Troy (Director's Cut)(Special Edition)

Description

Product Description Troy Director's Cut (BD)Brad Pitt picks up a sword and brings a muscular, brooding presence to the role of Greek warrior Achilles in this spectacular retelling of The Iliad. Orlando Bloom and Diane Kruger play the legendary lovers who plunge the world into war, Eric Bana portrays the prince who dares to confront Achilles, and Peter O'Toole rules Troy as King Priam. Director Wolfgang Petersen recreates a long-ago world of bireme warships, clashing armies, the massive fortress city and the towering Trojan Horse.]]> desertcart.com No doubt about it, the 196-minute unrated director's cut of Troy represents a significant improvement over the film's original 162-minute theatrical release--and not just because it has more sex and violence. As director Wolfgang Petersen notes in his new "Troy Revisited" video introduction to this 2-disc special edition, he didn't have the time or directorial discretion (prior to Troy's release in 2004) to present a cut that more closely matched his vision for the film. Three years later, Petersen approached the film with a more relaxed perspective, and the result is a well-crafted expansion on a film that was previously underrated, with 30 minutes of previously unseen material. Character dynamics have been improved and intensified; the epic-scale narrative is now easier to follow, with greater emphasis on the inner turmoil of Achilles (well played by Brad Pitt) and his rivalry with Hector (Eric Bana); and viewers will feel a more satisfying escalation of tension and suspense from battle to battle. The film's enormous battle scenes (impressively enhanced with CGI) are bloodier and gorier, but they're also more effectively integrated into the political story, which goes beyond Homer's The Iliad and the death of Hector to incorporate elements of Virgil and a more revealing study of the differences between Trojan king Priam (Peter O'Toole) and his megalomanical Greek rival, king Agamemnon (Brian Cox), whose lust for revenge is now one of the film's most powerful ingredients. Some of Troy's original weaknesses remain (such as Orlando Bloom's wimpy performance as Paris), but overall, this director's cut easily justifies its existence, regardless of the film's overblown and historically inaccurate depiction of Troy as a gigantic city of massive columns and statuary. The good parts are better, and the not-so-good parts are more easily forgiven. And no matter how you cut it, Troy is a lavish feast for the eyes. --Jeff Shannon Review: A superb movie in the fullest sense of the term. - If you've already seen "Troy" then I needn't tell you that this is an excellent film in every sense of the term. If you've not had the pleasure of viewing "Troy" then this Director's Cut is the best place to start. The restored scenes cut from the theatrical release add more dimension and scope to the characters and a more visceral aspect to the stunning battle sequences. As is the case with all big budget productions "Troy" employs an army of talented artists and craftsmen behind the cameras and an extremely talented ensemble of actors bring the story to life. Wolfgang Petersen's direction captures both the epic scope of the story and the subtleties of the characters with equal skill. The battle scenes while bloody are never exploitative and the love scenes are rendered with a softness that contrasts the combat beautifully. What sets "Troy" apart from most other "blockbuster" movies is that it's themes and characters are universally understood. You could take "Troy" and set it in WW2 and other than the setting the interpersonal conflicts would remain just as recognizable. Even if you can't relate to Agamemnon's overarching greed and ambition(superbly portrayed by veteran actor Brian Cox) you've seen enough people like him in the news to at least understand what drives such men. Brad Pitt portrays Achilles as a brooding but deadly warrior searching for immortality through memory of his deeds while Eric Bana's Hector is torn between his personal convictions and his patriotic duty to his country. Both men are superb in their respective roles. The Director's Cut of "Troy" is well worth your time and money. You'll get a visual feast in service to an excellent story bought to life by superb acting that imbues the characters with very recognizable traits. What more can you ask for? Review: A posterboy for BD format, but a less than stellar movie - There are a plethora of reviews of the movie, but my review is mostly a comparison of the BD vs DVD version. The BD version is the best version released for audio and video. The video is a quantum leap above the DVD version as the richness of the detail in sets, clothing, and actors are eye popping. The audio is a quantum leap in clarity and staging, and complements the imagery to roar scenes into one's living room with hubris and magnificence. The wider color gamut and superb digital transfer makes many scenes appear real and even super real. Alas, the movie itself suffers a bit in 2 respects. Music is weaker and less striking, as a different score is used, and some scenes are filled with synthesizer scores that are clearly out of step with any of the music. Filler music is added and borrowed from other movies, and mentioned in the end credits such as taken from Planet of the Apes. While the movie benefits from the extended scenes added to complete the story, some scenes drag, and the pacing is no longer as fast as the original.