Search - Helen of Troy on DVD

MPAA Rating: NR Movie Release: 2003 DVD Release: 08/12/2003 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV - Closed Captioned Edition: Dual Layered Audio Tracks: English Subtitles: French, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 2 Number of Discs: 2 Run Time: 2 hrs 57 mins Studio: Universal Studios Total Copies: 4 Genres: Adventure, Costume Adventure, Sword-and-Sandal

"The face that launched a thousand ships" was the centerpiece of this two-part TV miniseries, which invoked affectionate memories of the overblown Cecil B. DeMille epics of years gone by. Set in the 13th century B.C., the series starred Sienna Guillory as Helen, the Olympian-born, dazzlingly beautiful trophy wife of Sparta's King Menelaus (James Callis). Unhappy in her "marriage of state," Helen yearned for the companionship of the gorgeous young man whom she had seen only in a vision: Paris (Matthew Marsden), the Prince of Troy. As luck would have it, Paris managed to "abduct" Helen and spirit her off to his homeland, where she was welcomed by his father, King Priam (John Rhys-Davies), despite the portents of doom from Paris' foresighted sister, Cassandra (Emilia Fox). Meanwhile back in Sparta, King Menelaus, his honor besmirched, declared war on Troy, thus beginning a ten-year conflict that would culminate disastrously in the incident of the Trojan horse. All of which greatly pleased Menelaus' covetous brother, Agamemnon (Rufus Sewell), who cannily exploited the war in order to emerge as King of the Aegean. Far more elaborate than any of the previous cinematic treatments of the Helen legend, this one was also a bit more sensational, with a number of gratuitous but enjoyable nude scenes. Filmed on location in Malta and Greece, Helen of Troy was seen over the USA cable network on April 20 and 21, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Sienna Guillory - Helen
Matthew Marsden - Paris
Rufus Sewell - Agamemnon
Stellan Skarsgård - Theseus
John Rhys-Davies - King Priam of Troy

This made-for-cable historical drama has been given an above-average presentation for its release on DVD. Helen of Troy has been given a letterboxed transfer at its original aspect ratio of 1.78:1 (the film was given a theatrical release in Europe, so it was shot in widescreen), and the audio has been mastered in both Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1. The dialogue is in English, with optional subtitles in French and Spanish. Bonus material includes a short documentary on the making of Helen of Troy, and production notes on the cast and filmmakers. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide