund is an American actor known for his role in the movie Four Brothers.Hedlund was born in Roseau, Minnesota. He was discovered while attending a ProScout event in Phoenix, Arizona...
as
PatroclusIn Greek mythology, as recorded in the Iliad by Homer, Patroclus, or Patroklos , was the son of Menoetius, grandson of Actor, King of Opus, and was Achilles’ beloved comrade.- Patroclus’ genealogy :...
,
Peter O'ToolePeter Seamus O'Toole is an actor of stage and screen who achieved stardom in 1962 playing T. E. Lawrence in Lawrence of Arabia. He went on to become a highly-honored film and stage actor. He has been nominated for eight Academy Awards...
as
PriamIn Greek mythology, Priam was the king of Troy during the Trojan War and youngest son of Laomedon. Modern scholars derive his name from the Luwian compound Priimuua, which means "exceptionally courageous"....
,
Brendan GleesonBrendan Gleeson is an Irish character actor. His best-known films include the Harry Potter films, Kingdom of Heaven, Beowulf, Troy, Gangs of New York, 28 Days Later, In Bruges, Braveheart, The General, Lake Placid, and the role of Michael Collins in The Treaty.-Early life:Gleeson was born in...
as
MenelausMenelaus may refer to;*Menelaus, one of the two most known Atrides, a king of Sparta and son of Atreus and Aerope*Menelaus on the Moon, named after Menelaus of Alexandria.*Menelaus , brother of Ptolemy I Soter...
, and Tyler Mane as
AjaxAjax or Aias was a mythological Greek hero, the son of Telamon and Periboea and king of Salamis. He plays an important role in Homer's Iliad and in the Epic Cycle, a series of epic poems about the Trojan War. To distinguish him from Ajax, son of Oileus , he is called "Telamonian Ajax," "Greater...
.
Troy was directed by
Wolfgang PetersenWolfgang Petersen is a German film director. He is known for his body of film work, which includes The NeverEnding Story, Outbreak, In the Line of Fire, Air Force One, The Perfect Storm, Troy, and Poseidon...
and written by
David BenioffDavid Benioff in New York City) is an American writer.- Early life :Born David Friedman, he changed his name to David Benioff, his mother's maiden name. He is the youngest of three, with 2 sisters, Suzy Cohen, and Caroline Levy. Benioff is a Dartmouth College alumnus...
. It received an Oscar nomination for its
costume designThis Academy Award was first given for movies made in 1948 when separate awards were given for black-and-white and color movies.- 1940s :Black-and-White*1948: Roger K. Furse – Hamlet** Irene Lentz – B...
.
Plot
King
AgamemnonIn Greek mythology, Agamemnon / is the son of King Atreus of Mycenae and Queen Aerope; the brother of Menelaus and the husband of Clytemnestra; different mythological versions make him the king either of Mycenae or of Argos...
(
Brian CoxBrian Denis Cox, CBE is a Scottish actor.-Early life:Cox was born in Dundee, Scotland, the youngest of five children. His mother, Mary Ann Guillerline , was a spinner who worked in the jute mills and suffered several nervous breakdowns during Cox's childhood. His father, Charles McArdle Campbell...
) of
MycenaeMycenae , is an archaeological site in Greece, located about 90 km south-west of Athens, in the north-eastern Peloponnese. Argos is 6 km to the south; Corinth, 48 km to the north...
is in
ThessalyThessaly is one of the 13 peripheries of Greece, and is further sub-divided into 4 prefectures. The capital of the periphery and traditional geographical region is Larissa. Together with the regions of Macedonia and Thrace, it is often referred to unofficially as Northern Greece...
,
GreeceGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkan Peninsula....
, with his army looking to expand territory and influence. On the battlefield, Agamemnon's soldiers prepare to engage in combat against the army under the Thessalonian king,
TriopasIn Greek mythology, Triopas or Triops was the name of several characters, whose relations are unclear.* Triopas was one of the Heliadae, sons of Helios and Rhodus. Triopas, along with his brothers, Macar, Actis and Candalus, were jealous of a fifth brother, Tenages's, skill at science. They killed...
(
Julian GloverJulian Wyatt Glover is an English actor.-Early life:Glover was born in Hampstead, the son of Honor , a close friend of the novelist Barbara Pym, and C. Gordon Glover, a BBC radio producer. His half brother is the musician Robert Wyatt...
). Rather than suffer great losses, Triopas agrees to Agamemnon's proposal to settle the matter in the traditional way - through a decisive match between the best warriors of the opposing armies.
AchillesIn Greek mythology, Achilles was a Greek hero of the Trojan War, the central character and the greatest warrior of Homer's Iliad.Achilles also has the attributes of being the most handsome of the heroes assembled against Troy....
(
Brad PittWilliam Bradley "Brad" Pitt is an American actor and film producer. He has been cited as one of the world's most attractive men, a label that entices the media to report on his off-screen life...
) is summoned by Agamemnon, and after arriving, easily kills the Thessalonian champion Boagrius (
Nathan JonesNathan Darren Jones is an Australian actor and professional wrestler. Jones is best known for his stint with World Wrestling Entertainment, where he performed on its SmackDown brand...
). Accepting defeat, Triopas presents Achilles with a scepter as a token for his king. But Achilles refuses, saying Agamemnon is not his king.
In
SpartaSparta was a city-state in ancient Greece, situated on the River Eurotas in the southern part of the Peloponnese. From c. 650 BC it rose to become the dominant military power in the region and as such was recognized as the overall leader of the combined Greek forces during the Greco-Persian Wars...
, Prince
HectorIn Greek mythology, Hectōr , or Hektōr, is a Trojan prince and the greatest fighter for Troy in the Trojan War. As the son of Priam and Hecuba, a descendant of Dardanus, who lived under Mount Ida, and of Tros, the founder of Troy, he is a prince of the royal house. He acts as leader of the Trojans...
(
Eric BanaEric Bana is an Australian film and television actor. He began his career as a comedian in the sketch comedy series Full Frontal before gaining critical recognition in the biopic Chopper...
) and his young brother
ParisParis , the son of Priam, king of Troy, appears in a number of Greek legends. Probably the best-known was his elopement with Helen, queen of Sparta, this being one of the immediate causes of the Trojan War...
(
Orlando BloomOrlando Jonathan Blanchard Bloom is an English actor. Classically trained, he had his break-through roles in 2001 as the elf-prince Legolas in The Lord of the Rings and starting in 2003 as blacksmith Will Turner in the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy of films, and subsequently established himself...
) negotiate an end to the war between the outlying kingdom of
TroyTroy is a legendary city and center of the Trojan War, as described in the Epic Cycle and especially in the Iliad, one of the two epic poems attributed to Homer...
and Sparta. On the last day of a week-long peace festival, Paris manages to smuggle
HelenIn Greek mythology, Helen , known as Helen of Troy , was the daughter of Zeus and Leda , wife of King Menelaus of Sparta and sister of Castor, Polydeuces and Clytemnestra. Her abduction by Paris brought about the Trojan War...
(
Diane KrugerDiane Kruger is a German actress and former fashion model who gained international recognition from 2004 to 2009 for her performances in the films Troy, Wicker Park, National Treasure, Joyeux Noël and Inglourious Basterds...
),
MenelausMenelaus may refer to;*Menelaus, one of the two most known Atrides, a king of Sparta and son of Atreus and Aerope*Menelaus on the Moon, named after Menelaus of Alexandria.*Menelaus , brother of Ptolemy I Soter...
' (
Brendan GleesonBrendan Gleeson is an Irish character actor. His best-known films include the Harry Potter films, Kingdom of Heaven, Beowulf, Troy, Gangs of New York, 28 Days Later, In Bruges, Braveheart, The General, Lake Placid, and the role of Michael Collins in The Treaty.-Early life:Gleeson was born in...
) wife, back to Troy with him. Infuriated by Helen's disappearance, Menelaus vows revenge. Meanwhile, Agamemnon (Menelaus' brother), who had for years harbored plans for conquering Troy (an achievement which would give him complete control of the
Aegean SeaThe Aegean Sea is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea located between the southern Balkan and Anatolian peninsulas, i.e., between the mainlands of Greece and Turkey respectively. In the north, it is connected to the Marmara Sea and Black Sea by the Dardanelles and Bosporus...
), decides to use his brother's situation as a justification to invade Troy. He is advised by his general,
NestorIn Greek mythology, Nestor of Gerênia was the son of Neleus and Chloris, and the King of Pylos. He became king after Heracles killed Neleus and all of Nestor's brothers and sisters...
(
John ShrapnelJohn Shrapnel is an English actor.Shrapnel was born in Birmingham, the son of MaryLillian Myfanwy and Norman Shrapnel. As a stage actor, he was a member of the Royal National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company. He has also appeared extensively in film and on television in roles in...
), to call upon Achilles to fight for the
GreeksThe Greeks , also known as Hellenes, are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighbouring regions, who can also be found in diaspora communities around the world....
, ensuring they can rally enough troops to the cause.
OdysseusOdysseus or Ulysses , in Greek mythology , was a legendary Greek king of Ithaca and the hero of Homer's epic poem, The Odyssey...
(
Sean BeanShaun Mark Bean is an English film and stage actor. Bean has also acted in a number of television productions as well as performing voice work for computer games and television adverts. As an actor, he adopted the Celtic spelling "Sean" of his first name.His first successful role was his portrayal...
