Between the novel “The Iliad” by Homer and the movie “Troy” directed by Wolfgang Peterson, there were mostly great similarities, yet there were also some strong differences. Although most of the movie was on point according to the storyline and dialogues of the characters, there were still some major differences among the two. If I was ever to make my own version of the Iliad into a movie, this would be what I would change; I would make the movie more related to the novel. In the following I will explain how the move was similar and different to the novel as well as how I would have made my version of the movie more according to the novel.
First, I must say that Wolfgang Peterson did an excellent job binding together his movie “Troy” with Homer’s “The Iliad” as well as with the facts and cultural characteristics of the Trojan and Greek people. One of the many ways that Peterson showed a great connection to “The Iliad” is when Akhilleus has his argument with Agamemnon over Brisêis. In this account with Agamemnon, Peterson uses almost the same exact dialogue that Homer used with the exception of a few phrases to keep up with the slightly different storyline he created in “Troy.” Also, in the battle scenes it is noticeable the type of weapons, armor, and shields that the warriors used was quite similar and almost exact to the style of arms used by the ancient Greeks and Trojans. And finally, the customs of burials were also correct to their traditions. The placing of the corpse on a pyre to be burned and putting a gold piece on each of the corpse’s eyes were both usual customs used in their ancient past times. So, according to these facts it is obvious that Wolfgang Peterson knew what he was doing in terms of setting up a story to be almost exact to the people’s customs as well as the original storyline.
The Review on The Iliad 5
The Iliad Movie Troy is the adaptation of "The Iliad" by Homer. Wolfgang Petersen directs this epic retelling of the battle of Troy. Paris (Orlando Bloom) wins the heart of Helen (Diane Kruger). This would not ordinarily be a problem, except that Helen is already married to Menelaus (Brenden Gleason). Helen moves to Troy, and Agamemnon (Brian Cox), the ruler of all the armies of Greece, uses this ...
Secondly, the biggest difference and disappointment to me is the fact that there were no gods or representations of them in the movie “Troy.” Knowing that the gods played the greatest role on society and the way certain things had to be done, I believe that Peterson should have at least made the gods somewhat a part of the way of life of the Trojans and Greeks other than just saying that everything happened for the will of the gods. One example where the presence of the gods was removed from the movie is in the same scene where Akhilleus fights with Agamemnon. In both the original and newer version of the story, Akhilleus reaches the point of losing control that he almost kills Agamemnon. The only difference is that in the original tale “The Iliad,” the war goddess Athena is the one who stops Akhilleus from slaying King Agamemnon, whereas in “Troy” it is Brisêis who stops him. Also, Brisêis turns out to be the daughter of King Priam of Troy. This is another way that the movie did not follow the storyline of “The Iliad.” As I had once said before, without the presence of the gods, the story becomes dull.
Out of the many good things that were added and taken out to create Peterson’s “Troy,” the one thing that I must say needed to be done would be the addition of the gods into the movie and sticking closer to the original novel’s order of events. My movie would have the gods of their times represented in some way or another. This could be done by having actors play their roles and then be digitally altered to seem more godlike. This could also be done by using computer designed graphics altogether in order to be able to create an enhanced image of the crazy stunts and interferences that the gods were interpreted to have made during the battles, speeches, and other occurrences. Inserting the gods’ presence into the movie would allow the viewers to get the ultimate and full image of what the gods may have appeared to look, sound, and act like.
The Term Paper on Dicuss Similarities And Differences Between Homer's Iliad And The Movie Troy
The ancient legend of Troy, recorded in Homer’s epic poem “The Iliad” Oxford (trans. Robert Fitzgerald University Press 1974) has been retold in many other forms, the most recent being the blockbuster film “Troy” (2004, Wolfgang Peterson). “Troy” is a basic retelling of the myth, lacking many elements of the book thus containing many inaccuracies. However, ...
As it was already mentioned, there is no doubt that Wolfgang Peterson did a great job putting together the classic story of “The Iliad,” but it would be better if the movie came closer to what occurred in the novel and included the presence of the gods.
