"It is simply a casting decision. [11] Zeus does give this command in the original Iliad, but it is almost immediately violated and eventually repealed entirely. [16] He also praised the show's elaborate costuming, "its lavish set design, production values and sci-fi soundtrack",[16] commenting, "Viewers are immediately transported to ancient locations (in actuality beautiful Cape Town) in scene one and never relents. Sorry, we are unable to accept comments about this article at the moment. Joseph Mawle as Odysseus in Troy: Fall of a City "In the Odyssey, Odysseus is said to be 'black-skinned and woolly-haired' - at one point we're told that Athena makes him beautiful by. [12] These decisions resulted in almost immediate backlash as both roles are traditionally portrayed by white actors and historically depicted as white. Though in an interview, Farr cleverly hinted at the prospects of another season: "We do have ideas for a second season. And in their version, [spoilers ahead] the Trojans win the war instead of losing.. Troy: Fall of a City: Zeus actor Hakeem Kae-Kazim has hit back at casting criticisms, Troy: Fall of a City: Hakeem plays Zeus in the BBC series, Troy: Fall of a City: Hakeem Kae-Kazim has shut down his critics, Troy: Fall of a City: David Gyasi's role as Achilles has also courted controversy. The Greeks themselves would have been a myriad of shades from light to very dark. Meet the cast of Troy: Fall of a. Zeus, King of the Gods, is well a God. . Troy (Hittite: Truwia, Greek: and Latin: Troia) or Ilion (Hittite: Wilua, Greek: and Latin: Ilium) was an ancient city located at Hisarlik in present-day Turkey, 30 kilometres (19 mi) south-west of anakkale and about 6 kilometres (4 mi) miles east of the Aegean Sea.It is known as the setting for the Greek myth of the Trojan War. The Hotel Rwanda star went on to detail that he could have anticipated the criticism. "[17], A review from the same day by Rupert Hawksley for The Daily Telegraph tentatively praised Troy: Fall of a City for its more thoughtful, psychologically complicated interpretation of the Trojan War in sharp contrast to the 2004 film Troy, which Hawksley derided as a "shallow flex-fest". But heres the thing: the question of whether 'black people' lived in Ancient Greece is itself flawed. Theres never been an authentic retelling of the Iliad and the Odyssey theyve always been fluid texts. Mar 11, 2019 - The goal of /r/Movies is to provide an inclusive place for discussions and news about films with major releases. Picture this: to celebrate a hundred years since the birth of Nelson Mandela this July, the BBC commissions an eight-part biopic to celebrate the life and times of the beloved anti-apartheid revolutionary. The show is about an epic retelling of the 10-year attack of Troy. Grip your shields, fasten your helmets and mount the horses: war is coming. [11] Most twenty-first-century adaptations of the Trojan War, including the film Troy (2004), Alessandro Baricco's Iliad (2004), Margaret George's Helen of Troy (2006), and Alice Oswald's Memorial (2011) omit them entirely. Plus thrillers from David Hare and Mike Bartlett", "Troy: Fall of a City, episode one, review: a fresh take on one of the greatest tales of them all", "TV review: Collateral; Trauma; Troy: Fall of a City; Winter Olympics", "Troy managed to descend into clich even when nobody was actually using any words", "In Troy: Fall of a City, all the men look as if they're in a Calvin Klein ad: Rachel Cooke reviews Troy and 24 Hours in Police Custody", "You Should Be Watching: 'Troy,' 'In Search of the Trojan War,' 'History of Britain', Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp, The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell, Interpretation of Achilles' and Patroclus' relationship, Dictys Cretensis Ephemeridos belli Trojani, Daretis Phrygii de excidio Trojae historia, The Ambassadors of Agamemnon in the tent of Achilles, Menelaus supporting the body of Patroclus, Thetis Receiving the Weapons of Achilles from Hephaestus, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Troy:_Fall_of_a_City&oldid=1117018555, English-language Netflix original programming, Television series based on classical mythology, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 19 October 2022, at 14:20. You can unsubscribe at any time. The strengths of this second episode of the BBC's new series about the fall of Troy are largely the strengths we saw in episode 1, and the same can be said for some of its flaws . But in this series, the hero Achilles, his friend Patroclus and the God Zeus are black. By entering your details, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions and privacy policy. [17] Ferguson compared Troy: Fall of a City favourably to Game of Thrones and commented that the show will "hopefully expunge any residual memories of the 2004 Brad Pitt epic". No, the BBC is not 'blackwashing' Troy: Fall of a City. [11] The gods play an active role in the show for the first half of the