La chûte de Troie

A very interesting film, considering it was made in 1911. I read somewhere it was very important, after its distribution in the U. S., for the further development of American cinema. Lavish sceneries, impressive sets, wonderful photography will be acknowledged even nowadays. What will be less appealing for today's audiences is - I think - the acting style.

As is often the case in the films of the period - after the early inception of motion pictures, but before their more uniform routinized productions of the '20s - film-makers had to face the problem of conveying meaning. Theatre was a model; but in films you didn't have the assistance of the spoken language. Before some more cinematic patterns were discovered and utilized (close-ups, just to name one) one could only rely on gestures. The usual cinematic shot of the period is the so-called wide shot, that shows the entire human figure; the movements and gestures that are possible, and visible, in this wide shot are those of the arms and legs.

That's why in "La caduta di Troia" we see all of the actors display an uninterrupted sequence of ample arm movements. It's like we just jumped in a Gym Class for Elders. Some of those movements and gestures are still intelligible today, as stereotyped significants for some emotions. Most of them are not, unfortunately.

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.

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.

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.

The Fall Of Troy / La caduta di Troia (1911) : Brief Review -

The First Ever Grand Epic tale in World Cinema. Giovanni Pastrone's Spectacular Magnus Opus much before Griffith's 'The Birth Of A Nation' and 'Intolerance'. I was so happy when i learnt that Scorsese believed that it was Pastrone who invented Epic genre, not Griffith, rather it was Pastrone's work that influenced Griffith to make those grandeur. Even though there is no clarification from Griffith about this, one cannot take anything away from the legacy of Giovanni Pastrone. The Italian filmmaker was thinking way ahead of its time, it's just out of our and everybody's reach. Just look at the grand scale execution of The Fall Of Troy and try to convince yourself that this was made in 1911. Holy smoke! That just seems unbelievable. Whatever historical epics i have seen till date which includes all the major classics made in these 110 years, this has to be the granddaddy of all. A historical war film with huge sets, humongous battalion, spectacular visuals, unthinkable explosions (of its time i mean) and fulfilling storyline in 1911 couldn't have got better than this. The film tells a story of Menelaus, King of Sparta who temporarily departs from his residence, leaving his wife behind only to get kidnapped by Paris Of Troy and fall in love with him. When Menelaus learns about it he declares a war against Troy to seek revenge. The entire structure of the film is gargantuan and Giovanni Pastrone's visionary direction justifies its massive nature without any compromises in production value. The battle scenes, Huge crowd, Big sets everything will fascinate you like never before because such grandeur was never ever seen by anybody before its time. In short, a pioneer of Historical Epics.

RATING - 8/10*

By - #samthebestest.