The Return of the Epic Film
Genre, Aesthetics and History in the 21st Century
Published on 11. March 2014
Book
Hardback
240 pages
978-0-7486-8402-1 (ISBN)
Description
With the success of Gladiator, both critics and scholars enthusiastically announced the return of a genre which had lain dormant for thirty years. However, this return raises important new questions which remain unanswered. Why did the epic come back, and why did it fall out of fashion? Are these the same kinds of epics as the 1950s and 60s, or are there aesthetic differences? Can we treat Kingdom of Heaven, 300 and Thor indiscriminately as one genre? Are non-Western histories like Hero and Mongol epics, too? Finally, what precisely do we mean when we talk about the return of the epic film, and why are they back?
The Return of the Epic Film offers a fresh way of thinking about a body of films which has dominated our screens for a decade. With contributions from top scholars in the field, the collection adopts a range of interdisciplinary perspectives to explore the epic film in the twenty-first century.
The Return of the Epic Film offers a fresh way of thinking about a body of films which has dominated our screens for a decade. With contributions from top scholars in the field, the collection adopts a range of interdisciplinary perspectives to explore the epic film in the twenty-first century.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Edinburgh
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Paper over boards
Illustrations
12 black and white illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 236 mm
Width: 155 mm
Thickness: 20 mm
Weight
567 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-7486-8402-1 (9780748684021)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Andrew B. R. Elliot | Andrew B. R. Elliott
Return of the Epic Film
Genre, Aesthetics and History in the 21st Century
E-Book
03/2014
Edinburgh University Press
€0.00
Available for download
Persons
Andrew B.R. Elliott is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Lincoln, UK, where he works on the depiction of history in popular culture. In addition to his work on epics, he has written on the use of the Middle Ages, Robin Hood, Vikings, and Classical Antiquity in film, as well as the depiction of the past in video games and television. Andrew B.R. Elliott is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Lincoln, UK, where he works on the depiction of history in popular culture. In addition to his work on epics, he has written on the use of the Middle Ages, Robin Hood, Vikings, and Classical Antiquity in film, as well as the depiction of the past in video games and television.
Content
Introduction: The Return of the Epic, Andrew B.R. Elliott; Part I: Epics and Ancient History; Sir Ridley Scott and the Rebirth of the Epic, Jeffrey Richards; The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire and America since the Second World War: Some Cinematic Parallels, Kevin J. Harty; There's Nothing So Wrong with a Hollywood Script that a Bunch of Giant CGI Scorpions Can't Solve: Politics, Computer Generated Images and Camp in the Critical Reception of the Post-Gladiator Historical Epics: Mark Jancovich; Popcorn and Circus: An Audience Expects, Robert Stow; Part II: Epic Aesthetics and Genre; Colour in the Epic Film: Alexander and Hero, Robert Burgoyne; Defining the Epic: Medieval and Fantasy Epics, Paul Sturtevant; Special Effects, Reality, and the New Epic, Andrew B.R. Elliott; Part III: Epic Films and the Canon; Pass the Ammunition: A Short Etymology of Blockbuster, Sheldon Hall; Epic Stumbling Blocks, Saer Maty Ba; The Greatest Epic of the 21st Century?, Deborah Bridge; Ramayana and Sita in Films and Popular Media: The Repositioning of a Globalised Version, Aarttee Kaul Dhar.