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Troy - The Director's Cut [Blu-ray] by Wolfgang Petersen
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DVD Cover InformationActor: Brad Pitt, Eric Bana, Orlando Bloom Director: Wolfgang Petersen Brand: Warner Brothers DVD: Region Code 0 Audio: English (Original Language); English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Dubbed); Spanish (Dubbed) Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Director's Cut, Dolby, Dubbed, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen Picture Format: 2.40:1 Running Time: 163 minutes DVD Release Date: 2007-09-18 Audience Rating: Unrated Studio: Warner Home Video
Movie Reviews of Troy - The Director's Cut [Blu-ray]Movie Review: Brilliant And Sadly Lacking in Scope Summary: 4 StarsLawrance Bernabo's review of Troy mirrors many of my own views and disappointments in this cinematic adaptation of the classic story between the nation states of Greece and Troy. And though it's not unusual for aspects of the story to change to accommodate another medium, why do it if it's not necessary? That was one of my main objections to the film.
Another is when characters depart from an otherwise reasonable course of behavior. Priam, sending his two sons to Sparta to negotiate a long-sought peace treaty, shows absolutely no anger or even annoyance when his sons return with the wife of the Spartan king! Wouldn't one expect Priam to lose his temper at the gross irresponsibility of Paris in wrecking the said alliance and bringing a potentially ruinous war and siege of the city? Instead, he immediately greets Helen with all the warmth of a future in-law without being in the least perturbed. This goes beyond mere license and puts the viewer in a completely unnecessary situation of suspending disbelief. So why did it happen? I understand the script writer needing to transition to acceptance, but the transition was too quick, too unbelievable and too contrived.
There also is no way to justify the treachery of Paris' action. As Priam was too quick to accept it, so, too was Hector. Both situation demand indignation. This isn't the first time Paris had behaved in this manner, and this time it meant war and the loss of Troy's fair sons. Yet it's handled in much the same manner as if the purloined object was a water bottle, not a man's wife. Whatever nobility Priam and Hector may of had was lost by their reckless disregard of the situation. Hector's spontaneous slaying of Menelaus also was a blight upon his nobility. By the time Achilles comes to seek vengeance, one has had enough of both Hector and Paris. I only regret that Achilles didn't slay Paris at the same time.
I have no problems with the computerized battles, but people never respond as they should. Before Hector is slain, Priam could have ordered the archers to unleash their volley on Achilles, but Hector stopped him with no explanation. Was he being noble? Ha! Any nobility was long gone by his previous behavior. And after Hector's death, he could have ordered the archers to keep him from dragging Hector's body away, but again, the writers hope you won't notice. Wouldn't it have been better to have them unleash their arrows and have them fail to hit the Greek hero, volley after volley? That would have appealed to me far more, plus it would have hinted divine intervention, which was too much lacking in this production.
Still, even with its lamentable faults, the movie is still well worth owning and watching. It's just a shame that the opportunities were missed. Hollywood should know better, but its contempt for reality is too often obvious in its productions.
Summary of Troy - The Director's Cut [Blu-ray]Brad Pitt picks up a sword and brings a muscular, brooding presence to the role of Greek warrior Achilles in this spectacular retelling of The Iliad. Orlando Bloom and Diane Kruger play the legendary lovers who plunge the world into war, Eric Bana portrays the prince who dares to confront Achilles, and Peter O'Toole rules Troy as King Priam. Director Wolfgang Petersen recreates a long-ago world of bireme warships, clashing armies, the massive fortress city and the towering Trojan Horse. No doubt about it, the 196-minute unrated director's cut of Troy represents a significant improvement over the film's original 162-minute theatrical release--and not just because it has more sex and violence. As director Wolfgang Petersen notes in his new "Troy Revisited" video introduction to this 2-disc special edition, he didn't have the time or directorial discretion (prior to Troy's release in 2004) to present a cut that more closely matched his vision for the film. Three years later, Petersen approached the film with a more relaxed perspective, and the result is a well-crafted expansion on a film that was previously underrated, with 30 minutes of previously unseen material. Character dynamics have been improved and intensified; the epic-scale narrative is now easier to follow, with greater emphasis on the inner turmoil of Achilles (well played by Brad Pitt) and his rivalry with Hector (Eric Bana); and viewers will feel a more satisfying escalation of tension and suspense from battle to battle. The film's enormous battle scenes (impressively enhanced with CGI) are bloodier and gorier, but they're also more effectively integrated into the political story, which goes beyond Homer's The Iliad and the death of Hector to incorporate elements of Virgil and a more revealing study of the differences between Trojan king Priam (Peter O'Toole) and his megalomanical Greek rival, king Agamemnon (Brian Cox), whose lust for revenge is now one of the film's most powerful ingredients. Some of Troy's original weaknesses remain (such as Orlando Bloom's wimpy performance as Paris), but overall, this director's cut easily justifies its existence, regardless of the film's overblown and historically inaccurate depiction of Troy as a gigantic city of massive columns and statuary. The good parts are better, and the not-so-good parts are more easily forgiven. And no matter how you cut it, Troy is a lavish feast for the eyes. --Jeff Shannon
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