Troy: The Movie
If my entire review were to be summed up in a word, I'll say 'GRAND'.
I was completely fascinated by TROY the movie. Not because of Brad Pitt or any other character, but because of the phenomenal photography, the effortless portrayal of the characters, the rich colors of the locations as well as the costumes, the enormous scale of production and lastly the stirring background score of James Horner.
I sailed back in time to ancient Greece the moment the first scene started. While history (or is it legend?) has been tweaked a bit to make Paris live and Menelaus die, those tiny details did not matter at all. From the single swish of the sword to kill Thessaly's most powerful warrior to the fearless initial attack of Troy and seizure of the Temple of Apollo, Achilles dazzles all the way.
However, my favorite character in the movie was Hector for his simple goodness and his strong beliefs in all that that is right and moral and good. It was very moving. The night after he slays Patroclus, Hector knows that he will meet his end at the hands of Achilles on the morrow. Death is beautifully shown in his eyes and written all over his actions. He knows that his end has arrived but he walks upto it strong and humble.
Another strongpoint of the movie is the effective use of dialogue. From Priam's "Wars are fought for money, power, fame and love" and "You are still my enemy tonight but you can treat enemies with respect" to Achilles' "The Gods envy the mortals" - perfect.
After three engrossing hours of Troy, I barely recognized my own city when I stepped out of the cinema hall. It has been a while since I lost myself in a movie. A day after watching it, I am still savoring its effects. Whatever be the cost of making Troy ($200mn apparently), it is an effort that will surely reap its dividends.
A friend of mine had a strong antiview about my fourth paragraph where I talk about Hector. I rave about Hector's simple goodness and sense of beliefs and honour. This friend, lets call him X, (who is yet to see Troy btw) did not agree to my romanticized version of Hector simply because anyone who is foolish enough to meekly surrender to death much before the battle is fought does not qualify as strong in his opinion.
In X's version of the romanticized ideal man, supreme self-confidence that fuels courage bordering on foolhardiness is an essential trait. He says that Hector does not have enough confidence in his abilities to outsmart Achilles.
My point in calling Hector strong stems from the reason why he submits to his death humbly. The day before his encounter with Achilles, Hector kills Patroclus (Achilles' cousin) thinking that he is Achilles. When he realizes that he has taken the life of a young boy who had nothing to do with this war, he is plagued by guilt. To a large extent, he believes that he deserves to die for taking an innocent life. That is probably why he goes down to fight Achilles knowing that Achilles' wrath and his own guilt will definitely bring him death.
In that context, Hector is a man who is strong enough to die for his principles.
Posted by
Echo/Lavanya |
3:11 PM, July 30, 2004