Helen of Troy VHS

I was disappointed with 2004's big budget "Troy," and when I saw this version of the story of the Trojan War on You Tube I watched some of it, not expecting much since it was a TV movie. But it proved to be unexpectedly good. Told from an unusual perspective--that of King Menelaus, who is presented more sympathetically than he usually is and as a victim of his brother Agamemnon--it takes a few other unusual twists along the way.Agamemnon is presented as the real villain, a ruthless tyrant bent on conquest and self-glory who sacrifices his own daughter in order to get a favorable wind for his fleet. He also has eyes for Helen and makes it a point to rape her when Troy finally falls. As in Greek mythology, he pays for his crimes when he is murdered by his wife Clytemnestra at war's end.Helen, in this version, is more a free-spirited teenager than a princess. Cassandra is seen as madwoman whose prophecies her father, King Priam, has grown to rely on, but in the end he becomes disenchanted with her and has her locked away. The scene of the Trojan Horse being brought into Troy is done better than in the 2004 version.Helen of Troy does leave out some elements of the Iliad, such as the quarrel between Agamemnon and Achilles. But overall this version of the story of the Trojan War is a good one, and all things considered, well worth the modest price.

A V-E-R-Y interesting take on the story nobody really knows. Never have I expected less of a movie and gotten more than with this version. This Helen is, in her own pre-Cyclopean-age way, more engaging than all others. This Helen is provocative and devious - and a problem child. The face that launched those ships is brooding and darkly smug. Do not forget she and Menelaus lived happily ever after. The dynamics of what could bring so much distress are intriguing and, up to a point, even logical. Menelaus is played by a younger James Callis (yes, THAT one) probably months before he took on the Baltar role. Oddly, there are moments, too, where the music sounds (prophetically, I mused) like that composed for Galactica.The slaughter of Iphigenia (a likely occurence for those times) concludes part 1 and is the benchmark by which those men who destroyed Troy must be judged not as great warriors but mere butchers. History somewhat supports the fact that some Achaeans (yet to be called Greeks) united to steal and plunder their way through the Eastern Mediterranean around 1250 BC - only to be swept away themselves within a generation, probably by the same violence they incited; the presumed decade-long assault on Troy was a sustained military campaign on small coastal cities and it occupied several generations of warriors (the Trojans were neither Greek, nor Hittite, but likely related to the proto-Latin Thracians, of whom a nation survives North of the Danube today; myth says Aeneas escaped the sack of Troy to go West and establish a Latin, but not Italian, Rome). The characters are almost inverted to our perception of them so far: Agamemnon the determined killer; Paris is the ultimate outsider; Helen the ultimate trophy wife (with an eerie reminder, whilst dressed with head jewels, of Schliemann's own mail-order bride similarly decorated with treasures found at Troy in 1873, ostensibly Helen's own). And we finally get more than a name from Cassandra and visual proof that bringing the Greek Horse inside the walls was a messy procedure.There are a few outstanding lines in an otherwise lame script ("You're a smudge on history's ledger, but you're my brother"), equally balanced by audaciously idiotic references to Byzantium or monkeys in Thrace - geographic tips for the low-information viewer, I suppose. And when was the last time you've seen a real garden in a "Greek-themed" movie? British accents are there, Achilles and Hector barely, CGI ships sail too tightly, the walls and towers of Troy are accurately crenelated but the landscape perhaps too steep and the history (or myth) gets seriously off-track in the second half. The rape scene at the end is disturbing. Movie is rated for originality.Michael Wood's In Search of the Trojan War, both book and TV series, is an impressive excursion through the reality of the Iliad, for those so inclined (but Michael, there were no Hungarian celts in 1250 BC). Two scenes in the movie accurately depict javelins as a personal combat weapon and Aechean (bronze) swords breaking at the hilt - bronze was later replaced by quality steel forged by (and purchased from) Thracians living as far as modern Transylvania.

I bought the Helen of troy for my brother when it came in I opened the case there was one disc in the case I'm giving it one star.

I bought this 2-disk version DVD last month but found it only contains a single Disk 2, without Disk 1. Note Disk 2 is not two-sided disk. I asked a return and replacement for the complete miniseries. To my total disappointment, the replacement package I got today is exactly the same as the previous one. It is a shame that what's on the product cover doesn't match what's inside! I not only wasted my time in returning the goods but also became upset about the integrity of the seller.I am forced to give a star rating before I submit this review. I would put 0 if it was one of the choices!

i remember seeing this movie years ago on tv when the troy movie was in theaters this was made as a cheap alternative though i think this movie is much better in comparison. its the story of helen of troy (obviously) featuring top notch actors like sienna guilory, emilia fox , john-rhys davies and james callis its a very well put together movie worth seeing

We received the 2-Disc set and there was only 1 Disc in it. But there looked like only one place in the box for a Disc. Seemed to start in the middle of the movie. The flotilla of 1000 ships are already at Troy. Saw this before and wanted to own a copy. Just wish it had the whole mini series on it.

Sure, lots of characters are missing -Castor, Patroclus, Deiphobus, Hermione, Laocoon, Diomedes- and the story gets somewhat refashioned to suit Hollywood tastes, but nonetheless it is told gloriously, and the locations, sets, costumes and special effects are nothing short of spectacular. WOW! This is how this stuff is meant to be shown! If you're a mythology freak like Myself Yourstruly, you're in for a guilty pleasure!Sienna Gullory plays Helen as a pouting supermodel with a face that may launch a thousand surfboards at best, but Rufus Sewell ('Dangerous Beauty') makes a wickedly dashing Agamemnon and veteran John Rhys-Davies ('Raiders of the Lost Ark', 'The Lord of the Rings') is perfect as doomed King Pryam. Hecuba (Maryam D'Abo) looks great for a mother of fifty sons and twelve daughters! The rest of the cast I can't tell who they are or where I've seen them (Theseus was the KGB villain in 'Ronin' and Menelaus, the bumbling husband in 'Tracy Takes On'), but they all play their parts splendidly, particularly Cassandra and Clytemnestra...

This movie is in some respects better than 'Troy' and in others not as good. The screenplay was not as smooth flowing but it did follow Homer's story quite well, although a lot was left out. Achilles' row with Agamemnon was omitted together with his grand sulk, also there was no mention of Patroclus and the Myrmidons did not feature at all. Odysseus was hardly involved and Hector, the great Trojan hero was not allowed to show his great prowess. The two Ajaxes were barely mentioned. The fighting skills of Paris were somewhat exaggerated. There was an over-reliance on CGI in some scenes which looked somewhat artificial. The acting was a little wooden at times, apart from Rufus Sewell who played a suitably intense Agamemnon. Sienna Guillory made a very attractive Helen and Emilia Fox as Cassandra was very committed. The scenery was nicely shot and the sets were impressive. I also thought that the wooden horse was well constructed. On balance I preferred 'Troy', which had its own issues, but it was a close run thing.

It was well acted and gave a good rendition of the classic story with one or two additions which i had not read about before. Acting, costumes,and settings were very good and the performance by Rufus Sewell as Agamemnon was excellent.

The story was adjusted for the movie, characters not the same as in the myth, I'll watch it again at a later date but not yet.

I RECEIVED JUST AS I EXPECTED

Very good film well done, thank you