Wednesday, April 25, 2018

By the Gods!

Jacques Sernas, as Paris, in HELEN OF TROY (1956)

Directed by Robert Wise, this film is often lost in the shuffle of big epics of the 1950s. It was released the same year as THE TEN COMMANDMENTS so that might have one of the reasons. It's quite big and the story is simplified and abbreviated with, imo, an unsatisfactory ending. Sernas was a PEPLUM star but his career never reached the heights he had reached with this Hollywood production. It must have been disappointing for him to go from massive Hollywood epic to playing supporting roles in PEPLUM movies. As a side note, Sernas has washed up on the beach more than once (already a popular cliché) or is often seen recuperating in bed. Producers really liked putting him in such plot storylines.

2 comments:

Steven Lester said...

I remember the scene where he had that fight with the spiked gloves and how well he did in it.

Anonymous said...

My very favorite of all epic films. Jacques and Rossana Podesta are wonderful in it. Jacques had supporting roles in La Dolce Vita and 55 Days at Peking so he didn’t do too badly for himself.