Troy: Movie Analysis Research Paper

The movie called Troy is an embodiment of the conflict that occurred between the cities states of the Greek. The leading cities engulfed in the war included Agamemnon and Troy under the leadership of Priam. From the historical readings of the narrative and the manifestation of the film, the main contention that drives the story is the prince of Troy called Paris got into a romantic affair with Helen. Hellen was the wife of Agamemnons brother called Menelaus. Apart from being the wife of the estranged woman, Menelaus was also the king of Sparta. The story was based on Homers narrative of the Trojan War as epitomized in the poem called Iliad. An analysis of the film based on its historical aspects shows various controversies on its accuracy that makes it necessary to point some of the facts that show the movies accuracy as well as the lack of it. Despite the fact that the film presents an ingenious plot, it levels so many questions to ponder about, especially the wonder as to whether it based on facts or just a mere legend.

The assessment of the historical accuracy of Troy draws from the literary notion that a narrative that fails to uphold historical accuracy confers no substantial benefit to viewers (Maguire 54). The lack of historical brevity and integrity makes the film vulnerable to manipulations to the extent that it becomes just any other tale with no attachment to any history, tradition or culture. From one perspective, a meticulous examination of the film Troy shows that it is historically accurate and uses facts and evidence drawn from the ancient Greek culture. For instance, the military is shown as having fighting formations, practicing naval warfare and weapons. Bosley (1956) illustrates how various approaches are used in fomenting and executing war in the ancient Greek as epitomized in the film. He asserts thus, the descent of the Greeks from the horse's belly in the quiet of night is the best thing in the show (Bosley Para 4). These were common aspects of the Greek war culture. For instance, it is credible to state that the film has crisply edited combat sequences, tableaus of antique splendor (Scott par. 4)

Furthermore, the film encapsulates the Greek cultural aspects through burial customs, respect to the authority, especially the king and unique architectural designs. According to Moguire (2009), the Troy captures a critical era in the Greek history that traverses through two epics of Bronze Age and the Hellenistic-Roman Era (15). The roles of women in the film compounded with the Achilles fighting group and respect of the people to the Myrmidons collectively support the conception that the film Troy has a remarkable sense of historical accuracy.

The film also accurately retraces to the ancient Greek heritage since it captures religion as a critical aspect of their culture. The Greeks worshiped different gods whom they treated with a lot of awe and reverence. The Greek considered some of the gods as essential while others did not get the same sense of reverence. Among the Trojans captured in the film, The God Apollo was highly revered and signified an embodiment of moral authority of the people. In the movie, the main power worshiped is Apollo. The worship of Apollo became more evident and pronounced through the several references that the actors make to him. For instance, everything focused on Apollo when the men of King Pram were prophesizing.

The Ancient Greek had great respect for the king, whether he deserved it or not. According to Winkler (2007), myths and legends should be connected to the specific places which they are set (23). Kings formed part of the most respected officials and demanded that they are hundred even if they were wrong. In the film "Troy" the respect afforded to Agamemnon was very high despite the fact that he did nothing. Odysseus, comments on this to Achilles is angry that warriors reward the king things that they stole which according to him they never deserved. Evidently it is portrayed that the king had much respect whether he deserved it or not, and in this case, it is evident that Agamemnon did not earn the respect that he received.

Despite the facts that assert the historical astuteness of the film Troy, various other issues point to its deficiency. The artifacts, tools, and clothing are shown in the movie show it as having been placed in the early classical period instead of the late Bronze Age. According to Martin, the Troy should have extensively covered the Bronze period. He asserts that the film should have increased the interest and study of the bronze age (Winkler 22). In the movie, the Greeks have traditional hoplite dress and arms that were characteristic of the Iron Age. For instance, in the scene where King Priam shows Paris the Sword of Troy, it is evident that the swords blade. This close look at the sword shows it as suspiciously like steel or polished iron. The other weapons in the film also embody similar characteristics. The fact that the movie primarily premised on the Trojan War, it is misleading to show the materials as made of steel or polished iron. Ideally, during this time, civilizations remained deeply embedded in the Bronze Age. Therefore, this fact casts aspersion on the availability of the iron weapons to the then Greeks. Historical studies indicate that Philistines were the first users of Iron weapons at around 1100 BC. The use of steel and iron occurred long after the advent of the Trojan War upon which the film draws.

Works Cited

Maguire, Laurie E. Helen of Troy: From Homer to Hollywood. Chichester, U.K: Wiley-Blackwell, 2009. Internet resource.

Winkler, Martin M. Troy: From Homer's Iliad to Hollywood Epic. Malden, MA: Blackwell, 2007. Internet resource.

Bosley Crowther Screen: 'Iliad' Revisited; Helen's Face Launches Ships at Criterion New York Times January 27, 1956.

Scott A. O. Film Review; Greeks Bearing Immortality. May 14, 2004. New York Times May 14, 2004.