series, but they recede into the background halfway through after Zeus orders them to stop intervening in the war. The new, eight-part Netflix historical drama series, Troy: Fall of a City, debuted this week on the streaming service, after running in the United Kingdom on BBC One in February. Troy: Fall of a City - no, the BBC is not 'blackwashing' Greek myth. Starring: Louis Hunter, Jonas . Debt Colony Give us an African American Spiderman. Terrible terrible writing, wooden acting, historical facts all wrong, inventions being portrayed that were CENTURIES away from being invented Horrible! Posted by 4 years ago. Discover (and save!) In the U.K., the opening episode won its BBC One Saturday night slot on 17 Feb. with an audience of 3.2 million . Homers poems are merely one version and the Greeks themselves understood the story could change, explains Whitmarsh. But inside are elite Greek soldiers who under cover of the night sneak out of the horse and open up the gates of Troy - game over for the Trojans. Did the writers and producers ever read the Iliad? It Tells The Story Of The Trojan War. Submissions should be for the. What a far cry from the Brad Pitt roll - Troy! If I had really thought about it, I wouldnt be surprised about that reaction," he sighed. From Bella Daynes Helen of Troy to Jonas Armstrongs Menelaus, the majority of the cast is pale-skinned. Without giving away spoilers, Homer did write the 'Odyssey'."Our best guess is that if the show does get renewed, 'Troy: Fall of a City' Season 2 can release sometime in February, 2020. Director Owen Harris Writers David Farr Homer (inspired by) Stars Louis Hunter Bella Dayne David Threlfall Whitmarsh also stated the question of whether black people lived in Ancient Greece is itself flawed as the ancient Greeks did not have a concept of "race". [11][12] Tim Whitmarsh, a professor of Greek culture at the University of Cambridge, defended the production, arguing that historical Greeks were "unlikely to be uniformly pale-skinned", that "dark-skinned North Africans existed" in ancient Greece, citing Memnon of Ethiopia as an example. It is written by David Farr. If you want to tell the story you have to rely on scraps of poems, oral history or vase paintings the myth is malleable. Searching for the woman promised to him by Aphrodie, herdsman Paris learns his true identity and falls for Helen of Sparta, igniting the Trojan War. Troy: Fall Of A City cast member teases death amid season two debate, Troy: Fall Of A City viewers in horror over extremely brutal sacrifce. Even if you ignore the ever-changing nature of myth and still think it would be inaccurate for Gyasi to play Achilles, then how about this: at one point Homer describes Odysseus played by Joseph Mawle in Fall of a City and Sean Bean in the 2004 Troy film as dark-skinned. You can unsubscribe at any time. Odysseus? "[23], Andrea Tallarita defended the show in a 28 June 2018 review for PopMatters, arguing that the show's commercial failure may have been partially a result of the viewing audience's ignorance of the original classical texts, which the show treated with surprising fidelity. Answer (1 of 17): Mixed feelings. And thats the real issue here: anyone who says its inauthentic to cast Achilles as black has to explain why its authentic to use an Australian actor [Louis Hunter, who plays Paris] speaking in English to represent an ancient Greek hero. Netflix will launch the series in the U.S. and globally once the BBC run has ended. Modern racial categories aren't always helpful in looking at the ancient world, but there were certainly people we today might think of as both 'black' and 'white' in the ancient Mediterranean, and many variations of colour and identity in between", Everything you always wanted to know about Troy: Fall of a City but were afraid to ask, Everything you need to know about the cast and characters of Troy: Fall of a City. [] Impressively, the dialogue even managed to descend into clich when nobody was actually using any words as in the scene where the two defeated goddesses from the beauty contest went for one of those anguished bellows that causes all the nearby birds to fly theatrically from the trees. Sean Bean played Odysseus in the movie Troy. I don't think there's any reason to doubt they were Mediterranean in skin type (lighter than some and darker than other Europeans), with a fair amount of inter-mixing. Slow retelling of classic tale lacks strong characters. So they tend to stretch the realm of "plausible" to its limits. Jul 1, 2018 - TROY: FALL OF A CITY has been criticised by viewers for casting black actors in certain roles, and one star of the BBC drama has responded to the claims of "blackwashing" made against the BBC One show. The miniseries Troy: Fall of a City, which originally aired on BBC One in the United Kingdom in spring 2018 and was thereafter distributed internationally on Netflix, created quite a stir of controversy due to the fact that, in the series, the characters Zeus and