} Crítica Retrô: Helena de Troia / Helen of Troy (1956)

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Wednesday, July 6, 2016

Helena de Troia / Helen of Troy (1956)

Páris (Jacques Sernas) é um sujeito orgulhoso. Ele tem a missão de fazer um acordo para que não haja exploração econômica entre Esparta e Troia. Além disso, ele diz não adorar nenhum deus (apenas “admira” Afrodite), mesmo vivendo dentro de uma cultura politeísta, e acredita que mulher alguma será capaz de interferir em seu destino. Só sua predileção por Afrodite mostra que Páris prefere o romance à razão, e logo todas as suas convicções serão destruídas.

Paris (Jacques Sernas) is a proud guy. He has the mission to make an economical agreement between Sparta and Troy. Besides that, he has the petulancy to not adore any god (he only “admires” Aphrodite), even though he lives in a polytheistic society, and he also believes that no woman can interfere in his destiny. His love of Aphrodite alone shows that Paris prefers heart to brains, and soon all his convictions will be destroyed.
Páris é atingido por um raio durante uma tempestade e, desacordado vai parar em uma praia. Lá ele é resgatado por Helena (Rossana Podestà), que ele logo associa à figura de Afrodite. Helena se apaixona à primeira vista, mas mente, dizendo que é uma escrava e não a rainha de Esparta. Ela aconselha Páris a voltar para Troia, mas ele está decidido a ir ao palácio.

Paris is struck by lightning during a thunderstorm and, unconscious, he goes on to wake up in an island. There he is greeted by Helen (Rossana Podestà), who he thinks not only resembles Aphrodite, but is the goddess herself. It’s love at first sight for Helen, but she lies saying she is a slave, and not the queen of Sparta. She tells Paris to go back to Troy, but he is affirmative about talking to the king at the palace.
Páris se torna prisioneiro no palácio, e consegue escapar com a ajuda de Helena e da escrava dela, Andraste (Brigitte Bardot).  Mas Páris não volta sozinho para Troia: apaixonada, Helena o acompanha. E o marido de Helena, o rei Menelau (Niall MacGinnis), se revolta ao saber que a esposa foi “levada” pelo troiano, e declara guerra à Troia.

Paris becomes prisoner at the palace, and manages to escape with the help of Helen and her slave, Andraste (Brigitte Bardot). But Paris doesn’t return alone to Troy: infatuated, Helen joins him. And Helen’s husband, king Menelaus (Niall MacGinnis), becomes mad when he finds out that his wife was “taken” by the Trojan, and then the war is declared.
É a história da guerra de Troia, que talvez você já conheça bem por ter estudado na escola ou, se for mais maluco (tipo eu), por ter lido a Ilíada. Mas o mais interessante é o foco nos perdedores, algo que quase nunca acontece nos filmes de guerra. Ora, a própria história normalmente se encarrega de apagar e menosprezar os perdedores das guerras, então por que um filme vai focar no ponto de vista deles?

It is the story of the Trojan War, one that you might already know well because you studied about it at school or, if you were a bit crazier (like me), because you read The Iliad. But the most interesting point is the focus on the losers, something that almost never happens in war movies. Well, history itself manages to erase and underestimate the ones who lose the war, so why would a movie focus on a loser point of view?
Simples: porque o filme é sobre Helena de Troia, a mulher que causou uma guerra apenas porque teve vontade própria e abandonou seu marido para fugir com Páris. Em momento algum perguntaram para Helena se ela foi raptada ou acompanhou Páris de livre e espontânea vontade. E, por acreditarem que uma mulher não deve ter vontade própria, milhares de vidas foram perdidas, incluindo a do herói Aquiles (Stanley Baker).

