Big Screen Rome

Big Screen Rome is the first systematic survey of the most important and popular films from the past half century that reconstruct the image of Roman antiquity. The first systematic survey of the most important and popular recent films about Roman antiquity. Shows how cinema explores, reinvents and celebrates the spectacle of ancient Rome. Films discussed in depth include Stanley Kubrick’s Spartacus, Ridley Scott’s Gladiator and Terry Jones's Monty Python's Life of Brian. Contributes to discussions about the ongoing relevance of the classical world. Shows how contemporary film-makers use recreations of ancient history as commentaries on contemporary society. Structured in a way that makes it suitable for course use, and features issues for discussion and analysis, and reference to further bibliographic resources. Written in an energetic and engaging style.

List of Illustrations. Acknowledgements. Introduction. Quo Vadis (1951). The Robe (1953). Ben-Hur (1959). Spartacus (1960). Cleopatra (1963). A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966). Monty Python’s Life of Brian (1979). History of the World, Part I: Roman Empire sequence (1981). Gladiator (2000). Bibliography. Index.