) is then sent to Phtia to persuade Achilles and his
MyrmidonsThe Myrmidones or Myrmidons of Greek mythology were initially the inhabitants of the island of Aegina, which is located in the Saronic Gulf in Greece about 17 km from Athens. When a plague killed all of the human inhabitants of the island, King Aeacus prayed to his father Zeus for a remedy...
to fight, and finds him training with
PatroclusIn Greek mythology, as recorded in the Iliad by Homer, Patroclus, or Patroklos , was the son of Menoetius, grandson of Actor, King of Opus, and was Achilles’ beloved comrade.- Patroclus’ genealogy :...
(
Garrett HedlundGarrett John Hedlund is an American actor known for his role in the movie Four Brothers.Hedlund was born in Roseau, Minnesota. He was discovered while attending a ProScout event in Phoenix, Arizona...
), his cousin and student. Odysseus says the fleet will be sailing to Troy in three days, and that this war will never be forgotten. Achilles consults his mother,
ThetisSilver-footed Thetis , disposer or "placer" , is encountered in Greek mythology mostly as a sea nymph, one of the fifty Nereids, daughters of the ancient one of the seas with shape-shifting abilities who survives in the historical vestiges of most later Greek myths as Proteus Silver-footed Thetis...
(
Julie ChristieJulie Frances Christie is a British actress. A pop icon of the "swinging London" era of the 1960s, she has won the Academy Award, Golden Globe, BAFTA, and Screen Actors Guild Awards.-Early life:...
), and she tells him that should he stay, he will find peace, love, and a long life, but his name will be forgotten. Should he go, he will find everlasting glory, but will die in combat. Achilles decides to go to war.
The Greeks land at Troy and take control of the beach on the first day of the war. Achilles and the
MyrmidonsThe Myrmidones or Myrmidons of Greek mythology were initially the inhabitants of the island of Aegina, which is located in the Saronic Gulf in Greece about 17 km from Athens. When a plague killed all of the human inhabitants of the island, King Aeacus prayed to his father Zeus for a remedy...
kill many Trojans and also desecrate the seaside temple of Apollo, slaying the unarmed priests that reside there. Within the temple, Achilles and Hector meet but do not fight, with Hector outnumbered but allowed to leave.
BriseisHippodameia Brisēís is a Trojan woman captured by the Greeks in the Iliad. She was first Achilles' prize of the Trojan war; he fell in love with her...
(
Rose ByrneMary Rose Byrne , best known as Rose Byrne, is an Australian actress. She has appeared in a number of feature films, including 28 Weeks Later, Troy, Sunshine, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, and Knowing, but is probably best-known for her ongoing role of Ellen Parsons in the US TV...
), a member of the Trojan royal family who has chosen to dedicate her life to service to the gods, is captured and taken as a prize to Achilles. However, he treats her with kindness, which makes her initially cautious.
Achilles and his Myrmidons do not take part in the next day's fighting because of Agamemnon's unfair claim to Briseis, but they watch the events from a distance. With the Trojan army beneath the walls of Troy and the Greek army surrounding it, Paris challenges Menelaus to a duel to settle things. Menelaus agrees, knowing he is the better warrior. Agamemnon then decides he will attack afterward anyway, regardless of the outcome. Paris, severely outmatched, is easily defeated. Wounded and terrified of dying, he crawls back to his brother's feet. Menelaus approaches and moves to finish Paris, but Hector intervenes and kills Menelaus. A shocked and enraged Agamemnon orders his army to charge the Trojans. The Greeks are easily repelled, mainly because their attack had brought them within range of the Trojan archers. Hector also killed Ajax (Tyler Mane). At the pleas of Odysseus, who realizes that the Greeks will be annihilated should they continue the fight, Agamemnon withdraws the troops.
To offer his men entertainment to assuage their bruised morale, he gives Briseis over to the encampment, where she is abused and on the verge of being raped and branded with an iron before Achilles cuts through and rescues her. He carries her back to his tent and attempts to help her with her wounds, but she still does not trust him and refuses his help. They then engage in conversation, during which Achilles reveals that he is not quite the "dumb brute" Briseis had initially assumed him to be and advises that she should enjoy the mortality of her own life, which gives her something to think on. Nonetheless, later that night, Briseis is seen pressing a knife to Achilles' throat as if to kill him in his sleep, but he quickly awakens and instead of being afraid, tells her to go ahead and "do it". She is slightly surprised at this and questions why he isn't afraid, to which he replies that since everyone dies, the timing doesn't matter much. Though he challenges her to kill him once again, Briseis seems unable to and hesitates. As she does so, Achilles slides her skirt up and kisses her passionately, she drops the knife and succumbs to his sexual advances. Early that morning, Achilles is seen watching her from a seat as she sleeps.
The next day, the Trojan council is arguing amongst themselves whether or not to directly attack the Greeks again, to conquer them once and for all. Hector, realizing that such an attack would be futile, strongly advises against it, but Priam, foolishly swayed by his priest's "bird signs" and Glaucus' convictions, gives the order. Meanwhile, Briseis and Achilles are lying in bed together, and it is inferred that Achilles is planning to leave the next day, as he had ordered Eudorus to load the ships, much to Patroclus' indignation. Briseis seems skeptical of his decision and asks him if he could really "leave this all behind", to which he asks if she could "leave Troy".
The Trojans launch a surprise attack on the Greek camp just before dawn. As the Greeks seem to be on the verge of defeat, Achilles appears with the Myrmidons, and joins the battle. He brings courage to the Greeks, and eventually fights man-to-man against Hector. The Myrmidons are shocked by Achilles apparently being outmatched by Hector, and having his throat cut. This energizes the Trojans and dismays the Greeks. Hector kneels and pulls Achilles' helmet off, and finds it is actually
PatroclusIn Greek mythology, as recorded in the Iliad by Homer, Patroclus, or Patroklos , was the son of Menoetius, grandson of Actor, King of Opus, and was Achilles’ beloved comrade.- Patroclus’ genealogy :...
(
Garrett HedlundGarrett John Hedlund is an American actor known for his role in the movie Four Brothers.Hedlund was born in Roseau, Minnesota. He was discovered while attending a ProScout event in Phoenix, Arizona...
) who he has killed, not Achilles. Grieved at having slain someone so young, Hector gives him a killing blow out of mercy. Both armies agree to end fighting for the day, and Odysseus informs Hector of the boy's identity. Achilles, who had slept through the battle, is told by Eudorus of his cousin's death. The Myrmidons had also mistaken Patroclus for Achilles, since he had put on the same armour, and moved with a near identical fighting style: Achilles furiously vows revenge. Later that night, Achilles leads the funeral ceremony, complete with a
funeral pyre"Funeral Pyre" was the The Jam's thirteenth single released on 6 June 1981. Backed by the B-side "Disguises", a cover of a Who track, it reached #4 in the UK Singles chart....
. In Troy, Hector, fearful of a Greek attack taking the city, shows his wife
AndromacheIn Greek mythology, Andromache was the wife of Hector and daughter of Eetion, and sister to Podes. She was born and raised in the city of Cilician Thebe, over which her father ruled...
(Saffron Burrows) a secret tunnel out of the city, telling her to use it if Troy falls, since he doesn't want to see his young son murdered and his wife taken as a Greek slave. He also tells her to try and get as many to safety as she can.
The next day, an enraged Achilles approaches the gates of Troy alone and demands Hector to come out and face him. Hector requests a pact that the loser be given proper funeral rites by the winner, which is angrily refused by Achilles, with him saying " There are no pacts between lions and men." The pair fight a fierce duel but in the end Achilles kills Hector, and then ties the body to the back of his chariot, callously dragging it back to the Greek camp. That night, King Priam visits the Greek army's camp to retrieve Hector's body. After an emotional talk given to him by Priam (
Peter O'ToolePeter Seamus O'Toole is an actor of stage and screen who achieved stardom in 1962 playing T. E. Lawrence in Lawrence of Arabia. He went on to become a highly-honored film and stage actor. He has been nominated for eight Academy Awards...
), Achilles breaks down into tears near Hector's body. He lets Priam take Hector's body back, promising him that no Greek will attack Troy for twelve days in order to give time for the proper funeral rites to be performed on the prince, also saying that Hector was the best he'd fought. Achilles lets Priam take Briseis back as well, and gives her the shell necklace Thetis had made for him. He later makes amends with Eudorus (whom he had beaten and almost killed over the death of Patroclus), and gives him one last order: to take the Myrmidons home.
During the 12 days that Troy mourns Hector's death, the Greeks plan to enter the city using a hollowed-out
wooden horseThe Trojan Horse was a tale from the Trojan War, as told in Virgil's Latin epic poem The Aeneid. The events in this story from the Bronze Age took place after Homer's Iliad, and before Homer's Odyssey. It was the stratagem that allowed the Greeks finally to enter the city of Troy and end the...
