Tuesday, November 22, 2016

Assignment for Tuesday, 11-29-16

Dear Mythologists,

For Tuesday, November 29, please do the following:

(1) Watch Helen of Troy (Robert Wise, 1956), taking notes as you see fit. In addition to the DVD being reserved at the library, the film is also streaming on Amazon. Remember as you watch that this movie is not only the archetype of Troy (2004), but also the precursor of the peplum craze from 1958 onward.

(2) Read the first half of Looking at Movies Chapter 5 ("Mise-en-Scene") (pp. 171–87). This chapter, the last we'll read in the textbook, seems appropriate for an epic of the sort to which Helen of Troy aspires.

(3) Remember by noon on Tuesday to comment on this post with your choice of a sequence from Helen of Troy to view in class.

DC

13 comments:

  1. I would like to watch the scene of Paris' return to Troy 00:58:36 - 01:01:28.
    I think it's a compelling scene to see Troy's point of view on Helen's arrival at Troy. We always read about Menelaus and Sparta's outrage about Helen's abduction. However, it is not discussed how the people of Troy felt about starting a war over a single woman. However, in the scene it is clear that they have a very negative reaction. --Willa

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  2. I'd like to look back at the first time Helen appears on screen (00:16:58-00:19:22). It's nice to see a leading lady with so much authority. From the very beginning, although we don't know for sure that she is Helen, she commands respect and has a certain amount of authority. This is evident not only in the way the other characters obey her orders, but also in the low angle shot. Helen appears as someone of authority because as the camera shows Paris' perspective, she is in the superior position. Even when the soldiers come and she loses that higher ground, it is clear that she is in control.

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  3. I'd like to watch the battle between Hector and Achilles and the subsequent death of Achilles from an arrow to the heel (1:31:00-1:35:00). Aside from having pretty good choreography and score, I feel like this scene really captures the spirit of the Iliad. It contains valour, elation, and despair. In one scene it shows the highs and lows of war by having reactions of both sides.

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  4. The scene I would like to watch is the one where Helen and Paris discuss whether to sail to Troy or Pelagos (0:52:51-0:55:09). This scene is a pivotal moment in their character arcs, and reveals the internal and external conflicts facing the couple following Helen's departure from Sparta. The scene conveys these conflicts by having Helen push for the more peaceful route of Pelagos, eventually convincing Paris despite his initial disagreements, but ultimately coming around to the position that they should head to Troy instead. This shows that they are each conflicted in their own ways about the balance between Paris' responsibilities and their love, but are willing to make concessions in order to make the other happy.

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    1. I want to see this scene too. This scene and the other similar ones really place Helen in the center of the story. Although the original epics do make sure that we know she is the cause of conflict, Achilles is still the main character. This film instead gives Helen agency and makes her romance the main subject of the plot.

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  5. I would like to watch the fight between Paris and Menelaus, and Helen's remarks to Menelaus as she is forced onto his ship. It starts at 1:51:59 and goes until the end of the film. Most ancient sources have Helen eventually reconciling with Menelaus, but this film implies the opposite. I also think this final sequence conveys what the Trojan War is really about: a fight between two men over a woman, as if she were property. The myth of the Trojan War reinforces the ancient notion of women as chattel, who can be taken against their will and traded among men. Menelaus and the Greeks don't entertain the notion that Helen has simply expressed free will in going to Troy with Paris. The conflict is traditionally framed as Paris "stealing" Helen from her husband(owner), thus inciting a very honorable ten year siege in order to get back what rightfully belongs to Menelaus.

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    1. I would also like to look at this scene because it is an interesting take on a tragedy. despite Paris being killed Helen is okay with it because she will always love him. This is a bizarre silver lining to the film because despite helen's love, paris is dead. It seemed like the writers wanted to tell a very different story than what this myth allows.

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  6. I would like to watch the fighting scene between Achilles and Hector (1:31:30- 1:35:46) and the death of the two heroes. For me this is a key scene in both the epic and the movie and it is very interesting that the director decides to present the two events in such a close chronological order. Both heroes are the symbols of braver and honor for their armies and their greatness is also related to the greatness of their opponent (Hector would not be Hector without Achilles and vice versa).

    -Frini

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  7. I would like to watch the scene of the storm, from about 14:10 to 15:40. In this scene, we see that Paris is a brave leader, willing to take action and put himself in danger, contrasting with the other sailor whipping the rowers. The dark atmosphere of the storm, with the violent wind and crackling thunder, creates a dramatic and ominous sense for the scene, and brings to mind the power of the gods and their unseen role in orchestrating the meeting of Paris and Helen. The sharp contrast between the violent storm and Paris's arrival on the calm, serene beach, I think, demonstrate the result of the gods' intervention of Paris's journey.

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  8. I would like to watch the scene where the Trojans bring the Trojan Horse through the gates around 1:46:17. I loved this shotime because the viewer gets to see the monumental proportions of the horse. The shot is at eyelevel for the audience but is a low angle shot of the horse which illustrates both the horse's scale and it's threat. The juxtaposition of the scene was also interesting. The people of Troy are celebrating and dancing around the horse as the men are dragging it into the city yet the alarming music and the focus on the horse foreshadow the horrible fate of the Trojans because of the horse. This is a great way of illustrating dramatic irony in a film; the audience is aware of the impending danger but the Trojans are not.

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  9. I would like to take a look at the introductory scene, before we meet any characters when they describe the political history of the world. It is the first thing to happen after the overture. I think we should look at it because it sets the tone for the movie, and it is so strangely "educational" like a history lesson. I think it sets up that this is supposed to be an educational film teaching us about the ancient world, and what does it mean when it does that and then has several moments where it departs from the myth.

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  10. I would like to look at the scene around 25:00 - 26:30 where Paris tells Helen he will buy her and Helen says she loves him but their relationship can never work and he must leave Sparta. It's an interesting change from many of the movies we have seen so far, where the man is more of a love-sick fool than the woman, who remains strong and refuses to run away with her love in the face of the danger it could bring to him and his people.

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  11. I would like to watch the scene around 1:46:00 when the Trojan horse is brought through the gates. I think that this scene is particularly interesting to keep in mind when we think of classical reception, because even among those who have little knowledge of the classical world, the idea of the trojan horse is present. I think that it is interesting to see it depicted in film.

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