Posted by: Fence in Books
Author: Elizabeth Cook
ISBN: 0413771393 DDC: 813.54
Read for the Once Upon a Time Challenge
See also: LibraryThing ; John Sledge ; Brief author bio
Two rivers. Flowing in contrary directions.
Two layers of water, each moving steadily, separate and self-possessed.
When I was thinking of books to read for the myth section of Carl’s challenge I did consider the Iliad, and the Odyssey too, so when I was wandering around the library and stumbled across this book it seemed perfect. And I’m so glad I picked it up; it makes for a really good read.
This is a very poetic novel. And more than a tad post-modern. But don’t be put off, it is beautifully told. Or maybe told is the wrong word. Cook doesn’t really attempt to tell any story, rather she gives us flashes of scenes, hints at this and that, spartan[1] depictions of events and people. It works so well.
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- see what I did there? ↩
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Dir: Wolfgang Peterson
Writ: David Benioff based on poem by Homer
* Brad Pitt - Achilles
* Eric Bana - Hector
* Orlando Bloom - Paris
* Diane Kruger - Helen
* Sean Bean - Odysseus
* Brian Cox - Agamemnon
*Brendan Gleeson - Menelaus
So the Illiad up on the big screen. The most expensive film ever made. Bound to be rubbish right?
Well it isn’t great, but it is far from bad.
The films opens with a brief history lesson; with an outline of the political situation in the Ancient World, letting the audience know who is who, and where they all lie. We also get an introduction to the awesom fighting abilities of Achilles as he fights the champion of Thessaly and defeats him in an instant. (Maybe modern wars should also be decided by one on one challenges, save a lot of hassle).
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6 Stars,
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Brendan Gleeson,
Brian Cox,
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Diane Kruger,
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Orlando Bloom,
romance,
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