I saw this movie in 1956 when I was a senior in high school in New Orleans. I fell in love with the movie, with Rosina Podesta and with the music. I immediately bought the 33rpm vinyl, which I still have. This is one of the best film music scores ever (rivaling the sores by Prokofiev to Alexander Nevsky).
I could never find the vinyl,and always wondered what the album cover looked like.I have the DVD,CD and the original poster depicted.I was born in 1950.
Thrilling music--especially for the battles. A movie I didn't see until recent years and which grows in my estimation with each viewing! Thanks for posting!
SagesseNoir My only problem is that they always choose to portray Helen different from how she truly was in the epic poem. It's a little confusing and I still wonder why they don't stay true to the original plot.
Acdragonrider Videos You know, it has been a long time since I read the ILIAD as a student. But I seem to recall that Helen doesn't have much of a presence in the epic. Most of the attention of the epic is on the doings of the Greek and Trojan warriors. Very little attention is paid to Helen, and not very much to Paris.
Saw this movie when it first came out...I was 13 and fell in love with ancient history because of this. This WAS and IS and ALWAYS WILL BE...one of my most favorite epic films. The more recent version could not compare to this. The music is awesome too.
1956: Steiner wrote this and the soundtrack for "The Searchers" in the same year, at the age of 68. Two completely different films for two of the most legendary directors, Robert Wise here, and John Ford. These are the stuff of legend.
Hello Mr. Z here - I saw this at the theater when I was a little shaver and years later on TCM - acting might of been better still a film of adventure and it was pretty good. Always enjoyed Cassandra who prophesies doom yet no one would listen.
Back when composers did not even bother to appropriate the score for its age, region or theme. You could easily change this in any adventure/action movie in the 50's it would make 0 difference for the audience, but if you took Horner's or Yared's soundtracks and try to flip it around with its contemporary movies it would really sting.
Is it me, or does anybody else hear the opening notes of "This is the Army Mr. Jones" in some of the battle sequence music? Not evident in this particular suite, but certainly in the full score. I love this film but I could have done without the teddibly (terribly) English pronunciations throughout, e.g. cuddage (courage), Paddis (Paris), veddy (very) etc.
vincent wilson I don’t think it is. I’m just as curious as you are. The voyage theme is exquisite and moving. Didn’t the Bernstein recording have that annoying studio reverb effect? Anyway, I want more of this recording if it was recorded in its entirety. I’ve got the 2 CD original soundtrack. Again, this is clearer, cleaner.
Perhaps-No definitely Steiner's last great majestic score Almost signaling with the last flourish and fanfare the- end of the Golden Age of Hollywood film scoring...
If only "Helen of Troy" itself had risen to the musical score's greatness, it would have been one of the best films ever made. Unfortunately, the dialogue is juvenile, made even worse by the lead actor's consistently flat, occasionally robotic impersonation of Paris and his no less marginally talented co-star's inability to speak English; her entire performance was unconvincingly dubbed. Madame Posdesta might have been a big name back in the old country, but she never made it here. Fleeting appearances of a stunningly alluring, as yet unfamous Bridgit Bardot are refreshingly surprising. Although her performance, too, would have had to been dubbed into English, she certainly could have made for a far more appealing, sexy and sympathetic Helen. What a directoral oversight not to have given her the title role! Pairing her with a better, more believable actor --- like Richard Burton --- could really heated things up. Even so, this genuine, mid-50s disaster movie does have a few, inadvertently effective moments that keep it barely afloat after the last sixty-five years and probably for more to come. I recall seeing it in the long-gone Chicago-suburban Homewood theater when I was eleven years old, weeping childishly at the tragedy of it all (I wrote above that the dialogue was juvenile!), perhaps as much from stirred-up, unrecognizable, past-life feelings, than anything much cinematic. Thereafter, I bought a 45-rpm record of Steiner's then-popular love song from the film, as did millions of other people way back then. I wonder if something of the same kind will be said sixty-five years from now about any film being made today ......
I agree with most of what you wrote, however, I still think this is the best film version of the Homeric epic out there. It's a pity that the Steiner score outshines the movie.
![[LIVE] : ONE ลุมพินี 89 | คู่เอก "ยอดไอคิว vs คิริลล์"](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Z3vYkHJ_5Ig/mqdefault.jpg)
I grew up with this movie as a baby boomer in the 50's. It lead to my hunger of the Greek classics. I have this on DVD and treasure it greatly.
I saw this movie in 1956 when I was a senior in high school in New Orleans. I fell in love with the movie, with Rosina Podesta and with the music. I immediately bought the 33rpm vinyl, which I still have. This is one of the best film music scores ever (rivaling the sores by Prokofiev to Alexander Nevsky).
I could never find the vinyl,and always wondered what the album cover looked like.I have the DVD,CD and the original poster depicted.I was born in 1950.
