La colère d'Achille

I've watched a number of Trojan War movies recently, and this may be the very best.

Like Homer's Iliad, it begins toward the end of the war and ends before the episode of the Trojan Horse; the focus is strictly on one man, Achilles, and his fate. A knowledge of the dramatis personae and the basic circumstances is presumed of the viewer, just as Homer expected his listeners to know who Paris was, or how Iphigenia died.

Unlike any other Trojan War film I've seen, this one, like Homer, includes the gods and their divine intervention in human affairs. Achilles' near-invincibility is a supernatural fact, as demonstrated in a scene when he's stabbed and the blade is destroyed as if blasted by lightning. Yet the film doesn't feel like a fantasy, as do similar films about Jason, Hercules, or Ulysses; it's a psychological drama in which the psyche of the main character is driven by his understanding of his divine destiny. An oracle has revealed that Troy cannot fall until its champion, Hector, dies; Hector cannot die until Achilles slays him; and once that happens, Achilles must die. This is the burden of greatness — and doom — that lies upon Achilles.

Even dubbed, Gordon Mitchell gives a powerful and convincing portrayal of the warrior who is both hero and monster. His physical presence is perfect: his physique is statuesque but his features are so rugged as to be ugly (think of Charles Bronson or Jack Palance); he is sexually alluring, physically intimidating, and frightening to look at.

The script is surprisingly, sometimes amazingly, literate, verging on the poetic. Especially memorable are Achilles' explanation of his invulnerability to the captured Briseis, which ironically reveals his vulnerability and wins her pity and affection; Patroclus' plea to Hector to kill him after he's been wounded; and Hector's farewell speech to his wife and the people of Troy before he goes out to battle Achilles. The climactic duel between the two warriors is very well-staged and utterly riveting.

I wonder if the makers of TROY saw this movie? If so, they learned nothing from it. If they had simply done a remake of this film, reproducing its insights into the tragedy of Achilles and Hector, Brad Pitt would be the possessor of an Oscar today!

Here's the rub: this movie is very hard to locate on DVD, at least in the US. The only copy I've found, on a compilation DVD called RETURN TO TROY, is from a very degraded full-screen print, hardly watchable by most viewer's standards. If this movie could be seen in a well-preserved widescreen print, it would be truly spectacular.

Spectacular and hight budgeted Peplum for the Italian standards , based on historical events Homer's Illiad . The movie deals with war of Troy as adaptation from classic poem of Homer about loves between París and Helen that led to the bloody war ; nevertheless this ¨L'ira di Achilles¨ regarding more the abundant tensions between Achilles wielding a powerful sword and Agamemnon , than the famous loves between Paris and Helen , while giving hope to the Trojans . In fact , here doesn't appears neither the ¨Trojan Horse¨ , nor Helen , nor Menelaus , but especially the confrontation between and Achilles (Gordon Mitchell) and Agammemon (Mario Petri), as well as Achilles's fury for Patroclo's (Ennio Girolami) death , his subsequent seeking for revenge and the supernatural Gods with their divine intervention on human issues. When París (Roberto Risso) escapes with Helen , there takes place the Troy war . Helen is the beautiful wife of Menelao , Sparta's King , when she falls for París , son of Troy king Priamo (Fosco Giachetti) , both of them escape. This event lead to the Siege of Troy. It is set in the tenth year of the Trojan War, and director picked some usual Peplum stars as well as new Italian players to perform the protagonists in this epic tale based on the known poem written by Homer: Iliada . Its Tumultous Story Has Lived For Thirty Centuries! The Face That Launched a Thousand Ships! The Trojan Horse of treachery! Its towering wonders span the age of titans!

