The glory of ancient Rome meets the grandeur of modern Hollywood in these 12 lectures that examine the historical accuracy of Ben-Hur, Gladiator, and other classic sword-and-sandal epics.
Overview
Syllabus
- By This Professor
- 01: Quo Vadis Kick-Starts the Sword-and-Sandal Genre
- 02: Ben-Hur: The Greatest Chariot Race
- 03: Spartacus: Kubrick’s Controversial Epic
- 04: Cleopatra: Spectacle Gone Wild
- 05: The Fall of the Roman Empire and Ancient Epics
- 06: I, Claudius: The BBC Makes an Anti-Epic
- 07: Life of Brian: The Roman World’s a Funny Place
- 08: Gladiator: The Historical Epic Revived
- 09: Rome: HBO’s Gritty Take on Ancient History
- 10: Centurion and The Eagle: The Legions in Britain
- 11: Scipione l’africano and Fellini Satyricon
- 12: Bread and Circuses in Sci-Fi Films
Taught by
Gregory S. Aldrete, Ph.D.
