Here we have an epic ever so loosely based upon Homer's 'Iliad' with the Trojan Horse trick from the 'Odyssey' thrown in for good measure.
The most notable feature here is the contingent of first class British actors who bring their own marvellous, stage-trained voices with them so that we are spared the curse of the dodgy dubbing that afflicts so many films of this type. The dubbing of Frenchman Jacques Sernas as Paris by twee Geoffrey Toone and Italian Rosanna Podesta as Helen by American Joan Croydon is not quite so successful but then, I suppose, one cannot have everything!
It has long been established that the 'Iliad' itself is not based on historical fact, whereas the legend lays the blame for the Trojan War on Achilles' wrath, Agamemnon's intransigence, the God's malevolence and the passion of Paris for Helen. It comes as no surprise that for filmic purposes it has been decided to concentrate on the passion!
Although portrayed here as heroic, Paris was far from being so and was more a child of Venus(oops, sorry, Aphrodite) than he was of Mars; far better suited to the battles of the bedchamber. Jacques Sernas looks wonderful of course but I have always found him to be rather bland and his performance here does nothing to change my view.
Having already played Nausicaa in Camerini's 'Ulysses', Rosanna Podesta is the obvious choice for the 'beauteous' Helen and she certainly fits the bill, calling to mind Homer's "In her sweet countenance shine looks like the Goddesses."
Suffice to say the production values are superlative with Art Direction by Edward Carrere, stirring score by Max Steiner and gorgeous cinematography by Harry Stradling Jnr. The battle scenes are magnificent and as usual the unsung heroes are those of the second unit, directed here by the ubiquitous Yakima Canutt, together with Sergio Leone and the maestro of action sequences Raoul Walsh, although he is uncredited.
Homer purists will regard this as a load of tosh but as Sword-and-Sandals movies go, it is up there with the best.
The most notable feature here is the contingent of first class British actors who bring their own marvellous, stage-trained voices with them so that we are spared the curse of the dodgy dubbing that afflicts so many films of this type. The dubbing of Frenchman Jacques Sernas as Paris by twee Geoffrey Toone and Italian Rosanna Podesta as Helen by American Joan Croydon is not quite so successful but then, I suppose, one cannot have everything!
It has long been established that the 'Iliad' itself is not based on historical fact, whereas the legend lays the blame for the Trojan War on Achilles' wrath, Agamemnon's intransigence, the God's malevolence and the passion of Paris for Helen. It comes as no surprise that for filmic purposes it has been decided to concentrate on the passion!
Although portrayed here as heroic, Paris was far from being so and was more a child of Venus(oops, sorry, Aphrodite) than he was of Mars; far better suited to the battles of the bedchamber. Jacques Sernas looks wonderful of course but I have always found him to be rather bland and his performance here does nothing to change my view.
Having already played Nausicaa in Camerini's 'Ulysses', Rosanna Podesta is the obvious choice for the 'beauteous' Helen and she certainly fits the bill, calling to mind Homer's "In her sweet countenance shine looks like the Goddesses."
Suffice to say the production values are superlative with Art Direction by Edward Carrere, stirring score by Max Steiner and gorgeous cinematography by Harry Stradling Jnr. The battle scenes are magnificent and as usual the unsung heroes are those of the second unit, directed here by the ubiquitous Yakima Canutt, together with Sergio Leone and the maestro of action sequences Raoul Walsh, although he is uncredited.
Homer purists will regard this as a load of tosh but as Sword-and-Sandals movies go, it is up there with the best.