''L'ira di Achille'', internationally released as ''The Fury of Achilles'', is a 1962 Italian

historical drama A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romance film, romances, adventure f ...

set in the ninth year of the

Trojan War In Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans (Greeks) after Paris of Troy took Helen from her husband Menelaus, king of Sparta. The war is one of the most important events in Greek mythology and has ...

and is based primarily on

Homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...

's ''

Iliad The ''Iliad'' (; grc, Ἰλιάς, Iliás, ; "a poem about Ilium") is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the ''Odysse ...

''. The film was directed by Marino Girolami and starred

Gordon Mitchell Gordon Mitchell (born Charles Allen Pendleton; July 29, 1923 – September 20, 2003) was an American actor and bodybuilder who made about 200 B movies. Biography Charles Allen Pendleton was born in Denver, Colorado, and began working out in hi ...

Achilles In Greek mythology, Achilles ( ) or Achilleus ( grc-gre, Ἀχιλλεύς) was a hero of the Trojan War, the greatest of all the Greek warriors, and the central character of Homer's ''Iliad''. He was the son of the Nereid Thetis and Peleus, k ...

. It was released in the UK in 1963 as

ACHILLES In Greek mythology, Achilles ( ) or Achilleus ( grc-gre, Ἀχιλλεύς) was a hero of the Trojan War, the greatest of all the Greek warriors, and the central character of Homer's ''Iliad''. He was the son of the Nereid Thetis and Peleus, k ...

and was filmed in EuroScope and Eastman Color.

Plot

Greeks The Greeks or Hellenes (; el, Έλληνες, ''Éllines'' ) are an ethnic group and nation indigenous to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea regions, namely Greece, Cyprus, Albania, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, and, to a lesser extent, oth ...

set sail to

Troy Troy ( el, Τροία and Latin: Troia, Hittite language, Hittite: 𒋫𒊒𒄿𒊭 ''Truwiša'') or Ilion ( el, Ίλιον and Latin: Ilium, Hittite language, Hittite: 𒃾𒇻𒊭 ''Wiluša'') was an ancient city located at Hisarlik in prese ...

, since the prince

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

has abducted the Spartan Princess Helen, wife of

Menelaus In Greek mythology, Menelaus (; grc-gre, Μενέλαος , 'wrath of the people', ) was a king of Mycenaean (pre- Dorian) Sparta. According to the ''Iliad'', Menelaus was a central figure in the Trojan War, leading the Spartan contingent of th ...

. In the fighting stands the invincible hero

, who leads his Myrmidons to assault. Now in the tenth year of the war, Troy has not yet been destroyed. For the contention of a slave, Agamemnon, king of the Greeks offends Achilles because of a female slave and the hero withdraws from the war, creating confusion in the army. The Trojans in fact have the opportunity to drive out the Greeks at sea and so

Patroclus In Greek mythology, as recorded in Homer's ''Iliad'', Patroclus (pronunciation variable but generally ; grc, Πάτροκλος, Pátroklos, glory of the father) was a childhood friend, close wartime companion, and the presumed (by some later a ...

, Achilles' best friend wears, without the knowledge of Achilles, his divine armor to instill courage in the Myrmidon soldiers. But Patroclus is killed by the Trojan prince Hector: Achilles rages, killing many Trojans, including the same Hector.

Cast

as "

" *

Jacques Bergerac Jacques Bergerac (26 May 1927 – 15 June 2014) was a French actor and businessman. Life and career Jacques Bergerac was born in 1927 in Biarritz, France, the son of Alice (Romatet) and Charles Bergerac. Bergerac was a law student when he met a ...

as " Hector" *

Cristina Gaioni Cristina Gaioni (born as Maria Cristina Gaioni; 4 November 1940) is an Italian actress, sometimes credited as Cristina Gajoni and Cristina Gaioni Visentin. Born in Milan, Gaioni studied acting at the drama school of Piccolo Teatro under Giorgi ...

as "Xenia" *

Gloria Milland Maria Fiè (11 October 1940 – 27 August 1989), also known professionally as Gloria Milland was an Italian actress of peplum and Spaghetti Western films. Life Born in Cagliari, Sardinia, she debuted in 1959 with her real name, but changed i ...

as "

Briseis Briseis (; grc, Βρῑσηΐς ''Brīsēís'', ) ("daughter of Briseus"), also known as Hippodameia (, ), is a significant character in the ''Iliad''. Her role as a status symbol is at the heart of the dispute between Achilles and Agamemnon t ...

" * Piero Lulli as "

Odysseus Odysseus ( ; grc-gre, Ὀδυσσεύς, Ὀδυσεύς, OdysseúsOdyseús, ), also known by the Latin variant Ulysses ( , ; lat, UlyssesUlixes), is a legendary Greek king of Ithaca and the hero of Homer's epic poem the ''Odyssey''. Odysse ...

" * Roberto Risso as "

" * Mario Petri as " Agamemnon" * Erminio Spalla as "

Nestor Nestor may refer to: * Nestor (mythology), King of Pylos in Greek mythology Arts and entertainment * "Nestor" (''Ulysses'' episode) an episode in James Joyce's novel ''Ulysses'' * Nestor Studios, first-ever motion picture studio in Hollywood, L ...

" * Fosco Giachetti as "

Priam In Greek mythology, Priam (; grc-gre, Πρίαμος, ) was the legendary and last king of Troy during the Trojan War. He was the son of Laomedon. His many children included notable characters such as Hector, Paris, and Cassandra. Etymology Mo ...

" *

Ennio Girolami Enio Girolami (14 January 1935 – 16 February 2013), sometimes credited as Thomas Moore, was an Italian film and television actor. Born in Rome, son of director Marino Girolami and brother of director Enzo G. Castellari, Girolami made his ...

as "

" *

Tina Gloriani Tina Gloriani (11 December 1935 – 24 March 2024) was an Italian actress who appeared in Italian classic and peplum cinema. Early life and career Gloriani was born on December 11, 1935, in Rome as Concetta Gloriani. After studying literature ...

as " Andromache"

Production

The original version includes footage from

The Trojan Horse The Trojan Horse was a wooden horse said to have been used by the Greeks during the Trojan War to enter the city of Troy and win the war. The Trojan Horse is not mentioned in Homer's ''Iliad'', with the poem ending before the war is concluded, ...

. These scenes are omitted in the UK version which is altogether 20 minutes shorter.Hughes, p.52f

Bibliography

* *

References

External links

* 1962 films 1960s historical films Peplum films Films directed by Marino Girolami Films scored by Carlo Savina Films based on the Iliad Trojan War films Films set in ancient Greece Sword and sandal films Cultural depictions of Achilles Agamemnon 1960s Italian films {{historic-film-stub

Plot

Cast

Production

Bibliography

See also

References

External links