Helen of Troy (film)

Helen of Troy
Original film poster
Directed by	Robert Wise
Written by	Hugh Gray N. Richard Nash John Twist
Starring	Rossana Podestà Jacques Sernas Sir Cedric Hardwicke Stanley Baker Niall MacGinnis
Narrated by	Jack Sernas
Music by	Max Steiner
Cinematography	Harry Stradling
Edited by	Thomas Reilly
Distributed by	Warner Bros.
Release date	January 26, 1956 (USA)
Running time	118 min. (US version)
Country	USA Italy France
Language	English
Budget	$6 million
Box office	$3.2 million (US) 2,397,769 admissions (France)

Helen of Troy is a 1956 Warner Bros. WarnerColor epic film in CinemaScope, based on Homer's Illiad and Odyssey. It was directed by Robert Wise, from a screenplay by Hugh Gray and John Twist, adapted by Hugh Gray and N. Richard Nash. The music score was by Max Steiner and the cinematography by Harry Stradling Sr.

The film stars Rossana Podestà, Stanley Baker, Sir Cedric Hardwicke and Jacques Sernas, with Niall MacGinnis, Maxwell Reed, Nora Swinburne, Robert Douglas, Torin Thatcher, Harry Andrews, Janette Scott, Ronald Lewis, Eduardo Ciannelli, Esmond Knight and a young Brigitte Bardot as Andraste, Helen's handmaiden, her first film production shot outside of France.

The film retells the story of the Trojan War in In 1100 B.C., albeit with some major changes from the Iliad's storyline: Paris of Troy (Jacques Sernas) sails to Sparta to secure a peace treaty between the two powerful city-states. His ship is forced to return to Troy in a storm after he has been swept overboard on the shore of Sparta. Paris is found by Helen, Queen of Sparta (Rossana Podestà), with whom he falls in love. He goes to the palace where he finds Helen's husband, King Menelaus (Niall MacGinnis), Agamemnon (Robert Douglas), Odysseus (Torin Thatcher), Achilles (Stanley Baker) and many other Greek kings debating whether to go to war with Troy. Menelaus, who is denied by Helen, sees that his wife and Paris are in love and, pretending friendship, plots Paris' death.