Cinema loves Greece and Rome. Hollywood epics, animated movies, avant-garde features - all have turned to classical antiquity for inspiration. On the silver screen, we see a world of virtuous Christians, depraved pagans, gladiators, charioteers, Spartan warriors, and muscle-bound demigods - a potent mix of sex, violence and art. So pervasive are these images that this cinematic output dominates the public understanding of the ancient world. Through analysis of ten influential films, this book examines the representation of Greece and Rome in both popular and art-house cinema, arranged by cinematic genre. Key scenes are discussed and each film is located in its historical context.
Introduction List of Figures Chapter 1 Establishing the conventions: Cleopatra (1934) Chapter 2 The Roman Epics of Classical Hollywood: Quo Vadis (1951) Chapter 3 Peplum Traditions: Hercules (1958) Chapter 4 Roman History on Screen: Spartacus (1960) Chapter 5 Greek History on Screen: The 300 Spartans (1962) Chapter 6 Myth and the Fantasy: Jason and the Argonauts (1963) Chapter 7 Art Cinema: Fellini-Satyricon (1969) Chapter 8 Satirizing Cine-antiquity: Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979) Chapter 9 The Disney Version: Hercules (1997) Chapter 10 The Return of the Epic?: Gladiator (2000) Notes Bibliography
