I saw an ad in the local news paper today about the screening of "Troy", as a part of the current Oscar fever that seems to have gripped the city's multiplexes. I couldn't help but recall the movie and how it had disappointed me bitterly!
1992:As a part of the English we were supposed to study this text book titled "Trojan war" which was a translation from Homer's "Illiad". At that point of time the war epic captured my imagination. Especially Ulysses and Achilles were my heroes. I hated Hector. Even in those childhood days (I was studying 6th then) I thought the book was classic movie material. I had already watched Ben-Hur and Ten Commandments by then.
Cut to the present:When I heard that they were making a movie out of that epic I was ecstatic. I thought I would see my favorite characters from the book spring to life ala "The Lord of the Rings". I heard Brad Pitt was playing Achilles.
After seeing the movie a year ago:I was disappointed that the story was twisted to suit the image of hollywood star Brad Pitt. He is the only bankable star in the movie apart from the very sweet looking "The Hulk" Eric Bana. So naturally everything seems to go Achilles' way. The movie is all about Achilles and his herioc deeds! They should have named it "Achilles" instead of Troy!
Illiad has many other parts to it. As to why Helen eloped with Paris in the first place ... It was all attributed to be the work of Gods (Cupid and Venus). This was a war when Gods took sides. No wonder that it continued for 10 long years.
The way the story was projected and the actual storyline are different: (Watch the movie and read the following points from the actual story)
1. Achilles wasnt the first person to land on the beaches of Troy as shown. Infact there was a curse that who ever sets foot on the beach first will be srtuck down immediately. None of the thousands of Greeks wanted to be the first one to die. So All their ships were anchored until a brave soldier by the name of Petrocles volunteered and he was immediately struck down by Hector!
2. Achilles didn't live until the end of the war but was assasinated by Paris during the final day of the funeral games which follow Hector's funeral ceremony.
3. Achilles wasn't one of the guys inside the belly of the Trojan horse because he was long dead before that.
4. Ajax (The large warlord who weilds the huge sledgehammer) didn't die while fighting with Hector on the battlefield. Instead he actually committed suicide by hanging himself. He was frustrated when he wasn't given Achilles' armour after the latters death in the funeral games. The council chose Ulysses on whom the honour was bestowed upon.
5. Achilles was shown as a mercenary but in reality he was a prince.
6. Achilles was shown to carry scars of war on his body. What the director forgot was that Achilles is invincible to any known weapon as he was dipped in river Styx at the time of his birth by his mother (She was a goddess). His only vulnerable spot ofcourse his heel which wasn't washed in Styx's water because his mother held him by the right heel while dipping him in.
7. Agamemnon too made sacrifices for this war. Some of the gods who favored Trojans stopped all the favorable winds when the Greeks set sail. So they had to wait in the middle of the sea with no fresh supplies for days together! Then a priest was consulted who said that the sacrifice of Agamemnon's daughter at the altar of Apollo would please the Gods. Though reluctant Agamemnon did sacrifice his daughter. The moment the sword struck her neck it was converted to a garland and she from then on she turned into a priestess at the temple of Apollo.
8. Paris died in the war. He didnot live long enough until the climax so as to keep the sword of Troy.
9. Once Paris died, the magic spell of Cupid and Venus binding Paris and Helen together broke. She longed to return to Menelaus. She did return to Greek camp along with Ulysses when he came into the temple of Athena (inside Troy) to steal the statue of Athena (The statue was a good luck charm to the Trojans - If it is gone, They believed that defeat is imminent).
10. Menelaus didn't die on the first day of the battle like they have shown.
11. Brysais didn't kill Agamemnon.
12. Paris was a very good Archer but a poor swordsman. Paris didn't grow up in the palace. Rather he grew up as a shepherd in the hills because his presence in Troy was supposed to bring it badluck!
If anyone wants to know more you can always drop in comments.
