La caduta di Troia

A reconstructed print of this mini-epic was shown this spring at the Tribeca Film Festival, in Lower Manhattan. The Fall of Troy was the work of Giovanni Pastrone, the director who went on to make the highly influential feature-length epic Cabiria two years later; it's said that the success of this film persuaded him to take on the far more ambitious project for which he's best remembered. Here Pastrone tells the story of the ten year Trojan War in about ten minutes, in a series of tableau-like scenes. Stylistically, the production switches back and forth from the stage technique of the day (i.e. painted backdrops, operatic acting) to the more naturalistic style made possible by the cinema (i.e. outdoor scenes, and real items used as props). Helen's seduction of Paris in a lavish royal garden opens the film in a fairly restrained fashion, but it's followed by a fantastic, dreamlike image of the runaway lovers fleeing Greece in a kind of flying chariot drawn by cherubs. When the Greeks gather their forces to sail to Troy we can see that their boats are real and that this is no stage set: right before our eyes the soldiers actually launch their (rather small) boats on a body of water. The actors' costumes and other trappings are quite lavish for this era of film-making. The most memorable moment comes when, after years of fighting -- which must be briskly implied, of course, given the brief running time -- the Greeks build their wooden horse and withdraw to the woods. The image of the enormous horse looming over the beach must have greatly impressed audiences in 1911. Unfortunately, this sense of grandeur is undercut in the scene that follows, when the Trojans pull the horse within their gates. Once the "wooden" horse is inside we can see all too clearly that it is a stage contrivance of canvas flats. When the Greeks start popping out the scene becomes unintentionally comic, suggestive of those little clown cars in the circus that hold an impossible number of people.

The print of The Fall of Troy shown at the festival was pieced together from several sources. The film ends after Troy has fallen to the Greeks, when Helen is brought before her husband Menelaus. In the final moments she appears to beg for mercy as he turns away. Whether or not the film originally ended with their reconciliation is impossible to say, unless a more complete print is found. Over all, this film represents a great leap forward for the cinema in almost every department, from visual effects to the comparatively restrained acting style -- that is, aside from one over-excited actor who played a messenger in wildly histrionic fashion, drawing chuckles from the festival crowd. And apparently a crew member in contemporary clothes is visible at the edge of the frame during one battle scene, although I didn't see him myself. Even so, viewers familiar with very early movies that relate classical tales, such as Ferdinand Zecca's 1903 version of Samson and Delilah, will recognize that Pastrone was far ahead of his contemporaries, and the proof can be found in his subsequent work.

Paride arrives at the court of Troy as an ambassador. With the help of Venus (superimposed), Parie kidnaps Elena, who is at first hesitant. To get revenge, the Greeks declare war on Troy. The Trojans fall into the trap of the Greeks of the wooden horse, which is introduced into the city by breaking down the gates. The Greeks hidden in the horse set fire to the city while the others burst through the knocked down door. Paris is killed while trying desperately to escape. The multiplicity of actors and dynamic scenes anticipate the kolossal "Cabiria" (1915) and become a feature of the Italian historical film that inspires directors like Griffith in movies like "Birth of nation" (1915) and "Intolerance" (1916). The musical accompaniment is by Antonio Coppola.

The Fall of Troy adapts the Iliad to the big screen format. I've had the opportunity to see a 25 minutes long print, but camera speed in the early days was so slow and rather jumpy at times, it's got to be readapted in current restorations so whether I've got to see the full version or some scenes are missing, I can't tell. The Iliad has always been both less epic and popular than her younger brother, the Oddyssey. Hence, Pastrone had hard work to accomplish upon making this one, yet he checked out just fine.

The story is a classic we're all familiar with, Paris kidnaps Menelaus' wife Helen, the Greeks take this as an offense declaring therefore war on Troy (homeland of Paris). After years of battling, the Greeks come up with the magnificent idea of building a wooden horse that will take them into Troy, setting the city on fire and winning the war like that. The movie misses some important parts as it fails to portray the allegorical Gods atmosphere, no trace of Achilles is shown either, and many other characters are missing as well: Hector, Cassandra, Ulysses or Zeus himself among many others.

Yet, the print was pretty well conserved and the great epic ending scene has pushed me into rating it 6 instead of 5 so that's one extra point thanks to the good taste it's left in my mouth. Other movies were better and more entertaining but Pastrone shows some of his talent and manages to make this work.

One of the first pre-WW1 historical spectaculars to come out of Italy. Co-directed By Giovanni Pastrone, who would go on to direct the hugely influential Cabiria, and Luigi Romano Borgnetto. La caduta di Troia tells the familiar tale of the Trojan Horse on an epic scale with hugely impressive battle scenes (for the time), and a truly spectacular finale as the city of Troy burns. One not to be missed by anyone interested in silent movies or the development of cinema.

In 1911, three Italian films wowed the world with their technical quality, large sets and use of large casts: "L'inferno", "Gerusalemme liberata" and "La Caduta di Troia". Director Giovanni Pastrone goes beyond the usual technique of the time of portraying historical films in front of painted backdrops. He ordered parts of Troy used in the scenes to be reconstructed thus giving the film depth of scene rarely seen at the time. Audiences were amazed and the film was a huge commercial success.

But even more than just the huge sets, Pastrone shows his skill with utilizing the extra space effectively. Actors moved from the back to the front in leisurely fashion and the camera utilizes deep-focus photography so that every object or person is always in focus no matter whether located at the back or at the front. A technical masterpiece for it's time and a film that set new standards.

A 28 minute version can be found on the "Cineteca Milano" web-site which is close to the film's original length. Well-worth hunting down to get a true appreciation of this film.