Achilles
| Title: | Achilles |
| Year: | 1996 |
| Directors: | Barry Purves |
| Writers: | Jo Cameron Brown (writer) |
| Actors: | Derek Jacobi |
| Rating: | 7.9 | 112 votes |
| Languages: | English |
| Country: | UK |
| Genres: | Short |
| Plot: | |
| 1) In Claymation, we see the story of Achilles. He loves Patroclus; they carry that love with them when the Greeks seek revenge on Troy. After nine years of assault on the city, Achilles goes into a funk and withdraws from the battle when he decides that Agamemnon, the Greek king, has denied him his due spoils, a captured Trojan slave girl. In Achilles’ absence, Patroclus leads the Greeks into battle, with tragic consequences. To avenge his loss and absolve his grief, Achilles faces Hector. | |
| Comments: | |
| 1) Achilles is probably one of the most fascinating animation short films everto be seen. The film succintly tells the fate of Achilles and (boy)friendPatrocles, how they grow to love each other and how they die in the Trojanwar. The film is most interesting not only because it portrays the story ofthe Greek warrior under a new light (that of homosexual love, offering avery plausible and well constructed version indeed), but also because it isa rare mix of genres: the animation film is featured as a Greek play, withsymbolic props, masks, etc. The movement of the puppets is so close to truelife, it is sometimes difficult to believe these are just… well…"puppets". The love scene between Achilles and Patrocles is amongst the mosterotic and beautiful scenes ever to be seen.
"Achilles" is a true delight for the eyes, a masterpiece in both the formand the content. It is an original way of presenting the story of Achilles,the mythical Greek warrior, but more generally of telling the story of aman, tortured by a love he does not want to acknowledge until he can nolonger hide from it. And in the end, isn’t that what makes Achilles sohuman, and thus so everlasting, rather than his heroic deeds in battle? Amust. Don’t miss it. 2) This short movie is neither about mythology nor warriors. It’s aboutlove. It’s hard to believe it actually made it’s way into a presentation herein Brazil, I was really impressed by it back in 98 when I saw it. Cameacross a copy of it last year and still was amazed. And in it’s eleven minutes you can watch a full and rich show ofstop-motion technique merged with an excellent art direction whichbrings you back to the "classic era" with the Greek beauty patterns. The puppets are extremely well sculpted and the movie presents itselflike an ancient arena theater, with great light/shadow effects and ofcourse, Greek drama. All of this combined makes Achilles one of themost charming short movies I’ve ever seen. 3) I met Barry Purves at an animation festival in Poole, Dorset, England in1999. He gave a terrific lecture and showed some of his best pieces ofworkincluding ‘Achilles’ which I consider to be his masterpiece in jointplacewith ‘Gilbert & Sullivan – the very models’.'Achilles’ is just an astounding piece of animation which also works as apiece of drama, a love story and a prime example of a master working athiscraft. The story centres on Achilles and his relationship with his lover,Petroclus, during the trojan war. The scenes are played out throughmontageas well as action sequences and tableaus, culminating in the untimelydeathsof the two heroes. Never before has an historical homosexual relationshipbeen so delicately portrayed without prejudice or judgement. Consideringthis is animation, that is a tremendous feat. Astonishingstuff! |
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