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black and terracotta vase paintings. These latter were more stylised than the majority of the
cleanly elegant statues, which twisted and turned with so much sensual life that they were
almost animated.
The dead Achilles and a chorus, showing the helpfully different colouring.
Here was how to separate Achilles and Patroclus from the rest of the characters, by contrasting
them as more sculpturally realistic white statues against the darker and heavily theatrical
terracotta coloured lovers, the Paris and Helen characters. True to Greek drama, there are
usually only two characters on stage at a given moment, although often accompanied by the
chorus. Suddenly, this was all falling into place. The story developed with the chorus playing
the minor characters. Putting them in masks, again true to Greek drama, in ef ect, removed
their eyes, and stopped the audience getting involved with these characters, thus throwing
all the focus onto Achilles and Patroclus. A recent inventive production of
Twelfth Night
saw
any characters that stepped of the acting area don a mask, allowing them to play instruments
while watching the other actors. The mask distanced them from the action and also enabled
them to position props without being 'seen' by the characters. An ef ective convention indeed.
The lack of colour made Achilles and Patroclus stand out from the crowd, and with their
animatable eyes and mouths, we could suddenly see these characters thinking and could thus
relate to them. I go on about the importance of eyes, and how just the smallest of movement
can invest so much life, and here I was depending on that to carry the i lm.
Having found the visual idea of the i lm, I followed the structure of Greek drama,
alternating scenes between the chorus and the main characters. As this was a
piece about history, or rather myth, I was keen that the i rst image suggested this.
Achilles' armour is a vital part of the myth, and became the i rst and last sight in
the i lm. Initially, it seems to be about being a great soldier, but by the end of the
i lm it is about armour protecting something far more vulnerable.
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