, devised by Odysseus. The Greeks leave the horse at the location of their camp, then withdraw to the beach hiding in their ships behind a nearby island. Paris warns Priam about the dangers of the horse, and says they should burn it. However, Priam neglects his warning and is blinded by the priests' talk of the horse being a "peace offering from the Greeks", in order to appease the god
PoseidonIn Greek mythology, Poseidon was the god of the sea and, as "Earth-Shaker," of earthquakes. The name of the sea-god Nethuns in Etruscan was adopted in Latin for Neptune in Roman mythology: both were sea gods analogous to Poseidon...
for a safe passage home during their retreat. Assuming victory, the Trojans take the horse into the city and celebrate. A band of Greeks come out of the horse at night, killing the guards and opening the gates to the city, allowing the main army outside the city to enter. Without the defenses provided by its walls, the outnumbered and unprepared Trojan resistance is overwhelmed. Troy is sacked, and King Priam is killed by Agamemnon.
Achilles frantically searches for Briseis, who is at the shrine of Apollo being threatened by Agamemnon. She kills him with a concealed knife, and is saved from Agamemnon's guards by Achilles. Achilles kneels down to help her up. Paris, who is looking for Briseis, sees Achilles and Briseis and shoots an arrow that strikes Achilles in his legendary heel. Crippled, he turns to face him but is hit in the chest by several more arrows, despite fervent pleas from Briseis. Achilles manages to remove all but one of the arrows, the one in his heel. The wounds are fatal, and after a final passionate kiss and teary farewell, Achilles urges Briseis to join Paris as they escape the city through a secret passage. Achilles watches them go and finally falls over in death with his heel still pierced by the arrow.
After a disorganized and futile attempt by surviving Trojan soldiers to repel the invaders, the battle ends and the Greeks storm the inner palace only to find that Achilles has died just a few moments earlier (but only after he had removed all the arrows from his chest). Funeral rituals are performed for him the next morning in the ruins of Troy. The movie ends with Odysseus delivering the final words: "If they ever tell my story, let them say I walked with giants. Men rise and fall like the winter wheat, but these names will never die. Let them say I lived in the time of Hector, tamer of horses. Let them say I lived in the time of Achilles."
Reaction
When the film was completed, total production costs were approximately $185,000,000. This makes
Troy one of the
most expensive films made in modern cinema. Unadjusted for inflation,
Troy is number 13 on the all time list of most expensive films and, when adjusted for inflation, it is number 16.
Troy screenings have earned $133 million (US$133,378,256) in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Having cost $180 million to make, the film was a disappointment in the US. Many critics anticipated that it would flop as
Troy barely missed the $50 million mark on its opening US weekend and wrote off the film.
Troy was among the several historical epics released in 2004 that disappointed, such as
AlexanderAlexander is a 2004 epic film, based on the life of Alexander the Great. It was directed by Oliver Stone, with Colin Farrell in the title role....
,
The AlamoThe Alamo is a 2004 American war film about the Battle of the Alamo during the Texas Revolution. It is the second major studio film about the battle, following John Wayne's 1960 film of the same name. The film was directed by Texan director John Lee Hancock, and produced by Ron Howard, Brian...
and
King ArthurKing Arthur is a film directed by Antoine Fuqua and written by David Franzoni. It stars Clive Owen as the title character, Ioan Gruffudd as Lancelot, and Keira Knightley as Guenivere....
, although it fared better than those films.
However,
Troy was a financial success at the international box office, making more than 73% of its revenues outside of the U.S. Eventually,
Troy made over US$497 million dollars worldwide, placing it in the #60 spot of top box office hits of all time. This places the film 17 spots above
GladiatorGladiator is a 2000 British and American epic film directed by Ridley Scott, starring Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Oliver Reed, Djimon Hounsou, Derek Jacobi, and Richard Harris. Crowe portrays General Maximus Decimus Meridius, favorite of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius who is...
(#77) and approximately 20 spots above
300300 is a American action film adaptation of the graphic novel of the same name by Frank Miller, and is a fictionalized retelling of the Battle of Thermopylae. The film was directed by Zack Snyder, while Miller served as executive producer and consultant...
(#80) in the all-time worldwide box office.
Troy met mixed reactions by reviewers.
Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films. The name derives from the historical cliché of throwing tomatoes and other produce at stage performers if a performance was particularly bad.- History :...
gave it an average approval rating of 55% from a base of 215 reviews, while
Yahoo! MoviesYahoo! Movies, provided by the Yahoo! network, is home to a large collection of information on movies, past and new releases, trailers and clips, box office information, and showtimes and movie theater information. Yahoo! Movies also includes red carpet photos, actor galleries, and production stills...
gave it a critic rating of "B-" (although that was based on 15 Critical Reviews).
Roger EbertRoger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter.He is known for his film review column and for two television programs Sneak Previews and Siskel & Ebert at the Movies, which he co-hosted for a combined 23 years with Gene Siskel...
, who disliked what he saw as an unfaithful adaptation of the
Iliad, gave it two stars out of four Ebert claimed that
Troy "sidesteps the existence of the Greek gods, turns its heroes into action movie clichés and demonstrates that we're getting tired of computer-generated armies."
Box office totals
- Budget - $175,000,000
- Marketing cost - $50,000,000
- Opening Weekend Gross (Domestic) - $46,865,412
- Total Domestic Grosses - $133,378,256
- Total Overseas Grosses - $364,031,596
- Total Worldwide Grosses - $497,409,852
Cast
| Actor | Role | Famous Line | Status |
|---|
| |Greeks |
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Brad PittWilliam Bradley "Brad" Pitt is an American actor and film producer. He has been cited as one of the world's most attractive men, a label that entices the media to report on his off-screen life...
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AchillesIn Greek mythology, Achilles was a Greek hero of the Trojan War, the central character and the greatest warrior of Homer's Iliad.Achilles also has the attributes of being the most handsome of the heroes assembled against Troy....
- Son of Peleus of Phtia-Greece and Thetis. Lord of the Myrmidons and considered the greatest warrior of his time. |
Myrmidons! My brothers of the sword. I'd rather fight beside you than any army of thousands. Let no man forget how menacing we are. We are lions! Do you know what's there, waiting beyond that beach? Immortality! Take it! It's yours! |
Killed by Paris in the sacking of Troy. |
Brian CoxBrian Denis Cox, CBE is a Scottish actor.-Early life:Cox was born in Dundee, Scotland, the youngest of five children. His mother, Mary Ann Guillerline , was a spinner who worked in the jute mills and suffered several nervous breakdowns during Cox's childhood. His father, Charles McArdle Campbell...
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AgamemnonIn Greek mythology, Agamemnon / is the son of King Atreus of Mycenae and Queen Aerope; the brother of Menelaus and the husband of Clytemnestra; different mythological versions make him the king either of Mycenae or of Argos...
- King of Mycenae-Greece, brother of Menelaus and ruler of all Greeks. Referred to as the "King of Kings". |
History remembers kings, not soldiers! |
Killed by Briseis in the sacking of Troy. |
Diane KrugerDiane Kruger is a German actress and former fashion model who gained international recognition from 2004 to 2009 for her performances in the films Troy, Wicker Park, National Treasure, Joyeux Noël and Inglourious Basterds...
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HelenIn Greek mythology, Helen , known as Helen of Troy , was the daughter of Zeus and Leda , wife of King Menelaus of Sparta and sister of Castor, Polydeuces and Clytemnestra. Her abduction by Paris brought about the Trojan War...
- Queen of Sparta-Greece and wife of Menelaus. Lover of Paris. |
I'm not afraid of dying, I'm afraid of tomorrow. |
Survived the Trojan war. |
Sean BeanShaun Mark Bean is an English film and stage actor. Bean has also acted in a number of television productions as well as performing voice work for computer games and television adverts. As an actor, he adopted the Celtic spelling "Sean" of his first name.His first successful role was his portrayal...
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OdysseusOdysseus or Ulysses , in Greek mythology , was a legendary Greek king of Ithaca and the hero of Homer's epic poem, The Odyssey...
- King of Ithaca-Greece and friend of Achilles. Considered the wisest among the Greeks. |
This war will never be forgotten. Nor will the heroes who fight in it. |
Survived the Trojan war. |
| Brendan Gleeson Brendan Gleeson is an Irish character actor. His best-known films include the Harry Potter films, Kingdom of Heaven, Beowulf, Troy, Gangs of New York, 28 Days Later, In Bruges, Braveheart, The General, Lake Placid, and the role of Michael Collins in The Treaty.-Early life:Gleeson was born in...
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Menelaus Menelaus may refer to;*Menelaus, one of the two most known Atrides, a king of Sparta and son of Atreus and Aerope*Menelaus on the Moon, named after Menelaus of Alexandria.*Menelaus , brother of Ptolemy I Soter...
- King of Sparta-Greece and husband of Helen. Brother of Agamemnon. |
Prince? What prince? What son of a king would accept a man's hospitality, eat his food, drink his wine, embrace him in friendship and then steal his wife in the middle of the night? |
Killed by Hector in the Trojan war. |
| Garrett Hedlund Garrett John Hedlund is an American actor known for his role in the movie Four Brothers.Hedlund was born in Roseau, Minnesota. He was discovered while attending a ProScout event in Phoenix, Arizona...
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PatroclusIn Greek mythology, as recorded in the Iliad by Homer, Patroclus, or Patroklos , was the son of Menoetius, grandson of Actor, King of Opus, and was Achilles’ beloved comrade.- Patroclus’ genealogy :...
