Helen of Troy

"Its towering wonders span the age of titans! Its tumultuous story has lived for thirty centuries!"

1956 2h 1m EN

😐

6.3

MID

⭐

6.1

IMDB

★6.3TMDB · 66★6.1IMDB · 2,758

AdventureWarRomanceHistory

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Prince Paris of Troy, shipwrecked on a mission to the king of Sparta, meets and falls for Queen Helen before he knows who she is. Rudely received by the royal Greeks, he must flee...but fate and their mutual passions lead him to take Helen along. This gives the Greeks just the excuse they need for much-desired war.

“Its towering wonders span the age of titans! Its tumultuous story has lived for thirty centuries!”

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Cast

Rossana Podestà
Helen
Jacques Sernas
Paris
Cedric Hardwicke
Priam
Stanley Baker
Achilles
Niall MacGinnis
Menelaus
Nora Swinburne
Hecuba
Robert Douglas
Agamemnon
Torin Thatcher
Ulysses

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Robert Wise
Writers: Hugh Gray, John Twist, Homer
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

70 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Robert Wise, shot by Harry Stradling Sr.. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Max Steiner. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Thomas Reilly shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Rossana Podestà and Jacques Sernas and Cedric Hardwicke carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

AWARDS

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Its towering wonders span the age of titans! Its tumultuous story has lived for thirty centuries!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0049301 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 66 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Robert Wise directs. Harry Stradling Sr. behind the camera. Max Steiner scores. Thomas Reilly cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

170 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by Robert Wise, shot by Harry Stradling Sr.. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Max Steiner. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Thomas Reilly shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Rossana Podestà and Jacques Sernas and Cedric Hardwicke carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "Its towering wonders span the age of titans! Its tumultuous story has lived for thirty centuries!".
7IMDB entry: tt0049301 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 66 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Harry Stradling Sr.
Original score: Max Steiner
Editing: Thomas Reilly
Costume design: Roger K. Furse
Runtime: 121 min · 2h 1m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: Helen of Troy (1956)
IMDB rating: 6.1/10 · 2,758 votes
MPAA: Approved

Also by

Robert Wise

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2020-02-17
★ 4/10
Robert Wise's often forgotten take on The Iliad story. Now over sixty years old, this almost epic film pales in comparison to other more notable sword and sandal movies. The scale of the film cannot be faulted, hundreds of extras & huge lavish sets are evident, while in Robert Wise the piece is given a well regarded director to chart its course. However, the problems are all too evident. First off is that the film is terribly pedestrian for the first hour, a tepid script fails to engage and at times is unintentionally funny. Then there are major cast issues. Taking the leads of Paris & Helen are Jacques Sernas & Rossana Podestà respectively. They look the part, both of them undeniably pretty, but neither of them can act for toffee. Filmed in Rome, Italy, it begs the question on if the casting director walked around Lazio and picked the two blondest people available for the roles!?… In support of the Blondie's are a host of usually fine performers, Cedric Hardwicke, Stanley Baker, Niall MacGinnis, Harry Andrews, Torin Thatcher & Robert Douglas, but this is still a mixture of actors either too old for their roles, poorly written, or in the case of Douglas, an underused important character (Agamemnon). Shifting away from the awful back projection work, the action sequences at least hold up as competent construction. There's enough here in the second hour to please the sword & sandal fan, but if it's enough to make this a safe recommendation to the potential first time crowd? well I wouldn't stake my life on it you know!. It's a genre I personally love, so I wondered why I hadn't heard about it long before now, after viewing it, it became evident why, it's just not any good. A generous 4/10 from me for the siege of Troy action construction, the stunt work throughout and for Baker's moody show as Achilles.

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