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Troy is a movie released on May 14, 2004 about the Trojan War, which is described in Homer's Iliad and other Greek myths as having taken place in Anatolia (modern Turkey) around the 13th or 12th century BC. It stars, among others: Brad Pitt as Achilles, Eric Bana as Hector, Orlando Bloom as Paris, Brian Cox as Agamemnon, Sean Bean as Odysseus, Diane Kruger as Helen, and Peter O'Toole as Priam. It is directed by Wolfgang Petersen, and written by David Benioff. It received an Oscar nomination for its costume design.
Plot
In the year 1193 B.C, Agamemnon, king of the Greeks, rules most of the civilized world. But the city of Troy, known for its great defensive walls, is untouched. When Troy's younger prince, Paris, woos the beautiful Helen away from her husband, Menelaus, king of Sparta and brother of Agamemnon, Menelaus convices Agamemnon to continue his imperialistic conquests and attack Troy. Achilles and his team of elite wariors assist the invasion.
Historical Accuracy
It would be difficult to give a fair assessment as to the historical accuracy of the film. On the one hand, some people observe that the film is more faithful to historical findings about the period it portrays than most Hollywood films (see Gladiator, King Arthur and Braveheart for examples). On the other hand, other viewers note that the film deviates in quite a few places from Homer's version of the story, upon which the filmmakers claim to have based their film.
For instance, according to the Iliad, the entire war from the time of Helen's abduction by Paris until the fall of Troy took ten years and not the few weeks depicted in the movie. Some characters are missing (notably, Diomedes); others are killed differently than is described in the myth (notably, Agamemnon). There is also a lengthy romance between Achilles and his captive Briseis which is not found in the original story.
It is worth noting that the Gods are not present in the film, except through people's belief in them - and even this is limited. It appears that the filmmakers intended the film to present the "real" story that spawned the myth, rather than the myth itself.
Financial Success
Troy screening's have earned its makers $133 million in America, overall. Having cost more than $180 million to make, it might appear that it was a flop - a complete financial failure. This, perhaps, couldn't be further from the truth. In these terms, Troy is quite a phenomenon actually. Of the hundred top-grossing films of all time, Troy's percentage of earnings made "overseas" is the greatest ever. More than 70% of its revenues were made internationally. Thus, the actual sum made by this film is much higher that it would first appear.
Troy made half a billion dollars worldwide, placing it in the #35 spot of top box office hits of all time. This is 12 places above Gladiator and 5 places above Saving Private Ryan, which are both considered successful.
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