- Cousin and student of Achilles. |
Soldiers obey. |
Killed by Hector in the Trojan war. |
| Tyler Mane |
Ajax - King of Salamis-Greece. Second to Achilles among the Greeks in terms of fighting skills. |
Row, you lazy whores, row! Greeks are dying! Row! |
Killed by Hector in the Trojan war. |
| John Shrapnel John Shrapnel is an English actor.Shrapnel was born in Birmingham, the son of MaryLillian Myfanwy and Norman Shrapnel. As a stage actor, he was a member of the Royal National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company. He has also appeared extensively in film and on television in roles in...
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Nestor In Greek mythology, Nestor of Gerênia was the son of Neleus and Chloris, and the King of Pylos. He became king after Heracles killed Neleus and all of Nestor's brothers and sisters...
- Adviser of Agamemnon. |
This will be the greatest war the world has ever seen. We need the greatest warrior. |
Survived (not shown) the Trojan war. |
| Vincent Regan Vincent Regan is a British film and television actor.-Career:Regan has over 15 stage roles to his credit, most recently as Achilles in Troilus and Cressida at the Edinburgh International Festival. In association with The Royal Shakespeare Company, the festival presented director Peter Stein's...
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Eudorus - Captain of the Myrmidons. |
Apollo sees everything. Perhaps, perhaps it is not wise to offend him. |
Returned to Phtia-Greece (not shown) before the Trojan war ends. |
Julie ChristieJulie Frances Christie is a British actress. A pop icon of the "swinging London" era of the 1960s, she has won the Academy Award, Golden Globe, BAFTA, and Screen Actors Guild Awards.-Early life:...
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Thetis Silver-footed Thetis , disposer or "placer" , is encountered in Greek mythology mostly as a sea nymph, one of the fifty Nereids, daughters of the ancient one of the seas with shape-shifting abilities who survives in the historical vestiges of most later Greek myths as Proteus Silver-footed Thetis...
* - Mother of Achilles. |
If you go to Troy, glory will be yours. They will write stories about your victories for thousands of years. The world will remember your name. But if you go to Troy, you will never come home. For your glory walks hand-in-hand with your doom. And I shall never see you again. |
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| Ken Bones Ken Bones is a British actor best known for his television, film and stage appearances. He is a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company.His first television appearance was in 1980 in an episode of Fox as Kemble. Bones played Sergeant Parkes in an episode of Spearhead , Paul Roussillon in Bergerac ,...
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Hippasus Hippasus of Metapontum in Magna Graecia, was a Pythagorean philosopher. Little is known about his life or his beliefs, but he is sometimes credited with the discovery of the existence of irrational numbers.-Life:...
* - Adviser of Menelaus. |
My king, she left with the Trojans. The fisherman here saw her board their ship. |
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| Julian Glover Julian Wyatt Glover is an English actor.-Early life:Glover was born in Hampstead, the son of Honor , a close friend of the novelist Barbara Pym, and C. Gordon Glover, a BBC radio producer. His half brother is the musician Robert Wyatt...
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Triopas In Greek mythology, Triopas or Triops was the name of several characters, whose relations are unclear.* Triopas was one of the Heliadae, sons of Helios and Rhodus. Triopas, along with his brothers, Macar, Actis and Candalus, were jealous of a fifth brother, Tenages's, skill at science. They killed...
- King of Thessaly-Greece. |
The ruler of Thessaly carries this scepter. Give it to your king. |
Survived (not shown) the Trojan war. |
Nathan JonesNathan Darren Jones is an Australian actor and professional wrestler. Jones is best known for his stint with World Wrestling Entertainment, where he performed on its SmackDown brand...
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Boagrius - Thessalonian champion. |
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Killed by Achilles in the Thessalonian war. |
| Siri Svegler |
Polydora - Greek mythology :In Greek mythology, Polydora was a name attributed to several individuals:* Polydora was the daughter of either Peleus and Antigone, or Perieres and Gorgophone. An affair with Spercheus led to the birth of Menesthius; she also had an affair with Peleus. Her husband was Borus.*...
- Spartan entertainer. |
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| Adoni Maropis Adoni Maropis is an American actor.Maropis was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the middle son of Greek American parents Dr. Petro S. Maropis and Despina Maropis and has two brothers, older brother Sam and younger brother Chris, who he is close to...
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Agamemnon's officer |
My king, Achilles is not with the army. |
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| Jacob Smith Jonathan Jacob Charles William Smith is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his role in the film Cheaper by the Dozen and its 2005 sequel.-Personal life:...
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Messenger boy |
Are stories about you true? They say your mother is an immortal goddess. They say you can't be killed. |
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| Manuel Cauchi |
Old Spartan fisherman |
With the young prince Paris. She... |
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| Lucie Barat Lucie Barât is a British actress, songwriter and musician. She is the lead singer of rock group The Fay Wrays.The sister of successful guitarist and singer Carl Barât of The Libertines and Dirty Pretty Things, Barât won a scholarship to drama school as a teenager...
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Helen's handmaiden |
Who, my king? |
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Eric BanaEric Bana is an Australian film and television actor. He began his career as a comedian in the sketch comedy series Full Frontal before gaining critical recognition in the biopic Chopper...
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HectorIn Greek mythology, Hectōr , or Hektōr, is a Trojan prince and the greatest fighter for Troy in the Trojan War. As the son of Priam and Hecuba, a descendant of Dardanus, who lived under Mount Ida, and of Tros, the founder of Troy, he is a prince of the royal house. He acts as leader of the Trojans...
- Prince of Troy and the best among the Trojans. Eldest son of Priam, brother of Paris and husband of Andromache. |
Trojans! All my life, I've lived by a code. And the code is simple. Honor the gods, love your woman and defend your country! Troy is mother to us all! Fight for her! |
Killed by Achilles in the Trojan war. |
Orlando BloomOrlando Jonathan Blanchard Bloom is an English actor. Classically trained, he had his break-through roles in 2001 as the elf-prince Legolas in The Lord of the Rings and starting in 2003 as blacksmith Will Turner in the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy of films, and subsequently established himself...
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ParisParis , the son of Priam, king of Troy, appears in a number of Greek legends. Probably the best-known was his elopement with Helen, queen of Sparta, this being one of the immediate causes of the Trojan War...
- Prince of Troy. Youngest son of Priam, brother of Hector and lover of Helen. |
If you come, we'll never be safe. Men will hunt us, the gods will curse us. But I'll love you. Until the day they burn my body, I will love you. |
Survived the Trojan war. |
Peter O'ToolePeter Seamus O'Toole is an actor of stage and screen who achieved stardom in 1962 playing T. E. Lawrence in Lawrence of Arabia. He went on to become a highly-honored film and stage actor. He has been nominated for eight Academy Awards...
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PriamIn Greek mythology, Priam was the king of Troy during the Trojan War and youngest son of Laomedon. Modern scholars derive his name from the Luwian compound Priimuua, which means "exceptionally courageous"....
- King of Troy and father of Hector and Paris. |
I've fought many wars in my time. Some I've fought for land, some for power, some for glory. I suppose fighting for love makes more sense than all the rest. |
Killed by Agamemnon in the sacking of Troy. |
Rose ByrneMary Rose Byrne , best known as Rose Byrne, is an Australian actress. She has appeared in a number of feature films, including 28 Weeks Later, Troy, Sunshine, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, and Knowing, but is probably best-known for her ongoing role of Ellen Parsons in the US TV...
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Briseis Hippodameia Brisēís is a Trojan woman captured by the Greeks in the Iliad. She was first Achilles' prize of the Trojan war; he fell in love with her...
- Priestess of Apollo and cousin of Hector and Paris. Lover of Achilles. |
Stop! Too many people have died today. If killing is your only talent, that's your curse. |
Survived the Trojan war. |
| Saffron Burrows Saffron Domini Burrows is an English actress and former fashion model. She also starred in the 2008 NBC series, My Own Worst Enemy.-Early life:...
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Andromache In Greek mythology, Andromache was the wife of Hector and daughter of Eetion, and sister to Podes. She was born and raised in the city of Cilician Thebe, over which her father ruled...
- Princess of Troy and wife of Hector. |
Fifty-thousand Greeks didn't cross the sea to watch your brother fight. You know this. |
Survived the Trojan war. |
James CosmoJames Cosmo is a prolific Scottish actor, with numerous credits in film and television since the late 1960s and Cosmo is still currently acting. Cosmo was born in Clydebank, Scotland, the son of actor James Copeland...
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Glaucus Glaucus was a son of Hippolochus and a grandson of Bellerophon. He was a captain in the Lycian army under the command of his close friend and cousin Sarpedon. The Lycians in the Trojan War were allies of Troy...
- Commanding general of the Trojan army. |
The boatman waits for us. I say, we make him wait a little longer! |
Killed by Odysseus in the sacking of Troy. |
Nigel TerryNigel Terry is a British stage and film actor probably best known by movie audiences for his portrayal of King Arthur in John Boorman's Excalibur . However, he has had a long career in classical theatre....
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Archeptolemus - Trojan high priest and adviser of Priam. |
The desecration of his temple angers Apollo. The gods have cursed the Greeks. |
Killed by Greek soldiers in the sacking of Troy. |
Trevor EveTrevor John Eve is a British film and television actor. In 1979 he gained fame as the eponymous lead in the detective series Shoestring, and is currently best known for his role as Detective Superintendent Peter Boyd in BBC television drama Waking the Dead.-Early life:Eve was born in Birmingham...
