'Troy' battles for box-office gold
Homer's story of love and war comes to the big screen, again
By Stephanie Snipes
CNN
 |  Brad Pitt plays Achilles in the new film "Troy." |
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| | ON CNN TV |  "Eye on Entertainment" talks about the weekend's happenings on CNN's "Live Today" between 10 a.m. and noon ET Thursday. |
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(CNN) -- The summer blockbuster season heats up as the story of Troy leaps from the pages of Homer's "The Iliad" to movie theaters across the United States.
In the past few years, Hollywood has turned to Homer's classics more than once for movie ideas. In 2000, the Coen brothers loosely adapted "The Odyssey" into the cult hit "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" Now, director Wolfgang Petersen ("The Perfect Storm") tries his luck with "Troy."
Prior to "O Brother," Hollywood's biggest tribute to Homer came from director Robert Wise of "West Side Story" and "Sound of Music" fame. Wise's interpretation of "The Iliad," "Helen of Troy," debuted in 1956, several years before the Sharks and the Jets danced their way through Officer Krupke's beat. "Helen of Troy" starred Rossana Podesta and Jacques Sernas.
Even though both films remember the same story, they are very different. Wise's budget was miniscule compared to the $200 million spent on Petersen's film, and the advances in special effects technology since 1956 are enormous.
Petersen was lucky enough to cast Hollywood heart-throbs Brad Pitt and Orlando Bloom, while Wise's ensemble included an international cast with little marquee value in the States (Sernas' claim to fame at that time was 1955's "Jump Into Hell").
The one thing missing from both films are the gods themselves. Perhaps considered too cartoonish for the filmmakers, both movies mention their existence but spare moviegoers a melodramatic scene in which Apollo strikes someone down with a lightning bolt.
Maybe we should be grateful. If either of these films had included scenes of the gods wreaking havoc, comparisons might have been drawn with the over-the-top "Clash of the Titans" (1981).
Eye on Entertainment gets ready for battle.
Eye-opener
"Troy" tells the story of how the purest feelings of love for another human being can bring overwhelming joy and happiness, but end up causing the annihilation of an entire civilization.
Trojan prince Paris (Bloom) convinces his lover Helen (Diane Kruger) to leave her home of Sparta and her husband, sparking an epic war.
The battle begins when Helen's husband, Menelaus (Brendan Gleeson) calls on the help of his brother, Agamemnon (Brian Cox) to get his young bride back.
Agamemnon uses every tool at his disposal to ensure victory, including the fiercest of all warriors, Achilles (Pitt.)
The film also stars Eric Bana as Hector, Sean Bean as Odysseus and Peter O'Toole as Priam.
Filming the movie proved almost as adventurous as the story itself. The original plan was to film in Morocco, but the threat of terrorist attacks brought on by the war in Iraq prompted a move to Mexico.
 Trojans believe the wooden horse is a gift for the gods. | |
Setbacks also came in the form of natural disaster when "Troy's" sets were destroyed by a hurricane (possibly a sign that the gods weren't so happy about being left on the cutting room floor?)
In another twist, Pitt, who plays Achilles, damaged his Achilles tendon during filming. The injury forced a three-month delay in shooting the final scenes of the film while he healed.
At the end of the day, Petersen and his larger-than-life film have big shoes to fill. Will they make back the $200 million budget they exhausted? And will mad-for-Brad women the world over still swoon for Mr Pitt in long hair and skirts?
On screen
The only film daring enough to go up against the men-in-skirts epic "Troy" is "Breakin' All the Rules." Jamie Foxx plays Quincy Watson who, after being dumped by his fiancé, writes a book on how to break up successfully. The film also stars Morris Chestnut and Gabrielle Union.
On the tube
In another episode of "let's see what we can get away with on prime-time TV," the folks at CBS bring forth "Helter Skelter," a TV movie based on the real-life Manson murders. CBS opted to air the movie at the relatively early hour of 8 p.m. Don't fret, parents: a "viewer discretion" advisory will appear before the show. Surely, that will be enough to squash your 12-year-old's curiosity.
"Helter Skelter" airs Sunday at 8 p.m. ET.
Lewis Black, "Daily Show" correspondent and comedy club regular, gets his own HBO special, "Lewis Black: Black on Broadway." The special airs Saturday at 10 p.m. ET.
Sound waves
Alanis Morrisette returns to the music scene with "So Called Chaos," her first CD since 1998's "Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie." The CD is due Tuesday.
Lenny Kravitz's new album "Baptism" is due Tuesday.
Home theater
"Miracle" tells the true story of how coach Herb Brooks (Kurt Russell) led the U.S. hockey team to victory in the 1980 Olympic games. The 2-disk DVD set features "First Impressions: Herb Brooks with Kurt Russell and the Filmmakers," which includes one of the coach's last interviews before his death in 2003. The DVD hits stores Tuesday.
Just when you thought the girls of "Sex" were gone forever, Carrie, Miranda, Samantha and Charlotte are back, Cosmos in hand. "Sex and the City - Season Six, Part One" arrives in stores Tuesday.
