The Private Life of Helen of Troy
Encyclopedia
The Private Life of Helen of Troy is a 1927
silent film
about Helen of Troy based on a novel by John Erskine
and adapted to screen by Gerald C. Duffy. The film was directed by Alexander Korda
and starred Maria Corda
as Helen, Lewis Stone
as Menelaus, and Ricardo Cortez
as Paris. Coming at the end of the silent film era, it received the honor of being nominated for an Academy Award
in 1928, the year of the Awards' inception, in the category of Best Title Writing. However, Gerald Duffy died on 25 June 1928, and he has the distinction of being the first person to be posthumously nominated for an Academy Award.
That same year, the first "talkie," The Jazz Singer
, 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.
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.
1927 in film
-Events:*January 10 - Fritz Lang's science-fiction fantasy Metropolis premieres in Germany.*April 7 - Abel Gance's Napoleon often considered his best known and greatest masterpiece, premiers at the Paris Opéra and would demonstrate techniques and equipment that would not be used for years to...
silent film
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
about Helen of Troy based on a novel by John Erskine
John Erskine (educator)
John Erskine was a U.S. educator and author, born in New York City and raised in Weehawken, New Jersey. He graduated from Columbia University ....
and adapted to screen by Gerald C. Duffy. The film was directed by Alexander Korda
Alexander Korda
Sir Alexander Korda was a Hungarian-born British producer and film director. He was a leading figure in the British film industry, the founder of London Films and the owner of British Lion Films, a film distributing company.-Life and career:The elder brother of filmmakers Zoltán Korda and Vincent...
and starred Maria Corda
María Corda
María Corda was a Hungarian actress and a star of the silent film era in Germany and Austria....
as Helen, Lewis Stone
Lewis Stone
Lewis Shepard Stone was an American actor.Born in Worcester, Massachusetts, son of Bertrand Stone and Philena Heald Ball. Stone's hair grew gray by the time he was twenty. He fought in the Spanish-American War, then returned to a career as a writer. He soon began acting...
as Menelaus, and Ricardo Cortez
Ricardo Cortez
Jacob Krantz , known by his stage name Ricardo Cortez, was an American film actor who began his career during the silent era.-Life and career:...
as Paris. Coming at the end of the silent film era, it received the honor of being nominated for an Academy Award
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
in 1928, the year of the Awards' inception, in the category of Best Title Writing. However, Gerald Duffy died on 25 June 1928, and he has the distinction of being the first person to be posthumously nominated for an Academy Award.
That same year, the first "talkie," The Jazz Singer
The Jazz Singer (1927 film)
The Jazz Singer is a 1927 American musical film. The first feature-length motion picture with synchronized dialogue sequences, its release heralded the commercial ascendance of the "talkies" and the decline of the silent film era. Produced by Warner Bros. with its Vitaphone sound-on-disc system,...
, 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.
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.
Cast
- Maria CordaMaría CordaMaría Corda was a Hungarian actress and a star of the silent film era in Germany and Austria....
- Helen - Lewis StoneLewis StoneLewis Shepard Stone was an American actor.Born in Worcester, Massachusetts, son of Bertrand Stone and Philena Heald Ball. Stone's hair grew gray by the time he was twenty. He fought in the Spanish-American War, then returned to a career as a writer. He soon began acting...
- Menelaus - Ricardo CortezRicardo CortezJacob Krantz , known by his stage name Ricardo Cortez, was an American film actor who began his career during the silent era.-Life and career:...
- Paris - George FawcettGeorge FawcettGeorge Fawcett was an American stage and film actor of the silent era. On stage he appeared in such plays as Ghosts with the controversial Mary Shaw, The Squaw Man with William Faversham, The Great John Ganton with an up-and-coming actress Laurette Taylor in the cast and Getting A Polish with...
- Eteoneus - Alice White - Adraste
- Bill Elliott - Telemachus
- Tom O'Brien - Ulysses
- Bert SprotteBert SprotteBert Sprotte was a German actor. He appeared in 77 films between 1918 and 1938.He was born in Chemnitz, Saxony and died in Los Angeles, California.-Selected filmography:* Conquering the Woman...
- Achilles - Mario Carillo - Ajax
- Charles Puffy - Malapokitoratoreadetos
- George KotsonarosGeorge KotsonarosGeorge Kotsonaros was a Greek-born film actor. He acted mostly in silent pictures....
- Hector - Emilio Gorgato - Sarpedon
- Constantine Romanoff - Aeneas
- Alice Adair - Aphrodite
- Helen Fairweather - Athena