Achilles are portrayed by black actors.Many people attacked the series, accusing it of "blackwashing." honorthegods. "[20] Walton goes on: "How did you two get together? Paris asked Helen and Menelaus at the banquet given in his honour. However, you can see its equivalent on Troy: Fall of a City well, at least according to furious Twitter commenters berating the BBC for casting black actors to play Achilles and Zeus. [22], In an unreservedly positive review for Buffalo News on 26 May 2018, Randy Schiff praised the show for its pace and acting,[23] commenting specifically on Hunter, Dayne, Gyasi, Mawle, O'Connor, and Threlfall's performances. After the death of hector. What Troy: Fall of a City adds is their relationship with Briseis. It's only a controversy if people try to manufacture a controversy out of it.". And so it is that the character of Achilles . With the above criteria, if there is any breach of the principles o "Ridiculous [that] Zeus, Achilles and Patriculus [are] all of African descent," read one message. Chan e, chan eil am BBC 'blackwashing' Troy: Fall of a City. This form could be anything: a swan, a bull, an eagle, a shower of horny gold rain, or even that of actor Hakeem Kae-Kazim, as seen in Fall of a City. And the thing about the Gods, explains Whitmarsh, is that when they reveal themselves to people they have to take on a different form.. Our best estimate is that the Greeks would be a spectrum of hair colours and skin types in antiquity. It's just not good enough to say they don't look the part. Whoever came and inhabited the spirit of the characters best we decided to cast.". They didnt see themselves in those terms. Troy: Fall of a City in 'blackwashing' row - Zeus star Hakeem Kae-Kazim SHUTS DOWN critics SUBSCRIBE More CELEBRITY NEWS : https://goo.gl/cR4jB4 The BBC an. Modern readers will think, 'Is he black or not? Its an interesting question, but its probably the wrong one. And, as Semele one of the few characters in Greek mythology to witness this form found out, it's not too friendly: "She was immediately consumed by flames and was incinerated," says Whitmarsh. Tigh in aithne ar theilgthe Troy: Fall of a City; Nl s sin ag tarl. Series Info. 3. Siege Close. Troy: Fall of a City in 'blackwashing' row - Zeus star Hakeem Kae-Kazim SHUTS DOWN critics SUBSCRIBE More CELEBRITY NEWS : https://goo.gl/cR4jB4 The BBC and Netflix venture is an adaption of the tale of the Trojan war from Homers ancient Greek epic poem, The Iliad. The tiny diversions from the norm seem thrilling by comparison". For instance, the Germans in the 1800s were adamant that the Greeks were actually Germans who had wandered down the peninsula., As for British and American audiences, The transatlantic slave trade made it so black and white are the categories in which we see people," argues Whitmarsh. Never mind Achilles being black, (Which IMO would be more historically accurate than Brad Pitts run at it) but him being gay, o They are mentioned in Aethiopis, the story after Homers Iliad (the epic poems retelling the battle of Troy), where Memnon of Ethiopia joins the fighting. In the Odyssey, Odysseus is said to be black-skinned and woolly-haired at one point were told that Athena makes him beautiful by restoring his natural black skin colour [see, Odyssey 16.175], says Whitmarsh. Is there any basis to the 'blackwashing' conspiracy? [11] More significantly, it also incorporates myths about the lead-up to the war and about the backgrounds of the major characters that are not found in the Iliad and are not normally included in most modern adaptations. Told from the perspective of the Trojan family at the heart of the siege, Troy: Fall of a City is an epic story of love, intrigue, betrayal and belonging. Troy: Fall of a City Watch on Netflix Watch on Canal+ Sries 2018 5K members 1 season 8 episodes Told from the perspective of the Trojan royal family at the heart of the siege, Troy: Fall Of A City is retell the story of the 10 year old siege of Troy, which occurred in the 12 or 13th ce Add Seasons Episodes Comments Videos Photos Similar shows Lexie and Megan discuss the show's casting choices with that of the Troy movie, how the show managed to give Helen agency and make her more sympathetic, and . Some viewers have voiced disapproval at the casting of Hakeem Kae-Kazim as Zeu -------------------- Get the latest celebrity news and hot celeb gossip with exclusive stories and pictures from CELEBRITY NEWS Channel. But Artemis demands a steep sacrifice to allow the voyage. It is not an adaptation of Homer's Iliad or Odyssey but rather an original take on the Greek myths, and covers some ground only alluded to in those works. This flux was ethnic as well as geographic, according to Whitmarsh: The Greeks didnt carve up the world into black and white. While it may be possible to find some blacks individuals in the Ancient Mediterranean world indeed, it's unlikely to find one in Britannia for example. "[20], A review from 28 February by Rachel Cooke for New