“This is an excellent collection of essays. Editor Martin Winkler and the twelve authors are to be commended for getting it together and out so quickly while Troy is still relatively fresh in viewers’ minds. The articles could be read by anyone interested in the movie; they should be read by any classicist who has seen it. Each piece – and each is pleasantly concise – offers good insight into Petersen’s movie, and when taken all together, they can make the reader believe he/she really liked the movie and would be willing to see Troy again.” (International Journal of the Classical Tradition, Fall 2007) “This is an excellent collection of essays….a very useful, informative, and readable book, a book which itself, perhaps, takes its place in the way we understand the stories of the Trojan War.” (International Journal of the Classical Tradition)
"Classics and film is a staple of university curricula; it has become respectable, in large part thanks to Winkler's own persistent dedication ... Certainly [the book's] roster of contributors is aptly chosen for philological and ... archaeological strength-in-depth ... All of us working in the subject area will need to familiarize ourselves with the volume's contents ... We will be seeing a lot of this material in student essays and dissertations from here on in ... A strong and appealingly diverse field of essays ... adventurous in scope and very well informed. It will inspire students and professionals alike to fresh explorations." (Arion)
"Any reader interested in understanding the relationship between the Homeric texts and this film will profit greatly from this collection… I would even highly recommend this collection to readers of Homer with little interest in contemporary film. [Such] insights should encourage the reader to look at the Homeric texts with a new perspective." (New England Classical Journal)
"A fascinating collection of highly-readable essays by prominent film scholars and ancient historians, covering topics all the way from the place of ancient literature in modern film to the archaeology of the actual ancient Troy, to the politics of the new Petersen movie ― and the politics of a historian advising a Hollywood film. Highly recommended." –Arthur M. Eckstein, University of Maryland“A well-elaborated study of the impact Troy has had on philological and other circles.”
–Anthony Makrinos, Greek and Latin Department, University College
From the Inside Flap
This is the first book to examine systematically Wolfgang Petersen’s epic film Troy from archaeological, literary, cultural, and cinematic perspectives. The collection addresses the most important aspects of the film: its use of Homer’s Iliad and the myth of the Trojan War, its presentation of Bronze-Age archaeology, its modern political overtones, and its place in film history with regard to both previous epics on the Trojan War and the director’s own earlier work.
The book explains why, despite or perhaps because of the liberties the film takes with ancient myth, literature, and archaeology, Troy has found huge worldwide audiences. For those who wish to explore the subject further, the book includes an annotated list of feature films and television films and series episodes on the Trojan War.
From the Back Cover
This is the first book to examine systematically Wolfgang Petersen’s epic film Troy from archaeological, literary, cultural, and cinematic perspectives. The collection addresses the most important aspects of the film: its use of Homer’s Iliad and the myth of the Trojan War, its presentation of Bronze-Age archaeology, its modern political overtones, and its place in film history with regard to both previous epics on the Trojan War and the director’s own earlier work.
The book explains why, despite or perhaps because of the liberties the film takes with ancient myth, literature, and archaeology, Troy has found huge worldwide audiences. For those who wish to explore the subject further, the book includes an annotated list of feature films and television films and series episodes on the Trojan War.
About the Author
Martin M. Winkler is Professor of Classics at George Mason University. Most recently he has edited the essay collections Classical Myth and Culture in the Cinema (2001) and Gladiator: Film and History (Blackwell, 2004).
