Is it just me, or does the guy playing Menelaus look a LOT like Kevin Sorbo? Anyone? And Rufus Sewell is scary as hell. I barely recognized him with the beard; he looks ten years older than he did in “A Knight’s Tale”.
Anyway, this miniseries was very definitely Helen’s story (hence the title), while the big-budget movie “Troy” will probably be Achilles’ story. Just about everyone got short-shrift except for Helen, Paris, Menelaus, and Agamemnon. Odysseus was in what, one scene? Hector was criminally under-used. Achilles was barely there, and certainly Patroclus didn’t make an appearance (he does in “Troy”, but I’ve yet to hear if they’re having him and Achilles be lovers or just really, really good buddies). I was, however, pleased that they included Theseus’ abduction of Helen, even if they did bungle his death.
Stellablue – it depends on which version of the Iphigenia legend you’ve heard. The original did indeed have her killed. The latter Greeks were understandably wierded out by the human sacrifice, and came up with the nice “Artemis rescues her at the last minute” bit, which I always thought cheapened her death and the impact it had on the lives of her family.
There was an “Odysessy” mini a few years back I didn’t care for, but this one wasn’t bad. Like I said, this is Helen’s story, so the macho Greeks are definitely the bad guys, and the focus is going to be on the love story. “Troy” is probably going to be more from the Greek point-of-view, and more action-oriented.
What I’d like to see: An “Orestiad” mini and maybe a “Oedipus Rex” would be cool. Has the Oedipus legend ever even been filmed? I can’t think of any.
Nichol;
Donald Sutherland did an Oedipus Rex in the early '70’s, ('74?), (ACT?), that was on public TV, not too bad. 70’s production values are cruder than today’s though.
I liked the fact that the Gods were downplayed. It made the story less a matter of human chess pieces being manipulated by the Gods and coping as best they can, and more a matter of conflicting human emotions.
I also thought they did some good characterization. I like the fact that in Part II, Helen is filled with guilt and shame at the way men keep giving each other multiple stab wounds over her. It added a lot of depth to her character. I saw her going to Agamemnon as a suicidal act brought on by all that guilt. I also thought the way she bared her neck when whatsisname came in and drew his sword was hopeful rather than resigned. She wanted to be killed.
I also liked the scene where Agamemnon expressed his horror at having sacrificed his own daughter. It was evident that this was the real force driving the man to destroy Troy – he had to have payback for having to kill her, more payback than Helen’s presence, however lovely, could provide.
Finally, the actress who played Helen had a face that might not have launched a lot of ships, but her BUTT, now that could get a fleet dipping its oars into the water.
I liked the CGI horse and city with the artisans breaking up the interior walls to make room for it.
In short, it differed from the Iliad, but in a lot of respects, in a good way. Hey, the story’s been around for a LONG time, cut 'em some slack.