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Velior* - Trojan priest. |
Burn it? My prince, it's a gift to the gods. |
Killed by Greek soldiers (not shown) in the sacking of Troy. |
Mark Lewis JonesMark Lewis Jones is a Welsh actor, whose roles include that of a police inspector in BBC drama series, 55 Degrees North, a whaler in the movie, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World , and Tecton, a soldier in Troy....
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Tecton - Trojan soldier. |
Waiting at the city gates. |
Killed by Achilles in the Trojan war. |
| Owain Yeoman Owain Yeoman is a Welsh actor. His credits include the American series, The Nine, Kitchen Confidential and the critically acclaimed HBO series Generation Kill. He currently appears as Agent Wayne Rigsby in The Mentalist.Yeoman made his film debut as Lysander in the film Troy...
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Lysander Lysander was a Spartan general who commanded the Spartan fleet in the Hellespont which defeated the Athenians at Aegospotami in 405 BC...
- Trojan soldier. |
Would they have done the same for us? |
Killed by Greek soldiers (not shown) in the sacking of Troy. |
| Frankie Fitzgerald Frankie Fitzgerald is a British actor who played Ashley Cotton in EastEnders Jason Porter - main character of the last series of the drama Dream Team on Sky1. Fitzgerald was born in South London...
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AeneasIn Greco-Roman mythology, Aeneas was a Trojan hero, the son of prince Anchises and the goddess Venus. His father was also the second cousin of King Priam of Troy. The journey of Aeneas from Troy, which led to the founding of the city Rome, is recounted in Virgil's Aeneid...
- Trojan youth. |
I will. |
Survived the Trojan war. |
| |Others |
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| Shero Rauf Shero Rauf is a Kurdish-Iraqi actor and stuntman. He is the first Kurdish Iraqi person to work as an actor, stuntman, 3D visual effects animator, lead artist, and assistant director in Hollywood movies.[IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1941475/bio ]-Career:His first step in his career was in 2002...
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Trojan Archer (stunt actor) |
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| Ben Crompton Ben Crompton is an English actor, best known as one of the stars of the BBC sketch show Man Stroke Woman. In addition he appears as Colin in the BBC Three sitcom Ideal with Johnny Vegas...
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Body double A body double is a general term for someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character in any recorded visual medium, whether videotape or film. The term is most commonly used in the context of head-to-toe shots involving nudity. More specific terms are often used in special cases; a...
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( * ) - Unnamed in the film. Reference to the character's name is based on
The Iliad or other poems of the Epic Cycle.
Main differences between the original Greek myth and the film
- According to the myths, Zeus
In Greek mythology, Zeus is the king of the gods, the ruler of Mount Olympus and the god of the sky and thunder. His symbols are the thunderbolt, eagle, bull, and oak. In addition to his Indo-European inheritance, the classical "cloud-gatherer" also derives certain iconographic traits from the...
, AthenaIn Greek mythology, Athena is the goddess of wisdom, peace, warfare, strategy, handicrafts and reason, shrewd companion of heroes and the goddess of heroic endeavour...
, ApolloIn Greek and Roman mythology, Apollo , is one of the most important and many-sided of the Olympian deities...
, HeraIn the Olympian pantheon of classical Greek Mythology, Hera or Here was the wife and older sister of Zeus. Her chief function was as goddess of women and marriage. In Roman mythology, Juno was the equivalent mythical character. The cow, and later, the peacock were sacred to her...
, AphroditeAphrodite is the Greek goddess of love, beauty and raw sexuality. According to Greek poet Hesiod, she was born when Cronus cut off Ouranos's genitals and threw them into the sea, and from the aphros arose Aphrodite.Because of her beauty other gods feared that jealousy would interrupt the peace...
and PoseidonIn Greek mythology, Poseidon was the god of the sea and, as "Earth-Shaker," of earthquakes. The name of the sea-god Nethuns in Etruscan was adopted in Latin for Neptune in Roman mythology: both were sea gods analogous to Poseidon...
all played active parts in the Trojan WarIn Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans after Paris of Troy stole Helen from her husband Menelaus, the king of Sparta. The war is among the most important events in Greek mythology and was narrated in many works of Greek literature, including the Iliad...
. The film presents rites of Greek polytheism, including libationA libation is a ritual pouring of a drink as an offering to a god. It was common in the religions of antiquity, including Judaism:...
, prayerPrayer is the act of addressing a god or spirit for the purpose of worship or petition. Specific forms of this may include praise, requesting guidance or assistance, confessing sins, as an act of reparation or an expression of one's thoughts and emotions...
and Charon's obolCharon's obol is an allusive term for the coin placed in or on the mouth of a dead person before burial.The custom is primarily associated with the ancient Greeks and Romans, but examples are found also in the Near East, and later in Western Europe, particularly in the regions inhabited by Celts...
(anachronistically, since coinA coin is a piece of hard material, usually metal or a metallic material and sometimes made of synthetic materials, usually in the shape of a disc, and most often issued by a government. Coins are used as a form of money in transactions of various kinds, from the everyday circulation coins to the...
age comes into use only 600 years later), but it does not show the gods as real or actively intervening. Achilles' mother ThetisSilver-footed Thetis , disposer or "placer" , is encountered in Greek mythology mostly as a sea nymph, one of the fifty Nereids, daughters of the ancient one of the seas with shape-shifting abilities who survives in the historical vestiges of most later Greek myths as Proteus Silver-footed Thetis...
is presented as a human woman.
- The Judgement of Paris
The Judgement of Paris is a story from Greek mythology, which was one of the events that led up to the Trojan War and to the foundation of Rome.-Sources of the episode:...
is not mentioned. This was the impetus for the relationship between Paris and Helen, making it the catalyst for the entire war.
- The opening scene in Thessaly
Thessaly is one of the 13 peripheries of Greece, and is further sub-divided into 4 prefectures. The capital of the periphery and traditional geographical region is Larissa. Together with the regions of Macedonia and Thrace, it is often referred to unofficially as Northern Greece...
is not mentioned in the IliadThe Iliad is an epic poem recounting significant events during a portion of the final year of the Trojan War — the Greek siege of the city of Ilion — hence the title...
, nor are the king Triopas or the hero Boagrius.
- The Oath of Tyndareos is not referred to. This oath, an idea by Odysseus
Odysseus or Ulysses , in Greek mythology , was a legendary Greek king of Ithaca and the hero of Homer's epic poem, The Odyssey...
, was sworn by all the suitors of HelenIn Greek mythology, Helen , known as Helen of Troy , was the daughter of Zeus and Leda , wife of King Menelaus of Sparta and sister of Castor, Polydeuces and Clytemnestra. Her abduction by Paris brought about the Trojan War...
prior to her marriage to MenelausMenelaus may refer to;*Menelaus, one of the two most known Atrides, a king of Sparta and son of Atreus and Aerope*Menelaus on the Moon, named after Menelaus of Alexandria.*Menelaus , brother of Ptolemy I Soter...
. The oath demanded that all rejected suitors would unite for revenge if Helen was ever taken by another. The omission of this helps portray the invasion of IliosILIOS is an acronym of InterLink Internet Operating System. It is an attempt to create a router-only operating system; one specifically oriented towards computer networking purposes, especially routing. It supports IPv4 routing and is a good educational OS, though it is single tasking and does...
as nothing more than a grab for power by Agamemnon.
- Sparta
Sparta was a city-state in ancient Greece, situated on the River Eurotas in the southern part of the Peloponnese. From c. 650 BC it rose to become the dominant military power in the region and as such was recognized as the overall leader of the combined Greek forces during the Greco-Persian Wars...
has no harbour; it is situated well inland, although on the Eurotas RiverThe Eurotas or Evrotas is a river in the Peloponnese in southern Greece. The river rises in the Taygetos mountains and flows for 82 km. It flows through the city of Sparta and empties into the Laconic Gulf...
.
- Odysseus
Odysseus or Ulysses , in Greek mythology , was a legendary Greek king of Ithaca and the hero of Homer's epic poem, The Odyssey...
finds AchillesIn Greek mythology, Achilles was a Greek hero of the Trojan War, the central character and the greatest warrior of Homer's Iliad.Achilles also has the attributes of being the most handsome of the heroes assembled against Troy....
sparring with PatroclusIn Greek mythology, as recorded in the Iliad by Homer, Patroclus, or Patroklos , was the son of Menoetius, grandson of Actor, King of Opus, and was Achilles’ beloved comrade.- Patroclus’ genealogy :...
, though some versions of the myth state that AchillesIn Greek mythology, Achilles was a Greek hero of the Trojan War, the central character and the greatest warrior of Homer's Iliad.Achilles also has the attributes of being the most handsome of the heroes assembled against Troy....
was hiding (disguised as a woman) at Scyros on the orders of his motherSilver-footed Thetis , disposer or "placer" , is encountered in Greek mythology mostly as a sea nymph, one of the fifty Nereids, daughters of the ancient one of the seas with shape-shifting abilities who survives in the historical vestiges of most later Greek myths as Proteus Silver-footed Thetis...
.
- The movie character Briseis
Hippodameia Brisēís is a Trojan woman captured by the Greeks in the Iliad. She was first Achilles' prize of the Trojan war; he fell in love with her...
is a composite amalgamation of IliadThe Iliad is an epic poem recounting significant events during a portion of the final year of the Trojan War — the Greek siege of the city of Ilion — hence the title...
characters BriseisHippodameia Brisēís is a Trojan woman captured by the Greeks in the Iliad. She was first Achilles' prize of the Trojan war; he fell in love with her...