Statesman panned the show,[21] complaining that "all the men look as if they're in a Calvin Klein ad", that the dialogue is unrealistic, and that its portrayal of Helen and Paris's relationship is "tediously 21st century". Troy: Fall of a City cast: Was Achilles real? The actual term he uses, xanth, could mean 'golden' or a variety of words Greek colour terms are quite strange and dont map out well on ours, says Whitmarsh. Give us a black that can run faster than a speeding bullet and leap over tall buildings in a single bound. [1][2] The series was commissioned by BBC One and is a co-production between BBC One and Netflix, with BBC One airing the show on 17 February 2018 in the United Kingdom, and Netflix streaming the show internationally outside the UK.[3][4]. Told from the viewpoint of the Trojan Family, this arrangement dives into the rich history of the Trojan War . Tha a 'cho-fharpais seo dinte a-nis. Homer actually mentions this when he describes Aethiopis (Ethiopians) in the Iliad and describes Odysseus as dark-skinned. The drama loosely based on The Iliad commences. We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. Another Twitter message replying to star David Gyasi said he was part of "the racist rewriting of the Greek culture and mythology". Specifically, the war portrayed in Troy: Fall of a City, the new BBC drama retelling of classic Greek myth The Iliad. Its choice of lead? [16], In an 18 February review for The Guardian, Euan Ferguson praised the show for its faithfulness to the original myths[17] and for its strong portrayal of Helen, which he stated stood in stark contrast to the demure portrayal of the character by Diane Kruger in the 2004 Hollywood blockbuster film Troy, which had starred Brad Pitt as Achilles. The definitive source on the battle? But BBC One's splashy new eight-parter created by The Night Manager 's David Farr approaches this ancient story with something of a modern sensibility. This portrayal has triggered a lot of people, who are angry that Achilles is not portrayed as a white man with blond hair. Retells the story of the 10 year siege of Troy, which occurred in the 12 or 13th century BC.Retells the story of the 10 year siege of Troy, which occurred in the 12 or 13th century BC.Retells the story of the 10 year siege of Troy, which occurred in the 12 or 13th century BC. We don't definitely know what ancient Greeks would look like, but they sure as hell wouldnt look like the 'white' actors we normally see either, says Whitmarsh. Troy: Fall of a City cast: Was Paris real? There was a lot of travel in that period people were moving from Egypt to Greece, east to west. Troy Fall of a City Season 2 Release Date. Who plays Paris? That's not because its possible it is likely. Doesnt exist. [10], On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds a critics' approval rating of 71% based on 15 reviews, and an average rating of 5.67/10, indicating generally favourable reviews. your own Pins on Pinterest. . They're not designed to be set in stone and it's not blasphemous to change them. We will update this section . Difficult translations aside, Homers work dont give us the full story of Troy. All the way through antiquity people updated it, changed the angle and brought in people that werent in Homer's original. And that's not necessarily a bad thing: they help to focus and make sense of everything. [23] He also lauded the portrayal of Helen as a "stately and intelligent" woman whose "deep desire for independence" is only satisfied once she goes to Troy, where women are valued just as much as men. 1. Why are the Greeks white in art then? The series gained controversy for the casting of Black actors Hakeem Kae-Kazeem and David Gyasi in the respective roles of Zeus and Achilles; Kae-Kazeem hit back at this, claiming the BBC was not "blackwashing" the series. Troy: Fall of a City - no, the BBC is not 'blackwashing' Greek myth. In Troy: Fall of a City, this spectrum of skin colours isn't really portrayed. A Netflix/BBC television series (2018) A lavishly produced television series that manages to make the story of the Trojan War utterly dull to watch. Answer (1 of 33): The miniseries Troy: Fall of a City, which originally aired on BBC One in the United Kingdom in spring 2018 and was thereafter distributed internationally on Netflix, created quite a stir of controversy due to the fact that, in the series, the characters Zeus and Achilles are po. An encounter with the gods seals the fate of Paris and his home city of Troy. At least the representation of Achilles and Zeus as 'black' is going to shake up people a bit, says Whitmarsh. Thursday, 3rd November 2022See today's front and back pages, download the newspaper, order back issues and use the historic Daily Express newspaper archive. [22] He concludes: "The result is a series more competent than compelling. TROY: FALL OF A CITY has been criticised by viewers for casting black actors in certain roles, and one star of the BBC drama has responded to the claims of "blackwashing" made against the BBC . 