Period epics were all the rage in the 1950s
and early ’60s, but after the Kennedy assassination and the
Vietnam War, Hollywood went on a reality kick. For three decades,
nobody was making noteworthy films about Roman legions, Greek
warriors, or medieval knights. Then came Gladiator in 2000, and swords
and sandals were back. None of the first batch of historic epics
has equaled Gladiator’s box-office success. In this case, however,
first isn’t necessarily best.
Take last year’s Troy, which featured Brad
Pitt as Achilles, the Greek warrior with a goddess for a mother.
The film was widely panned by critics, but what’s so awful
about Troy?
Sure, some liberties were taken with Homer’s The Iliad. So what? Troy avoids many of the
pitfalls that cause most period epics to collapse under their own
weight. Characters actually converse, and the acting is realistic,
not bombastic. The casting of Pitt in the lead role — a sore
spot for critics — actually contributes to the film’s
restless energy. He is the perfect embodiment of a Greek hero, and
his climactic confrontation with Hector (Eric Bana) ranks as one of
the cinema’s classic duels. Troy makes barbed points about the futility of war,
and the line “Don’t waste your life following some
fool’s orders” certainly resonates in today’s
world.
King Arthur, also
released last year, undergoes a different sort of transformation by
jettisoning myth in favor of history. The true story of Arthur may
never be known, but evidence suggests that he lived at the end of the
Roman Empire. The change is a bit disconcerting, particularly the image
of Arthur in Roman garb, but it is an intriguing concept. Clive Owen
imbues his character with a mixture of intensity and compassion, and
Keira Knightley is quite energetic as a warrior version of Guinevere. King Arthur boasts
some extraordinary battle scenes. Don’t overlook this one.
Cult favorite The
300 Spartans (1962) was finally
released to home video last year. Its unavailability seems to have
enhanced its standing. The historically significant battle of
Thermopylae, in which a small band of Greek warriors held off a
giant Persian army for three days, is portrayed realistically, but
the dialogue is stilted and the battle scenes are a bit listless.
This one will have to suffice until director Michael Mann shoots
his big-budget version, Gates of Fire. And there are more to come, including two films
about Hannibal, the Carthaginian general.
This article appears in Feb 24 – Mar 2, 2005.