, ChryseisIn Greek mythology, Chryseis was a Trojan woman, the daughter of Chryses. Chryseis, her apparent name in the Iliad, means simply "Chryses' daughter"; later writers give her real name as Astynome....
, and CassandraIn Greek mythology, Cassandra was the daughter of King Priam and Queen Hecuba of Troy. Her beauty caused Apollo to grant her the gift of prophecy...
and another character from mythology surrounding the war, Polyxena.
- Menelaus
Menelaus may refer to;*Menelaus, one of the two most known Atrides, a king of Sparta and son of Atreus and Aerope*Menelaus on the Moon, named after Menelaus of Alexandria.*Menelaus , brother of Ptolemy I Soter...
is not killed by HectorIn Greek mythology, Hectōr , or Hektōr, is a Trojan prince and the greatest fighter for Troy in the Trojan War. As the son of Priam and Hecuba, a descendant of Dardanus, who lived under Mount Ida, and of Tros, the founder of Troy, he is a prince of the royal house. He acts as leader of the Trojans...
in the Iliad. He is one of the few leaders to survive the war and returns to live with his retrieved wife HelenIn Greek mythology, Helen , known as Helen of Troy , was the daughter of Zeus and Leda , wife of King Menelaus of Sparta and sister of Castor, Polydeuces and Clytemnestra. Her abduction by Paris brought about the Trojan War...
"happily ever after".
- Although Menelaus and Paris did engage in single combat, it was at the behest of Menelaus. As Menelaus was about to win the fight, Aphrodite
Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of love, beauty and raw sexuality. According to Greek poet Hesiod, she was born when Cronus cut off Ouranos's genitals and threw them into the sea, and from the aphros arose Aphrodite.Because of her beauty other gods feared that jealousy would interrupt the peace...
snatched Paris from combat "under a cloud of darkness" and placed him safely inside Troy.
- Agamemnon
In Greek mythology, Agamemnon / is the son of King Atreus of Mycenae and Queen Aerope; the brother of Menelaus and the husband of Clytemnestra; different mythological versions make him the king either of Mycenae or of Argos...
does not die at TroyTroy is a legendary city and center of the Trojan War, as described in the Epic Cycle and especially in the Iliad, one of the two epic poems attributed to Homer...
. He survives and returns to MycenaeMycenae , is an archaeological site in Greece, located about 90 km south-west of Athens, in the north-eastern Peloponnese. Argos is 6 km to the south; Corinth, 48 km to the north...
where he is murdered by his wife ClytemnestraClytemnestra is the traditional, but mistaken, English form for what is properly "Clytaemestra". "Her name in Greek is Klutaiméstra . . . the form with μν first appeared in the middle Byzantine period . . . and is due to a false etymological connection with μναoμαι 'woo, court'. Aeschylus . ....
, as referred to in HomerHomer is a legendary ancient Greek epic poet, traditionally said to be the author of the epic poems the Iliad and the Odyssey...
's OdysseyThe Odyssey is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is, in part, a sequel to the Iliad, the other work traditionally ascribed to Homer. The poem is fundamental to the modern Western canon. Indeed it is the second—the Iliad being the first—extant work of...
, AeschylusAeschylus was an ancient Greek playwright. He is often recognized as the father of tragedy, and is the earliest of the three Greek tragedians whose plays survive, the others being Sophocles and Euripides...
' Oresteia trilogy, and in SophoclesSophocles was the second of the three ancient Greek tragedians whose work has survived. His first plays were written later than those of Aeschylus and earlier than those of Euripides...
' ElectraIn Greek mythology, Electra was an Argive princess and daughter of King Agamemnon and Queen Clytemnestra, and was a sibling to sisters Iphigeneia, Chrysothemis, and brother Orestes...
. However the manner in which he dies in the movie is reminiscent of the manner described in the aforementioned plays.
- Patroclus
In Greek mythology, as recorded in the Iliad by Homer, Patroclus, or Patroklos , was the son of Menoetius, grandson of Actor, King of Opus, and was Achilles’ beloved comrade.- Patroclus’ genealogy :...
does not lead the MyrmidonsThe Myrmidones or Myrmidons of Greek mythology were initially the inhabitants of the island of Aegina, which is located in the Saronic Gulf in Greece about 17 km from Athens. When a plague killed all of the human inhabitants of the island, King Aeacus prayed to his father Zeus for a remedy...
on foot; instead, he rides a chariot drawn by Balius and XanthusIn Greek mythology, Balius and Xanthus were two immortal horses, the offspring of the harpy Podarge and the West wind, Zephyros In Greek mythology, Balius (Βάλιος, possibly meaning "dappled") and Xanthus (Ξάνθος, "blonde") were two immortal horses, the offspring of the harpy Podarge and the West...
, Achilles' godly horses (after Patroclus was killed, the horses were reprimanded by Achilles for allowing Patroclus' death).
- Achilles knew of Patroculus' intentions to fight beforehand, and allows him to lead the Myrmidons in his place, lending him his armour and telling him to return after the Trojans are pushed back from Greek ships instead of pursuing them further.
- The body of Patroclus is not given over to the Greeks by the Trojans; the fight over the body takes the entirety of Book XVII of The Iliad
The Iliad is an epic poem recounting significant events during a portion of the final year of the Trojan War — the Greek siege of the city of Ilion — hence the title...
.
- Patroclus is Achilles tentmate, not his cousin. A tentmate as defined by the Greeks is a close friend, war comrade and maybe lover. The Illiad does not explicitly state that Patroclus' and Achilles' relationship is anything more than platonic though.
- Patroclus is older than Achilles, while the film shows him as much younger
- Patroclus' funeral pyre
A pyre is a structure, usually made of wood, for burning a body as part of a funeral rite. As a form of cremation, a body is placed upon the pyre which is then set on fire. Pyre is wood used for burning.Traditionally, pyres are used for the cremation of the deceased in Hinduism & Sikhism...
is not burnt until after HectorIn Greek mythology, Hectōr , or Hektōr, is a Trojan prince and the greatest fighter for Troy in the Trojan War. As the son of Priam and Hecuba, a descendant of Dardanus, who lived under Mount Ida, and of Tros, the founder of Troy, he is a prince of the royal house. He acts as leader of the Trojans...
has been killed. After killing Hector, Achilles drags the dead body back to the body of Patroclus as a sign of vengeance.
- Hector
In Greek mythology, Hectōr , or Hektōr, is a Trojan prince and the greatest fighter for Troy in the Trojan War. As the son of Priam and Hecuba, a descendant of Dardanus, who lived under Mount Ida, and of Tros, the founder of Troy, he is a prince of the royal house. He acts as leader of the Trojans...
does not readily engage in combat with Achilles. As the Trojans are retreating into the wall, Hector stays outside to engage Achilles, but as Achilles runs towards him, he panics and flees. As the city's gates have already been closed, Hector runs around the city three times before AthenaIn Greek mythology, Athena is the goddess of wisdom, peace, warfare, strategy, handicrafts and reason, shrewd companion of heroes and the goddess of heroic endeavour...
tricks him into stopping and fighting Achilles. There is no protracted duel, as Achilles kills Hector with a spear while Hector is running towards him. Hector is also wearing Achilles armour, which had been taken from the body of Patroclus, and Achilles is wearing new armour, forged by HephaestusHephaestus was a Greek god whose Roman equivalent was Vulcan. He was the god of technology, blacksmiths, craftsmen, artisans, sculptors, metals, metallurgy, fire and volcanoes. Like other mythic smiths but unlike most other gods, Hephaestus was lame, which gave him a grotesque appearance in Greek...
at the request of ThetisSilver-footed Thetis , disposer or "placer" , is encountered in Greek mythology mostly as a sea nymph, one of the fifty Nereids, daughters of the ancient one of the seas with shape-shifting abilities who survives in the historical vestiges of most later Greek myths as Proteus Silver-footed Thetis...
after his old armour is taken.
- The Trojan Horse is claimed to be left as an offering to Poseidon while according to Virgil it was dedicated to Athena (Minerva).
- Ajax
Ajax or Aias was a mythological Greek hero, the son of Telamon and Periboea and king of Salamis. He plays an important role in Homer's Iliad and in the Epic Cycle, a series of epic poems about the Trojan War. To distinguish him from Ajax, son of Oileus , he is called "Telamonian Ajax," "Greater...
is not killed by Hector; he falls on his own sword in shame. He disgraced himself by a moment of madness: After the death of Achilles, Ajax slaughtered a herd of sheep thinking them to be the Greek leaders. This act arose from Ajax' rage because the Greek leaders did not hand him Achilles armour, after having a quarrel with Odysseus (after the quarrel, Odysseus got the armour).
- Achilles
In Greek mythology, Achilles was a Greek hero of the Trojan War, the central character and the greatest warrior of Homer's Iliad.Achilles also has the attributes of being the most handsome of the heroes assembled against Troy....
dies before AjaxAjax or Aias was a mythological Greek hero, the son of Telamon and Periboea and king of Salamis. He plays an important role in Homer's Iliad and in the Epic Cycle, a series of epic poems about the Trojan War. To distinguish him from Ajax, son of Oileus , he is called "Telamonian Ajax," "Greater...
