''The Private Life of Helen of Troy'' is a 1927 American silent

comedy Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. Origins Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...

adventure film The adventure film is a broad genre of film. Some early genre studies found it no different than the Western film or argued that adventure could encompass all Hollywood genres. Commonality was found among historians Brian Taves and Ian Cameron in ...

about

Helen of Troy Helen (), also known as Helen of Troy, or Helen of Sparta, and in Latin as Helena, was a figure in Greek mythology said to have been the most beautiful woman in the world. She was believed to have been the daughter of Zeus and Leda (mythology), ...

based on the 1925 novel of the same name by John Erskine, and adapted to screen by

Gerald Duffy Gerald Duffy Gerald C. Duffy (April 13, 1896 – June 25, 1928) was a screenwriter of the silent film era, journalist, short story writer, and copyeditor. He is known for his contributions to and editorship of Redbook magazine and was nominat ...

. The film was directed by

Alexander Korda Sir Alexander Korda (; born Sándor László Kellner; ; 16 September 1893 – 23 January 1956)

and starred María Corda as Helen,

Lewis Stone Lewis Shepard Stone (November 15, 1879 – September 12, 1953) was an American film actor. He spent 29 years as a contract player at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and was best known for his portrayal of Judge James Hardy in the studio's popular '' Andy ...

as Menelaus, and

Ricardo Cortez Ricardo Cortez (born Jacob Kranze or Jacob Krantz; September 19, 1900 – April 28, 1977) was an American actor and film director. He was also credited as Jack Crane early in his acting career. Early years Ricardo Cortez was born Jacob K ...

as Paris.Progressive Silent Film List: ''The Private Life of Helen of Troy''
at silentera.com

Cast

* María Corda as Helen *

as Menelaus *

as Paris * George Fawcett as Eteoneus *

Alice White Alice White (born Alva White; August 25, 1904Katz, Ephraim (1979). ''The Film Encyclopedia: The Most Comprehensive Encyclopedia of World Cinema in a Single Volume''. Perigee Books. , pg. 1228. – February 19, 1983) was an American film ac ...

as Adraste *

Bill Elliott William Clyde Elliott Sr. (born October 8, 1955), also known as "Awesome Bill from Dawsonville", "Million Dollar Bill", or "Wild Bill" is an American former professional stock car racing driver. He last competed in the Superstar Racing Experienc ...

as Telemachus * Tom O'Brien as Ulysses *

Bert Sprotte Bert Sprotte (9 December 1870 – 30 December 1949) was a German actor. He appeared in more than 70 American films between 1918 and 1938. He was born in Chemnitz, Saxony, and died in Los Angeles, California. Selected filmography * '' Selfi ...

as Achilles *

Mario Carillo Mario Caracciolo ''dei Duchi'' di Melito (15 May 1883 – 3 December 1958), known professionally as Mario Carillo and in society events as Count The younger sons are not entitled to inherit the hereditary title of their father in the Nobility of ...

as Ajax *

Charles Puffy Charles Puffy (born Károly Hochstein; 3 November 1884 – 1942 or 1943) was a Hungarian film actor. Biography Hochstein appeared in more than 130 films between 1914 and 1938. He was the only slapstick star in Hungary's silent film era, appeari ...

as Malapokitoratoreadetos * George Kotsonaros as Hector *Emilio Gorgato as Sarpedon *Constantine Romanoff as Aeneas *Alice Adair as Aphrodite *Helen Fairweather as Athena *Virginia Thomas as Hera * Agostino Borgato (uncredited) * Sonia Karlov (uncredited) *Inez Marion (uncredited) *Jack Stambaugh as Extra (uncredited) *John Westwood as Extra (uncredited) *Clifford Ingram as Chariot Driver (uncredited) * Gusztáv Pártos as Nobleman (uncredited)

Reception

Released at the end of the silent film era, ''The Private Life of Helen of Troy'' was nominated for an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

in 1929, the year of the Awards' inception, in the category of Best Title Writing. Duffy died on June 25, 1928, and was the first person to be posthumously nominated for an Academy Award. That same year, the first "

talkie A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades passed befo ...

", ''

The Jazz Singer ''The Jazz Singer'' is a 1927 American part-talkie musical drama film directed by Alan Crosland and produced by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is the first feature-length motion picture with both synchronized recorded music and lip-synchronous ...

'', received an honorary award for introducing sound to film, and the category for which ''The Private Life of Helen of Troy'' was nominated was dropped by the second Academy Awards.

Preservation

Two sections from the beginning and end, running about 27–30 minutes in total, are reportedly all that survive of ''The Private Life of Helen of Troy''; they are preserved by the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

.The Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog: ''The Private Life of Helen of Troy''
/ref>

References

External links

* 1927 films 1920s historical comedy films American historical comedy films American silent feature films American black-and-white films Films directed by Alexander Korda Films based on American novels Trojan War films First National Pictures films Cultural depictions of Helen of Troy Films with screenplays by Gerald Duffy 1920s American films Silent American comedy films Silent American war films Silent historical comedy films {{1920s-silent-comedy-film-stub

Cast

Reception

Preservation

See also

References

External links