This title is available from Arrow Video as a “Limited Edition” 4K Ultra HD, as well as a “Limited Edition” Blu-ray.
With Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey currently setting the box office on fire, there has been a renewed interest in Homer’s classic Greek poems and older adaptations of the work. The all-star epic Troy is loosely based on The Iliad from Homer, primarily dealing with the Trojan War. Believe it or not, at one point Nolan himself was attached to direct this film, but fate had other things in store for the filmmaker. Instead, Wolfgang Petersen (Das Boot, The Neverending Story, In the Line of Fire, Air Force One) ended up helming this $160 million dollar production from Warner Bros., which was a major hit at the box office, earning roughly $500 million worldwide.
Now Arrow Video is delivering a lavish 4K Ultra HD that contains two different versions of the movie. The 162-minute theatrical version has been given a 4K restoration with Dolby Vision, while the 196-minute director’s cut (which was reassembled by the director a few years after the movie’s release) features footage from a 2K digital intermediate that has been added to the 4K material. I can state assuredly here that it all looks phenomenal, and that you can’t see any difference between the source materials. In this edition, the movie looks sharper and cleaner here than it ever has before, and the transfer will impress anyone who enjoys the picture.
This tale begins with a tentative peace between various Greek kingdoms and Troy’s fortified empire across the Mediterranean Sea (in what today would be part of Turkey). Unfortunately, while visiting Sparta, Greece for peace talks, Troy’s prince Paris (Orlando Bloom) wins the heart of Helen (Diane Kruger), wife of Spartan King Menelaus (Brendan Gleeson) and sister-in-law of power-mad Greek ruler Agamemnon (Brian Cox). She secretly leaves for Troy with Paris, infuriating Menelaus.
Agamemnon sees this as a political opportunity to invade and take control of the entire region. He enlists Odysseus (Sean Bean) to take part, and the leader convinces the greatest warrior, Achilles (Brad Pitt), to fight with him. Achilles and Agamemnon hate each other, but Achilles sees this epic battle as a chance to make himself into a legend, and agrees to take part in the raid. Upon their arrival, they find Troy’s Crown Prince Hector (Eric Bana) not only a protective brother, but a formidable opponent. Of course, the might of the Greek army poses worry among Troy leaders, including King Priam (Peter O’Toole), as well as Paris’s and Hector’s cousin Briseis (Rose Byrne) who becomes a prisoner of the invaders.
The scope of the production is huge and it does an excellent job of delivering epic battles and confrontations against dusty, sandy backdrops. After watching both versions of the movie, I do think that the director’s cut is a little stronger. The pacing is slower, but the characters and relationships are more defined here. Additionally, the battles themselves are noticeably brutal and graphic. You do get more of a sense of the horrors of war and loss of life, with most of the characters ultimately meeting an ugly end (which could have been avoided).
It’s a bit of a soap opera and one can understand some of the criticisms levied at the movie during its original release. Pitt does look like his hair, make-up and appearance was a priority of those departments, and for a warrior, he is perhaps too pouty and photogenic given all the slaying and bloodshed that he has to take part in.
Otherwise, it’s still a compelling and impressive take on the legend with good performances all around. In particular, Bana makes for an empathetic figure, who must ultimately fall in order to protect a brother who has endangered his entire kingdom with an impulsive act. Bean also does a commendable job as Odysseus, a decent man who is doing his best to serve the alliance, but who feels stuck between various angry factions.
In the director’s cut, all the characters are better drawn and all their motivations are clear. There are some obvious digital effects (with the Greek ship armada sailing to Troy), but the battle scenes are epic and exciting to watch. Overall, this is a fine adaptation and one that will impress most who want to know the background behind the story of The Odyssey. The film isn’t perfect and its boldness and big scope does feel a little more old-fashioned when compared with Nolan’s recent take on the subject, but this is a solid adaptation that generally impresses.
As noted, the transfer is really strong. There are also some archival extras and a new feature that is illuminating about the production. Petersen appears before the beginning of the director’s cut, showing some of the scenes that he specifically added. He notes that the studio was very happy with the film and its box office grosses, so it was relatively easy for him to ask for a bit of extra funding to reassemble and complete his version of the story. Petersen mentions how happy he was with the original opening shot, featuring a dog searching for its master through a body-strewn battlefield, and mentions the extra character bits and more brutal conflicts in this version.
There are a ton of archival featurettes dealing with the production. This includes another interview with Petersen, behind-the-scenes footage, a discussion with the production designer, a look at the visual effects, a discussion with the screenwriter on adapting the story and the changes made to the source material. All of these bits are put together for a picture-in-picture commentary on the theatrical edition, which is a great way to incorporate all the information together and get it across in a quicker way. Indeed, you can really understand the creative decisions that were made and why they occurred. This includes the death of Agamemnon (which does not occur in The Iliad), who was so villainous that they felt it necessary to give him a memorable death during the climax (which is much earlier than in the original story).
The costume department and production design team address the challenges in creating two distinctive looks for the warring groups. It was essential that the Greeks and the army of Troy would never be confused by audience members, and you’ll see how they accomplished this feat. They also note the famous “Trojan Horse” and how difficult it was to build on a large-scale. Everyone notes how ridiculous and impossible this aspect of the original story is, and explain their attempts to try and sell it as a believable plot development to viewers.
You’ll also learn that Petersen was extremely familiar with the source material and hugely excited to adapt it to the big screen. At the time, he was attached to shoot Batman vs. Superman for Warner Bros., but when that picture went into turnaround at the studio (superhero movies were going through something of a box office slump), they suggested he take over Troy instead. A relatively young Christopher Nolan had just been hired to work on it, and as a concession, Warner Bros. offered Nolan the opportunity to reboot and take over the Batman franchise. It must have been difficult at the time for all involved, but it appears that everything for both directors ultimately worked out for the best. Truth be told, this writer actually thinks The Odyssey is the more interesting story and prefers its themes, so Nolan ended up better off waiting for another opportunity.
The disc also contains an archival multi-part piece on Greek gods, who are mentioned in the story but never seen. One imagines that Petersen found the story big enough without adding bickering gods watching everything occur from above, and excised that part of the story. But for those interested, the featurette gives a lesson on the various Greek gods and their relationships with the humans in this story.
A theatrical trailer is also included, along with stills, behind-the-scenes photos and other promo materials. There is also a booklet in the packaging with writing on the movie, and the case packaging features a nice reversible slipcover with original and newly commissioned art for the film.
Arrow Video’s new “Limited Edition” 4K Ultra HD release of Troy is a definite improvement over older versions with great picture quality that showcases the epic scale, along with the preferred longer cut of the movie. If you appreciate Homer’s work, this set will impress.