Spectacular and Italian style rendition based on Troy war with splendid cast and overwhelming battle scenes . The plot is well-known and accurately based on the classic story , though here dealing more the taking on between Achilles and Agammenon than the popular love story . Recounting deep loves , fights , disputes that divide the Greek camp , Gods , Goddesses , death and the motive led up to it . And along the way happen : betrayals , supernatural happenings , duels , fencing and tension among Greeks that give hope the Trojan . As Greek warriors under command of Agammenon , Ulysses , Menelaus , and Achilles , while Greek Gods intervening in human affaires . Outstanding Cameron Mitchell giving a vigorous acting as a semi-god , a near-invincibility person , exception for his famous heel , his only failed point . This monumental and epic retelling contains moving love stories , drama , tragic events , and well-staged battles with a cast of thousands . After a hardworking filming the results were only fair and decent . It must be noted that since this version of the Trojan war is an Italian production, the names of the gods and some of the roles are both , the Roman mythology of the history and Greek . The picture ignores some true deeds for lavish and high budgeted effects , including a great number of extras and a lot of battles . In the movie shows up numerous historical and mythological roles as Achilles : Cameron Mitchell , Hector : Jacques Bergerac , Priamo : Fosco Giachetti , Agamemmon : Mario Petri , Paris : Roberto Risso , Menelaus , Cassandra , Ajax , Patroclus : Ennio Girolami , Odysseus or Ulysses : Piero Lulli , hence Ulysses is the Roman name for Odysseus. This is an overwhelming and breathtaking film with impressive battles, as hundreds of extras take part and mostly well-interpreted sword-play .The picture packs colorful cinematography in Eastmancolor , Ultrascope by Mario Fioretti and evocative musical score by Carlo Savina. The motion picture was competently directed by the good craftsman Marino Girolami.

This events about Troy war have been adapted on various films : Silent movie titled The Private life of Helen of Troy by Michael Curtiz 1927 with Maria Corda , Lewis Stone . Helen of Troy 1956 by Robert Wise with Rossana Podesta , Jacques Sernas , Sir Cedric Hardwicke , Stanley Baker , Niall MacGinnis, Nora Swinburn, Robert Douglas . Italian version 1962 by Giorgio Ferroni with Steve Reeves , Juliette Mayniel, Lidia Alfonsi, Mimmo Palmara. Italian retelling titled Fury of Achilles by Marino Girolami with Gordon Mitchell , Jacques Bergerac , Gloria Milland , Ennio Girolami . Troy by Wolfgang Petersen, with Brad Pitt, Diana Kruger, Rose Byrne , Orlando Bloom , Brian Cox. And a TV series 2003 by John Kent Harrison with Matthew Mardsen , Sienna Guilery, Rufus Sewell , Joe Montana,Daniel La Pine, James Callis , and Katie Blake as Cassandra.

The story is partially based on ¨Iliad¨ that is an epic poem in dactylic hexameters, traditionally attributed to Homer and the screenwriters,take parts here and there. Set in the Trojan War, the ten-year siege of Ilium by a coalition of Greek states, it tells of the battles and events during the weeks of a quarrel between King Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles. Although the story covers only a few weeks in the final year of the war, the Iliad mentions or alludes to many of the Greek legends about the siege.Along with the Odyssey, also attributed to Homer, the Iliad is among the oldest extant works of Western literature, and its written version is usually dated to around the eighth century BC. The Iliad contains approximately 15,700 lines, and is written in a literary amalgam of several Greek dialects. The authorship of the poem is disputed .

This is one of the earliest films I recall watching on Italian TV along with a couple of Maciste efforts; all have not turned up since then, so I was glad to catch ACHILLES again even if in an English-dubbed version (and a rather muddy print at that)! Incidentally, the copy I acquired ran for a hefty 115 minutes (some missing-frames issues probably explaining the 118-minute duration listed on IMDb) – yet, on the "Film.It.Tv" website, its length is given as just 92?!

