HELEN OF TROY (1956) 16493

Original Warner Brothers Lobby Card Set 11x14 Eight Cards Very Fine to Near Mint.

Homer's ancient epic poem THE ILIAD has been taken to the screen several times, most recently in the gory and not-so-satisying TROY. But the most romantic version for sure is HELEN OF TROY (1956) directed by Robert Wise. Wise, the most workmanlike and one of the best directors in Hollywood, and the scriptwriter John Twist turned the Homeric poem on its head and made the Greeks the bad guys and the wife-stealing Paris a hunk, played by Lithuanian actor Jacques Sernas --move over, Orlando Bloom. For the Face That Launched A Thousand Ships, the producers chose another player little-known in the United States, Italian actress Rossana Podesta. To cover the thick accents of these two beauties, Warner had two actors dub their speaking parts. (Noted British actor Edmund Purdom dubbed Sernas' lines.) To this mix, they stirred in a nice complement of "serious" actors like Sir Cedric Hardwicke, Niall MacGinnis, Nora Swinburne and others. And then they mounted one of the most expensive movies made up until that time. Warner's hopes were to bring audiences into the theaters with the sweep of CinemaScope and some Brand New Stars. The result was a magnificent flop, both critically and financially. Nevertheless, epic fans have adored this film for decades - for its great sets by Edward Carrere, a lovely score by Max Steiner,beautiful costumes by Roger Furse, and glorious CinemaScope photography by Harry Stradling. And here is a little-known fact: Sergio Leone served as an uncredited second-unit director as did Raoul Walsh! No less a cinematic light than Martin Scorsese have beknighted HELEN OF TROY as a "guilty pleasure." Here is a set of all eight lobby cards in truly excellent condition. Graded very fine to near mint.

ROBERT WISE - Director
Sir Cedric Hardwicke - Actor
Rossana Podesta - Actor
Sir Stanley Baker - Actor
Robert Douglas - Actor
Torin Thatcher - Actor
Harry Andrews - Actor
Jacques Sernas - Actor
Nora Swinburne - Actor
Janette Scott - Actor
Ronald Lewis - Actor
Brigitte Bardot - Actor
Eduardo Ciannelli - Actor
Edmond Purdom - Actor
MARC LAWRENCE - Actor
Terence Longdon - Actor
Esmond Knight - Actor
Maxwell reed - Actor