I always loved this movie!
Thrilling music--especially for the battles. A movie I didn't see until recent years and which grows in my estimation with each viewing! Thanks for posting!
I have it on DVD and guard it likes gold.
a hauntingly beautiful master score
This is my favorite version of the Trojan War story and I've loved it since I was a child.
MY favorite as well. They simply made films about Greece and Rome better then than more recently
SagesseNoir My only problem is that they always choose to portray Helen different from how she truly was in the epic poem. It's a little confusing and I still wonder why they don't stay true to the original plot.
Acdragonrider Videos You know, it has been a long time since I read the ILIAD as a student. But I seem to recall that Helen doesn't have much of a presence in the epic. Most of the attention of the epic is on the doings of the Greek and Trojan warriors. Very little attention is paid to Helen, and not very much to Paris.
SagesseNoir Yeah. Helen does have a presence, but it's miniscule. HIt's something all of the filmmakers seem to ignore..
Saw this movie when it first came out...I was 13 and fell in love with ancient history because of this. This WAS and IS and ALWAYS WILL BE...one of my most favorite epic films. The more recent version could not compare to this. The music is awesome too.
i saw this on TCM 2 decades ago and it's magnificent!
1956: Steiner wrote this and the soundtrack for "The Searchers" in the same year, at the age of 68. Two completely different films for two of the most legendary directors, Robert Wise here, and John Ford. These are the stuff of legend.
Hello Mr. Z here - I saw this at the theater when I was a little shaver and years later on TCM - acting might of been better still a film of adventure and it was pretty good. Always enjoyed Cassandra who prophesies doom yet no one would listen.
for jacque sernas and max steiner memory
Max Steiner was the composer who did score for "Gone with the WinD"
Back when composers did not even bother to appropriate the score for its age, region or theme. You could easily change this in any adventure/action movie in the 50's it would make 0 difference for the audience, but if you took Horner's or Yared's soundtracks and try to flip it around with its contemporary movies it would really sting.
greece!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Is it me, or does anybody else hear the opening notes of "This is the Army Mr. Jones" in some of the battle sequence music? Not evident in this particular suite, but certainly in the full score. I love this film but I could have done without the teddibly (terribly) English pronunciations throughout, e.g. cuddage (courage), Paddis (Paris), veddy (very) etc.
Is this the Elmer Bernstein cover version
vincent wilson I don’t think it is. I’m just as curious as you are. The voyage theme is exquisite and moving. Didn’t the Bernstein recording have that annoying studio reverb effect? Anyway, I want more of this recording if it was recorded in its entirety. I’ve got the 2 CD original soundtrack. Again, this is clearer, cleaner.
Perhaps-No definitely Steiner's last great majestic score Almost signaling with the last flourish and fanfare the- end of the Golden Age of Hollywood film scoring...
Come now! Miklós Rózsa hadn't even scored the likes of Ben-Hur at that stage.
If only "Helen of Troy" itself had risen to the musical score's greatness, it would have been one of the best films ever made. Unfortunately, the dialogue is juvenile, made even worse by the lead actor's consistently flat, occasionally robotic impersonation of Paris and his no less marginally talented co-star's inability to speak English; her entire performance was unconvincingly dubbed. Madame Posdesta might have been a big name back in the old country, but she never made it here. Fleeting appearances of a stunningly alluring, as yet unfamous Bridgit Bardot are refreshingly surprising. Although her performance, too, would have had to been dubbed into English, she certainly could have made for a far more appealing, sexy and sympathetic Helen. What a directoral oversight not to have given her the title role! Pairing her with a better, more believable actor --- like Richard Burton --- could really heated things up. Even so, this genuine, mid-50s disaster movie does have a few, inadvertently effective moments that keep it barely afloat after the last sixty-five years and probably for more to come. I recall seeing it in the long-gone Chicago-suburban Homewood theater when I was eleven years old, weeping childishly at the tragedy of it all (I wrote above that the dialogue was juvenile!), perhaps as much from stirred-up, unrecognizable, past-life feelings, than anything much cinematic. Thereafter, I bought a 45-rpm record of Steiner's then-popular love song from the film, as did millions of other people way back then. I wonder if something of the same kind will be said sixty-five years from now about any film being made today ......
I agree with most of what you wrote, however, I still think this is the best film version of the Homeric epic out there.
It's a pity that the Steiner score outshines the movie.
The Brad Pitt version is better, but the other "Troy" movies are far worse.
@@amuggle15 Being the "best" version of the Illiad movie is not much...
@@amuggle15 Yes unfortunately the Steiner score, the cinematography, and Brigitte Bardot are the only good things in this movie
You always spend so much time on something you hate ? It’s a movie damn.
delicious, warming...much copied