Interestingly, the film makes for a variation on/companion piece to the superior THE Trojan HORSE from the previous year (though that one actually had an official sequel, albeit emerging a much-inferior product, in THE LAST GLORY OF TROY, also from 1962!). Although Achilles also appeared in the first of those titles, he was given his own 'vehicle' here; curiously enough, since this was helmed by Girolami, it is worth mentioning that his more famous director son – Enzo G. Castellari – would make his own modern-day rendition of The Trojan War with the entertaining HECTOR THE MIGHTY (1972)!

Anyway, muscle-man Gordon Mitchell is Achilles (demonstrating his essential lack of education by bursting into "Hi-yah!" yells when commanding his troops into battle rather than the more formal "Forward!" uttered by his peers Patrocles, Ulysses – played by "Euro-Cult" stalwart Piero Lulli and depicted as a greedy fellow – and Aegamemnon!). The titular rage, then, is certainly present in the hero's characteristics given his frequent outbursts but, obviously, it is a specific reference to the legendary 'unbeatable' warrior's revenge over buddy Patrocles' death when he surreptitiously dons Achilles' armor to face the enemy champion Hector; ironically, though much is made of the protagonist's own death occurring soon after that of Hector's, the film cuts abruptly following the latter's demise!

The film is certainly above-average for the genre but, as I said, still some way behind THE Trojan HORSE (for the record, this had starred Mitchell's rival in the field Steve Reeves) which, by largely eschewing the essentially low-brow nature of this one, had proved among the more literate peplums out there...

for many reasons, Gordon Mitchell was not the most inspired option for the role of Achilles. but this choice becomes a small detail across the film. because , "Fury of Achilles" has a first virtue - it is different by the Italian movies , inspired by the mythology/history of Old Greek / Rome. motifs - Iliad is not a pretext for fight scenes and love stories but source for an adaptation who use accuracy as one of its virtues. the second motif, the acting who could not be reduced at good intentions. and the beautiful cinematography. so, "The Fury of Achilles".

In the tenth year of the Trojan War, both warring parties seem to have run out of steam. The Greeks fight over the most beautiful prey women (Cristina GAIONI, Maria FIE and Eleonora BIANCHI). Of course, the Greeks' best fighter, Achilles (Gordon MITCHELL), doesn't like the fact that old Agamemnon always claims the right to vote first. And the Trojans' fortunes are also going wrong. Hector (Jacques BERGERAC) and his good wife Andromache (Tina GLORIANI) have never liked the fact that his love-crazy brother Paris brought about war with the Greeks in the first place. Finally, Hector, the Trojans' best fighter, has to face the final battle with Achilles, who is considered invincible. The whole thing finally gets out of hand when Hector unknowingly kills Patroclus (Enio GIROLAMI), Achilles' best friend, in a duel. Achilles is beside himself with anger, so that the battle for Troy is about to take a decisive turn...

The story of Homer has been part of world literature for more than 2,000 years. The Italian director Marino GIROLAMI manages to create a thoroughly coherent ancient drama with many fight scenes that are quite impressive for the time they were made. Numerous scenes from LA GUERRA DI TROIA with Steve REEVES were also used in GIROLAMI's film. The American bodybuilder Gordon MITCHELL (1923-2003) cuts a very good figure as a battle-hardened hero with extremely dark character traits. Gordon MITCHELL was able to hold his own in other roles for almost three decades even after the sword and sandal film wave in the Roman film industry of CINECITTA had ebbed. The French actor Jacques BERGERAC (1927-2014) is also very interesting as his opponent. He was married to two ACADEMY AWARD winners, Ginger ROGERS and Dorothy MALONE, and in his second life became head of the French cosmetics company Revlon. As an actor he was also in GIGI (1958) with Leslie CARON, A GLOBAL AFFAIR (1964) with Liselotte PULVER and MISSIONE SPECIALE LADY CHAPLIN (1966) with Daniela BIANCHI.

This sword and sandal film based on Homer's ILIAS, which is well worth seeing, attracted at least 698,000 visitors (source: InsideKino) to West German cinemas.