2018 | 18+ | 1 Season | Romantic TV Dramas. Firstly, the 'white' Greek marble statues that fill up our museums were actually originally painted different colours. Modern racial categories aren't always helpful in looking at the ancient world, but there were certainly people we today might think of as both 'black' and 'white' in the ancient Mediterranean, and many variations of colour and identity in between". "[16] He criticized the first episode; however, for seeming "too tame" in light of the numerous early comparisons to HBO's Game of Thrones. [10][11] Despite its Saturday night prime time slot and each episode's 2 million budget,[13][14] the first episode aired to an audience of only 3.2 million viewers, while other shows in the same time slot have easily surpassed 5 million. The paint didn't survive the test of time: the marble did. "[15], In a 16 February 2018 review for The Independent, Jacob Stolworthy praised the series for its willingness to alter the myths to explain or remove illogical aspects,[16] as well as Louis Hunter's acting in his lead role as Paris. Troy: Fall of a City in 'blackwashing' row - Zeus star Hakeem Kae-Kazim SHUTS DOWN critics Mar sin fin, t fidir fach a choibhis ar Troy: Fall of a City - bhuel, ar a laghad de rir thosaitheoir buile Twitter ag cur br ar an BBC aisteoir dubha a chaitheamh chun Achilles agus Zeus a imirt. 2. A waste of potential. The Trojans mistakenly believe it is a gift from the Gods. Submissions should be for the. 1.2 Conditions. The siege is supposed to last a decade, yet Evander (a little boy) is shown to always have the same age (it is said he is 9 years old during the later episodes). None of the actors are of Greek or Turkish descent. The Greek world one they saw as a circular disk surrounded by a constantly moving stream of ocean was far more 'fluid' than our own. [17] He comments, "older viewers can marvel at the silked lushness of the sea scenes while revelling in an old tale well told, younger ones can learn a little, about the names of the gods, and the fire-haunted dreams of Cassandra, and about mankinds ancient rush towards betrayal. Theres value disrupting the narrative in this way and making us think again what people would look like., Try 13 issues for 29.99 today - never miss an issue. Troy: Fall of a City continues tonight at 9.10pm on BBC One. To put it another way, we see the world through certain lenses. But occasionally we need to encounter something that makes us realise there's another way of seeing. More importantly, it is one of the few fantasy series that features strong female characters, particularly Ciri. In the month before Fall of a City was released there were a number of tweets and YouTube comments expressing outrage at Gyasi's casting. Like Achilles' 'blonde' hair, it's difficult for modern readers to understand exactly what Homer meant by Odysseus's 'black' skin. Following the ancient story of Homer's 'Iliad', Troy tells of the tragedy of Helen, Paris, and Achilles as they negotiate love, hatred, jealousy and the Trojan war. [18] He concluded, "Troy: Fall of a City might just be a fresh, psychologically knotty take on one of the greatest tales of them all. More info. Mar 11, 2019 - The goal of /r/Movies is to provide an inclusive place for discussions and news about films with wide releases. 25 tickets to see much acclaimed Marvellous at @sohoplace the first new-build West End theatre in 50 years. The legendary ancient city of Troy is very much in the limelight this year: a big budget co-production between the BBC and Netflix: Troy, Fall of a City, recently launched, while Turkey designated . In an exclusive interview with with Express.co.uk, Hakeem, 55, said: In ancient times the borders were open and people travelled freely. There is no announcement for the official release date of this series Troy Fall of a City yet but it will be renewed for Season 2 for sure. BBC/Netflix. As far as anyone can tell, in ancient Greece, Achilles was never envisioned as what we today would call "black." Nonetheless, in Troy: Fall of a City, he is portrayed by David Gyasi, a British actor of Ghanaian ancestry. The paint didn't survive the test of time: the marble did. Heres what Dr Rachel Mairs, Associate Professor of Classical and Near Eastern Studies at the University of Reading, said when we put the question to her: I'm delighted that the BBC have gone for a more diverse cast. "[21], In an 8 April review for IndieWire, Steve Greene criticized the show for telling the same story that has been told thousands of times before and offering very little innovation. "My princess, ours is a bond that has long endured since Lucas Blackwood, the grandsire of my grandsire who aid Theyre not designed to be set in stone and its not blasphemous to change them. [12] He added that "Our best estimate is that the Greeks would be a spectrum of hair colours and skin types in antiquity.
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