. AjaxAjax or Aias was a mythological Greek hero, the son of Telamon and Periboea and king of Salamis. He plays an important role in Homer's Iliad and in the Epic Cycle, a series of epic poems about the Trojan War. To distinguish him from Ajax, son of Oileus , he is called "Telamonian Ajax," "Greater...
is often shown carrying the dead body of AchillesIn Greek mythology, Achilles was a Greek hero of the Trojan War, the central character and the greatest warrior of Homer's Iliad.Achilles also has the attributes of being the most handsome of the heroes assembled against Troy....
.
- Sinon
In Greek mythology, Sinon, a son of Aesimus , or of the crafty Sisyphus, was a Greek warrior during the Trojan War. He pretended to have deserted the Greeks and, as a Trojan captive, told the Trojans that the giant wooden horse the Greeks had left behind was intended as a gift to the gods to...
, the agent sent by the Greeks to convince the Trojans that they have left for home and that the wooden horseThe Trojan Horse was a tale from the Trojan War, as told in Virgil's Latin epic poem The Aeneid. The events in this story from the Bronze Age took place after Homer's Iliad, and before Homer's Odyssey. It was the stratagem that allowed the Greeks finally to enter the city of Troy and end the...
is harmless does not appear in the movie; also missing is the Trojan priest LaocoönLaocoön , the son of Acoetes is a figure in Greek mythology, a Trojan priest of Poseidon, , whose rules he had defied, either by marrying and having sons, or by having committed an impiety by making love with his wife in the presence of a cult image in a sanctuary...
who warned not to trust Greeks bearing gifts.
- In Book 2 of Virgil's Aeneid
The Aeneid is a Latin epic poem written by Virgil in the late 1st century BC that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Trojan who traveled to Italy, where he became the ancestor of the Romans. It is written in dactylic hexameter...
PriamIn Greek mythology, Priam was the king of Troy during the Trojan War and youngest son of Laomedon. Modern scholars derive his name from the Luwian compound Priimuua, which means "exceptionally courageous"....
is killed, not by Agamemnon, but by NeoptolemusNeoptolemus was the son of the warrior Achilles and the princess Deidamia in Greek mythology. Achilles' mother foretold many years before Achilles birth that there would be a great war. She saw that her only son was to die if he fought in the war...
, Achilles' son. This is supported by numerous vase paintings showing that it was established in popular Greek culture.
- Andromache
In Greek mythology, Andromache was the wife of Hector and daughter of Eetion, and sister to Podes. She was born and raised in the city of Cilician Thebe, over which her father ruled...
does not escape, but is captured. Her son AstyanaxIn Greek mythology, Astyanax was the son of Hector and Andromache. His birth name was Scamandrius , but the people of Troy nicknamed him Astyanax In Greek mythology, Astyanax (Ancient Greek: Ἀστυάναξ - Astyánax, gen.: Ἀστυάνακτος) was the son of Hector and Andromache. His birth name was...
is killed.
- Priam
In Greek mythology, Priam was the king of Troy during the Trojan War and youngest son of Laomedon. Modern scholars derive his name from the Luwian compound Priimuua, which means "exceptionally courageous"....
is not killed by AgamemnonIn Greek mythology, Agamemnon / is the son of King Atreus of Mycenae and Queen Aerope; the brother of Menelaus and the husband of Clytemnestra; different mythological versions make him the king either of Mycenae or of Argos...
. In the Iliad he is killed by the son of Achilles. In The Aeneid of VirgilPublius Vergilius Maro was a classical Roman poet, best known for three major works—the Eclogues , the Georgics, and the Aeneid—although several minor poems are also attributed to him.The son of a farmer, Virgil came to be...
Aeneas tells DidoDido was, according to ancient Greek and Roman sources, the founder and first Queen of Carthage . She is best known from the account given by the Roman poet Virgil in his Aeneid. In some sources she is also known as Elissa....
about that moment.
- In the secret tunnel Paris
Paris , the son of Priam, king of Troy, appears in a number of Greek legends. Probably the best-known was his elopement with Helen, queen of Sparta, this being one of the immediate causes of the Trojan War...
asks AeneasIn Greco-Roman mythology, Aeneas was a Trojan hero, the son of prince Anchises and the goddess Venus. His father was also the second cousin of King Priam of Troy. The journey of Aeneas from Troy, which led to the founding of the city Rome, is recounted in Virgil's Aeneid...
's name, though they were brothers-in-law and well known to each other.
- Aeneas is depicted here as a teenager whereas in the Iliad he was older (about the same age as Hector) and was second best warrior after Hector according to the story. Also, he is depicted as leading his father out through this tunnel, though book II of Vergil's Aeneid describes Aeneas as carrying his father on his shoulders. In addition, his father's (Anchises
In Greek mythology, Anchises was a son of Capys and Themiste or Hieromneme, a naiad. His major claim to fame in Greek mythology is that he was a mortal lover of the goddess Aphrodite...
) house is far away from the citadel, as Vergil describes in the Aeneid, and Aeneas would not have been carrying him at this point anyway.
- No such object as the "Sword of Troy" is ever referred to in any myth, including the much later Roman story of Aeneas, who bears the sword away at the end of the film.
- The movie's closing titles state that the film was inspired by the Iliad
The Iliad is an epic poem recounting significant events during a portion of the final year of the Trojan War — the Greek siege of the city of Ilion — hence the title...
of HomerHomer is a legendary ancient Greek epic poet, traditionally said to be the author of the epic poems the Iliad and the Odyssey...
, but the end of the film is based (loosely) on Book 2 of The Aeneid of VirgilPublius Vergilius Maro was a classical Roman poet, best known for three major works—the Eclogues , the Georgics, and the Aeneid—although several minor poems are also attributed to him.The son of a farmer, Virgil came to be...
. The Wooden Horse and the Sack of Troy do not appear in the Iliad which ends shortly after the funeral of HectorIn Greek mythology, Hectōr , or Hektōr, is a Trojan prince and the greatest fighter for Troy in the Trojan War. As the son of Priam and Hecuba, a descendant of Dardanus, who lived under Mount Ida, and of Tros, the founder of Troy, he is a prince of the royal house. He acts as leader of the Trojans...
.
- In original myth, Cassandra
In Greek mythology, Cassandra was the daughter of King Priam and Queen Hecuba of Troy. Her beauty caused Apollo to grant her the gift of prophecy...
tells her father that the horse is a trap, but she is cursed by ApolloIn Greek and Roman mythology, Apollo , is one of the most important and many-sided of the Olympian deities...
so no one believes her prophecies.
- Laocoon from the Aeneid is not mentioned. Laocoon was a priest of Apollo who was killed by two serpents sent by Athena as retribution for throwing a spear at the Trojan horse.
- Paris and Helen do not escape and live happily ever after; Paris is killed before the end of the war and Helen is captured by Menelaus and returns to Sparta with him.
- Many of the events described in the Illiad are left out. These include Diomedes
Diomedes or Diomed is a hero in Greek mythology, mostly known for his participation in the Trojan War. He was born to Tydeus and Deipyle and later became King of Argos, succeeding his maternal grandfather, Adrastus...
' aristeiaAristeia is Ancient Greek, literally: "A warrior's prowess; excellence."In the dramatic conventions of such works as the Iliad, this is a scene in which a hero in battle has his finest moments . It is usually associated with men but can be expanded also to encompass women...
, the plague that opens the Illiad and results in Agamemnon's claiming of Briseis, the Gods' battles on Greek and Trojan lines and more. Many other myths surrounding the Trojan war such as the taking of the Palladium and the slaughter of King Rhesus's horse are also not mentioned.
- In the original myth, the Trojan War was fought for ten years, whereas in the movie it was portrayed as being fought for less than a year.
Music
Composer
Gabriel YaredGabriel Yared is a Lebanese winning composer, best known for his work in French and American cinema.Born in Beirut, Lebanon, his work in France included the scores for Betty Blue and Camille Claudel. He later began working on English language films, winning an Oscar for his score for The English...
originally worked on the score for Troy for over a year, having been hired by the director, Wolfgang Petersen.
Yared wrote and recorded his score and
Tanja TzarovskaTanja Carovska, also known as Tanya Carovska, is a born in Skopje, Republic of Macedonia and is a famous Macedonian singer.*Sang alongside Josh Groban in the song "Remember me" which appeared at the end of the movie Troy...
provided vocals on various portions of the music, as she later would on composer James Horner's version of the soundtrack. However, after having screened the movie with an early incomplete version of the score, the reactions at test screenings were against it and in less than a day Yared was off the project without being given a chance to fix or change his music, while Warner Bros was already looking for a replacement. According to Yared, his score was removed due to a complaint by the screening audience that the score was too "old-fashioned".
The replacement score was written by composer
James HornerJames Roy Horner is an American composer, orchestrator and conductor of orchestral and film music. He is noted for the integration of choral and electronic elements in many of his film scores, and for frequent use of Celtic musical elements...
in about four weeks. He utilized Tanja Tzarovska's vocals, traditional Eastern Mediterranean music and brass instruments. Drums are conspicuous in the most dramatic scenes; most notably, in the duel between Achilles and Hector. His instrumental scenes have themes very reminiscent of Rachmaninoff's
Symphony No. 1Sergei Rachmaninoff wrote his Symphony No. 1 in D minor, Op. 13 at Ivanovka, an estate near Tambov, Russia, between January and October 1895...
and
Benjamin BrittenEdward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten, OM CH was an English composer, conductor, violist and pianist.-Life:...