Simple: because the film is about Helen of Troy, the woman who caused a war just because she had her own will and left her husband to run away with Paris. Nobody asked Helen if she was kidnapped or if she went with Paris because she just wanted to. And, because it was believed that a woman couldn’t have desires or opinions, thousands of lives were lost, including the hero Achilles (Stanley Baker).
Sem o apelo de outros épicos, o filme ainda consegue ser interessante e tem breves, mas grandiosas, cenas de batalha. Ajudando Robert Wise na direção estavam Raoul Walsh e um jovem italiano chamado... Sergio Leone. Versátil, Wise já havia editado “Cidadão Kane” (1941) e ficaria mais conhecido por dirigir “Amor, Sublime Amor” (1961) e “A Noviça Rebelde” (1965).

Without the appeal of other epic movies, this one still can be interesting and has brief, yet huge, battle scenes. Helping Robert Wise direct were Raoul Walsh and a young Italian man called… Sergio Leone. The versatile Wise had already been the editor in “Citizen Kane” (1941), but would be better remembered for directing “West Side Story” (1961) and “The Sound of Music” (1965).
Hoje, é estranho imaginar que não seja a estonteante Brigitte Bardot a interpretar Helena de Troia. O diretor Robert Wise considerou diversas belas atrizes, incluindo Ava Gardner, mas escolheu a italiana Rossana Podestà, relativamente desconhecida em Hollywood. Rossana é linda e exibe belas tranças ao longo do filme. Brigitte, no mesmo ano, seria revelada para o mundo com o filme “E Deus Criou a Mulher”, também sobre uma moça cheia de vontade própria.

Today, it’s hard to believe that gorgeous Brigitte Bardot didn’t play the leading role. Director Robert Wise considered several beautiful actresses for the role, including Ava Gardner, but he at last chose the relatively unknown (at least in Hollywood) Italian actress Rossana Podestà. Rossana is gorgeous and has a strong braid game throughout the movie. In the same year, Brigitte would be revealed to the world with the movie “And God Created Woman”, also about a lady who has her own free will.
No começo do filme, a irmã sacerdotisa de Páris, Cassandra (Janette Scott), o aconselha a não fazer a viagem para Esparta. Ninguém acredita na visão dela, e ela é tomada como louca. Mais tarde no filme, ela aconselha os troianos a não aceitarem o grande cavalo de madeira deixado pelos espartanos. Eles novamente a ignoram – e você já sabe o que acontece. Se há uma coisa que aprendemos com “Helena de Troia”, é “nunca subestime as mulheres”.

At the beginning of the movie, Paris’s sister, Cassandra (Janette Scott), advises him not to travel to Sparta. Nobody believes that she had foreseen something bad, and she is considered crazy. Later in the movie, she advises the Trojans to not bring inside the city the huge wooden horse left by the Spartans. They once again ignore her – and you already know what happens. If there is one lesson we learn from “Helen of Troy”, it is “never underestimate women”.

This is my contribution to The Sword and Sandal blogathon, hosted by Debra at Moon in Gemini.

7 comments:

  1. ah, lembro um pouco de ter visto na infância e que fiquei impressionada. beijos, pedrita

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  2. It's true that the losers in battle are so rarely profiled, which is part of the reason this story has always been so fascinating. Love that Bardot wasn't the choice! So funny.

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  3. Always enjoy your posts! Will keep a look-out for this movie. Only ever seen the Helen of Troy mini-series of 2003.

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  4. Rossana Podestà was very beautiful, although I don't think she was nearly as beautiful as Brigitte Bardot! It is amusing to me that the most beautiful woman in the film didn't play the most beautiful woman in the world! It's been years since I've seen Helen of Troy. I really guess I need to watch it again sometime!

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  5. Exactly! You should never underestimate a woman.

    I've never seen this film, and am unfamiliar with this story. (You've taught me two new things today.) It is intriguing that Brigitte Bardot wasn't chosen to play Helen of Troy, and it's increased my curiosity about this film. Thanks for the introduction!

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  6. Have to see if my libarary has this one. Sounds interesting.

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  7. I have check this movie out! How interesting that Sergio Leone was involved in making it.

    I agree with others, how odd that anyone would pick someone other than Brigitte Bardot to play Helen of Troy.

    Thank you so much for contributing to the blogathon!

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