Thursday, August 06, 2026

I haven’t seen the movie yet

I hope to see it soon.


Thinking of the famous poem:

Was this the face that launched a thousand ships,
And burnt the topless towers of Ilium?
Sweet Helen, make me immortal with a kiss.
Here will I dwell, for heaven is in those lips,
And all is dross that is not Helena.
I will be Paris, and for love of thee
Instead of Troy shall Wittenberg be sacked,
And I will combat with weak Menelaus,
And wear thy colors on my plumed crest.
Yea, I will wound Achilles in the heel,
And then return to Helen for a kiss. 
— Christopher Marlow, “Dr. Faustus”

Imagining the destruction

Classical painters loved the story of Troy, which I guess we all still do.
In this example (one of many) the burning city predominates and the famous horse just sits there.
I assume that you know the whole story even if you haven’t read the book recently.
It’s kind of amazing that a poem written 3,000 years ago is still so compelling.

7 comments:

Debra She Who Seeks said...

I'm going to wait until it streams on Netflix or somewhere. But The Iliad and The Odyssey are my jam, so I'm looking forward to seeing this, even though reviews have been mixed. People either seem to love it or hate it.

Jeanie said...

It's very long (I left after 40 minutes -- too loud, too cold in the theatre and life was too short.) But it may be your cuppa tea. It certainly is big and splashy with great effects and will be on the Oscar lists. I might try again when it streams.

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

I remember reading both The Iliad and The Odyssey in high school, but haven't heard about the movie.

eileeninmd said...

My hubby mentioned wanting to see this movie.
Take care, enjoy your day!

Deb Nance at Readerbuzz said...

Me either. And me, too!

Granny Sue said...

I probably won't see it. The books, yes, a treasure, but after reading about this movie, I will pass. Not my thing.

Lisca said...

I had a classic education so I'm familiar with the Iliad and the Odyssey. On top of that, the streets in my childhood neighborhood had names from Greek mythology. We lived in the Medusastreet. (between the Achilles street and the Agamemnon Passage).
No, I've not seen the film. (We don't have cinemas nearby and the ones in the city are only in Spanish).
Happy Friday,
Lisca