's
War RequiemThe War Requiem, Op. 66 is a large-scale, non-liturgical setting of the Requiem Mass composed by Benjamin Britten mostly in 1961 and completed January 1962. Interspersed with the traditional Latin texts are pasted, collage-like, settings of Wilfred Owen poems...
. A suspenseful note progression introduced in
WillowWillow is a 1988 fantasy adventure film directed by Ron Howard and produced/co-written by George Lucas. Warwick Davis stars in the film, as well as Val Kilmer, Joanne Whalley, Jean Marsh and Patricia Hayes...
was played numerous times in the score, particularly in battle scenes.
Horner has been flatly accused by musicians and fans alike as having transcribed quite directly portions of Dmitri Shostakovitch's Symphony No. 5 into the score for Troy.
Horner also collaborated with Grammy-nominated American singer/songwriter
Josh GrobanJoshua Winslow "Josh" Groban is a American singer-songwriter. He has concentrated his career so far mostly in concert singing and recordings, although he has stated that he wishes to pursue music theatre in the future. As of July 2009, he has sold 19,147,000 albums in the United States alone...
and lyricist
Cynthia WeilCynthia Weil is a prominent American songwriter. She is famous for having written many songs together with Barry Mann....
to write an original song for the film's end credits. The product of this collaboration, "Remember" was performed by Groban with additional vocals by Tzarovska. The song is available from the movie's original soundtrack.
Around the time of the film's release in theaters, Gabriel Yared briefly made portions of his rejected score available on his personal website, which was later removed at the request of Warner Brothers. Bootleg versions exist on the Internet. Yared's score has since gained much attention from the fans of movie music. Several petitions were made requesting the release of Yared's score either on a limited edition CD or as a bonus feature or secondary audio track on the film's DVD. Those requests however, have been denied by Warner Bros.
Filming
Major sets for the city of Troy were built in the Mediterranean island of
MaltaMalta , officially the Republic of Malta , is a densely populated developed European country in the European Union. The Southern European island nation is an archipelago that includes the inhabited islands of Malta, Gozo and Comino, along with a number of smaller, uninhabited islands...
at
Fort RicasoliFort Ricasoli is a large fortification on the island of Malta. The fort was built by the Knights of Malta between 1670 and 1693.-General:It occupies the promontory known as Gallows Point that forms the eastern arm of Grand Harbour, and the north shore of Rinella Creek. Together with Fort St...
from April to June 2003. Other important scenes were shot in Mellieħa, a small town in the north of
MaltaMalta , officially the Republic of Malta , is a densely populated developed European country in the European Union. The Southern European island nation is an archipelago that includes the inhabited islands of Malta, Gozo and Comino, along with a number of smaller, uninhabited islands...
, and on the small island of
CominoComino is an island of the Maltese archipelago between the islands of Malta and Gozo in the Mediterranean Sea, measuring 1.35 sq. miles in area. Named after the cumin seed that once flourished in the Maltese islands, Comino is noted for its tranquility and isolation. It has a permanent population...
. The outer walls of Troy were built and filmed in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Director's cut
Troy: Director's Cut was screened at the 57th Berlin International Film Festival on February 17, 2007, and received a limited
theatrical releaseA film release is the stage at which a completed film is legally authorized by its owner for public distribution.The process includes locating a distributor to handle the film. For example, a film may be shown at a film festival or trade show in order to attract distributor attention and, if...
in
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
in April 2007.
Warner Home VideoWarner Home Video is the home video unit of Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., itself part of Time Warner. It was founded in 1978 as WCI Home Video . It was re-named Warner Home Video in 1980...
reportedly spent more than $1 million for the
Director's CutA director's cut is a specially edited version of a film, and less often TV series, music video, commercials, comic book or video games, that is supposed to represent the director's own approved edit...
, which includes "at least 1,000 new cuts" or almost 30-minute extra
footageIn film and video, footage is the raw, unedited material as it had been originally filmed by movie camera or recorded by a video camera which usually must be edited to create a motion picture, video clip, television show or similar completed work...
(Running Time: 196 minutes). The DVD was released on September 18, 2007 in the USA. The score of the film was changed dramatically, with many of the female vocals being cut. Various shots were recut and extended. For instance, the love scene between Helen and Paris was reframed to include more
nudityNudity is the state of wearing no clothing.It is related to the concept of modesty and is sometimes used to refer to wearing significantly less clothing than expected by the conventions of a particular culture and situation, and in particular exposing the bare skin or intimate...
of Diane Kruger. The sex scene between Achilles and Briseis is also extended. Only one scene was removed: the scene where Helen tends to the wound of Paris is taken out. The battle scenes were also extended, showing much more of Ajax's bloody rampage on the Trojans during the initial attack by the Greek Army. Perhaps most significantly was the sacking of Troy, barely present in the theatrical cut, but shown fully here. Characters were given more time to develop, specifically
PriamIn Greek mythology, Priam was the king of Troy during the Trojan War and youngest son of Laomedon. Modern scholars derive his name from the Luwian compound Priimuua, which means "exceptionally courageous"....
and
OdysseusOdysseus or Ulysses , in Greek mythology , was a legendary Greek king of Ithaca and the hero of Homer's epic poem, The Odyssey...
, the latter being given a humorous introduction scene. Lastly, bookend scenes were added: the beginning being a soldier's dog finding its dead master, and the end including a sequence where the few surviving Trojans escape to
Mount IdaIn Greek mythology, two sacred mountains are called Mount Ida, the "Mountain of the Goddess": Mount Ida in Crete, and Mount Ida in Turkey, which known as Phrygian Ida in Classical times...
. In one of the commentary sequences one of the film editors said that when it came to deciding whether to follow
Iliad, or do what was best for the movie they always decided with what was best for the movie.
Awards (wins and nominations)
2005 ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards
- Won - Top Box Office Film — James Horner
James Roy Horner is an American composer, orchestrator and conductor of orchestral and film music. He is noted for the integration of choral and electronic elements in many of his film scores, and for frequent use of Celtic musical elements...
2005 Academy AwardsThe Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are presented annually by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers. The formal ceremony at which the awards are presented is...
(Oscars)
- Nominated - Best Achievement in Costume Design
This Academy Award was first given for movies made in 1948 when separate awards were given for black-and-white and color movies.- 1940s :Black-and-White*1948: Roger K. Furse – Hamlet** Irene Lentz – B...
— Bob Ringwood
2005 Japanese Academy PrizeThe , often called the Japan Academy Awards or the Japanese Academy Awards, is a series of awards given annually since 1978 by the Nippon Academy-shō Association for excellence in Japanese film...
- Nominated - Best Foreign Film
2005 MTV Movie AwardsThe MTV Movie Awards is a film awards show presented annually on MTV . It also contains movie parodies that used official movie footage with hosts and other celebrities and music performances. The nominees are decided by a special panel at Tenth Planet Productions, the production company headed by...
- Nominated - Best Fight — Brad Pitt
William Bradley "Brad" Pitt is an American actor and film producer. He has been cited as one of the world's most attractive men, a label that entices the media to report on his off-screen life...
, Eric BanaEric Bana is an Australian film and television actor. He began his career as a comedian in the sketch comedy series Full Frontal before gaining critical recognition in the biopic Chopper...
- Nominated - Best Male Performance — Brad Pitt
William Bradley "Brad" Pitt is an American actor and film producer. He has been cited as one of the world's most attractive men, a label that entices the media to report on his off-screen life...
2005 Motion Picture Sound EditorsFounded in 1953, Motion Picture Sound Editors is an honorary society of motion picture sound editors. The society's goals are to educate others about and increase the recognition of the sound editors, show the artistic merit of the soundtracks, and improve the professional relationship of its...
(Golden Reel Award)
- Nominated - Best Sound Editing in Foreign Features — Wylie Statesman, Martin Cantwell, James Boyle, Harry Barnes, Paul Conway, Alex Joseph, Matthew Grime, Steve Schwalbe, Howard Halsall, Sue Lenny, Simon Price, Nigel Stone
2005 Teen Choice AwardsThe Teen Choice Awards is an awards show presented annually by FOX. The program honors the year's biggest achievements in music, movies, sports, television, fashion and more, as voted on by teens aged 13–19. The program usually features a high number of celebrities and musical performers...
- Won - Choice Movie Actor - Drama/Action Adventure — Brad Pitt
William Bradley "Brad" Pitt is an American actor and film producer. He has been cited as one of the world's most attractive men, a label that entices the media to report on his off-screen life...
- Nominated - Choice Breakout Movie Star - Male — Garrett Hedlund
Garrett John Hedlund is an American actor known for his role in the movie Four Brothers.Hedlund was born in Roseau, Minnesota. He was discovered while attending a ProScout event in Phoenix, Arizona...
- Nominated - Choice Movie - Drama/Action Adventure
- Nominated - Choice Movie Fight/Action Sequence
Further reading
- Petersen, Daniel (2006). Troja: Embedded im Troianischen Krieg (Troy: Embedded in the Trojan War). HörGut! Verlag. ISBN 3-93823-099-1.