Ivan-sama

22nd Jan 2010

Troy (2004)

Question: Why is it that when the Trojans invade the shores at daybreak to initiate the second battle, it is quite obvious that Brad Pitt was playing the role of Patroclus only until his throat was cut? First, you can see Pitt's face in Achilles' helmet in the close-up shots when he is about to start fighting with Hector. Second, you can see the significant change in Patroclus' physique before and after Hector cut his throat.

Ivan-sama

Chosen answer: Watching the scene carefully, I would say that Garrett Hedlund plays the character throughout. Hedlund does bear a notable resemblence to Pitt - he was undoubtedly cast as Patroclus for that reason, both because their characters are cousins and because of the requirement to successfully pull off the masquerade as Achilles during the scene - and thus could readily be mistaken for him, given that his face is rarely seen clearly throughout the scene. However, it's not unreasonable that they might have used Pitt in a couple of key shots, in order to preserve the illusion that this really is Achilles fighting, to bring the audience along in making the same mistake that the Greek army have. As for the physique, it can be seen in their introductory sword-fighting scene that Hedlund and Pitt have roughly similar builds - any perceived change in physique is most likely an illusion caused by the shift between standing in a fighting stance and lying limply on the ground.

Tailkinker

20th Jan 2010

Troy (2004)

Question: Where did Agamemnon get the horses for his chariot? Did he bring them with the ship? Because I can't imagine having a horse on a ship.

Ivan-sama

Chosen answer: Difficult as it might be to imagine, they did indeed transport the horses by ship. Historical evidence indicates that ships of the period could have specific modifications made to their decks in order to carry horses safely. As such, while Agamemnon would not have had them on board his personal ship that we see in the film, it's reasonable to assume that he had a modified "horse carrier" among his fleet.

Tailkinker

Answer: According to me, it's possible that they stole the horses from Trojans after the first battle on the beach, where only Hector left alive and took his own horse, whereas the other horses were held by Achilles' men.

17th Jan 2010

Troy (2004)

Revealing mistake: When the soldiers of Greece are collecting the wood for the Trojan horse, you see bits coming of the wood, revealing the white Styrofoam used to make the wood.

Ivan-sama

16th Jan 2010

Troy (2004)

Other mistake: After the battle in front of the gate of Troy, the field is cleaned. This includes every scrap of flesh, every drop of blood, every footprint, and even some grass is replaced as is seen when Achilles rides up on his chariot to challenge Hector. This mistake cannot be explained by saying that the Trojans are shown cleaning the battlefield because it would take weeks even months to do that.

Ivan-sama

16th Jan 2010

Troy (2004)

Other mistake: The umbrella used to shelter Paris and Helen during the parade in Troy is obviously modern, as it includes metal spokes like modern umbrellas.

Ivan-sama

16th Jan 2010

Troy (2004)

Continuity mistake: When Achilles is burning Patroclus' body, the moonlight reflects slightly off his arms. While a body is burned, a person with a torch is always beside the one who places the coins, so the firelight would've shined off Achilles' arms as well, and yet it doesn't, indicating that the scene was not shot continuously.

Ivan-sama

16th Jan 2010

Troy (2004)

Continuity mistake: After the Trojans were ordered to push forward after the Greek's first attack, blood can be seen suddenly appearing on a few of the Greeks shields.

Ivan-sama

16th Jan 2010

Troy (2004)

Factual error: When the Greek leaders are lining up to offer gifts to Agamemnon, one of them is carrying a red-figure vase shaped like a submarine. Red-figure pottery (made of red clay with a black glaze, from which lines and shapes are removed to make red images) was not made until the fifth century BC.

Ivan-sama

16th Jan 2010

Troy (2004)

Factual error: Most equipment used by the Greeks, such as the large round shields and Achilles helmet, is from the Classical Period (5-4th centuries BC). At the time when the epic is set, the Greeks used small bowl-shaped helmets and light leather shields shaped like the number 8.

Ivan-sama

16th Jan 2010

Troy (2004)

Audio problem: When the Greeks are sacking Troy towards the end of the film, you can hear a soldier yell "Aquí" twice. Aquí is Spanish for here. Most of the movie was filmed in Mexico and used Mexicans as extras.

Ivan-sama

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