Overview

Representations of Antiquity in Film offers an introduction to how the ancient world is represented in film and especially Hollywood cinema. McGeough considers the potential that movies have for helping us think about antiquity and their relationship to more traditional academic historical work. The book shows how contemporary issues are drawn out through the cinematic presentations of the past and how modern values are naturalized through their presentation in ancient settings. Through discussion of films from the silent film era to the present, McGeough traces the formative role that films of various genres have had in shaping our perceptions of Egypt, Mesopotamia, the Holy Land, Greece, Rome, barbarian Europe, and the Maya. Not ignoring the traditional historical epic film, the book also presents detailed analyses of comedies, action films, art house fare, exploitation flicks and any type of movie in which audiences experience depictions of the past. By considering cinematic narrative as well as various elements of film design, McGeough presents a comprehensive overview of the topic designed for students and scholars with varying backgrounds in media studies, archaeology, religious studies, and ancient history.

Full Product Details

Author:   Kevin M McGeough
Publisher:   Equinox Publishing Ltd
Imprint:   Equinox Publishing Ltd
Weight:   3.756kg
ISBN:  

9781781799819

ISBN 10:   1781799814
Pages:   392
Publication Date:   15 June 2022
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

Introduction. The Importance of Popular Culture Chapter 1. Film as History and History as Hyperreality Chapter 2. Epic Egyptian Kitsch: Historical Thinking and Statecraft in the Cinematic Ancient World Chapter 3. Nero the Nazi and Akhenaten the Lutheran: The Presentism of the Ancient World on Film Chapter 4. Evil Seductresses, Feisty Housewives, and the Temptation of Victor Mature Chapter 5. The Judean People's Front and Jesus's Mod Tour Bus: Musicals and Comedies Set in the Ancient World Chapter 6. From the Arthouse to the Grindhouse: The Ancient Epic Subverted Chapter 7. Gods, Monsters, and Musclemen Chapter 8. Cavegirls and the Upper Paleolithic Fur Bikini Chapter 9. The New Epic: Ultraviolence, Comic Books, and CGI Chapter 10. Conclusions

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Author Information

Kevin M. McGeough is professor of archaeology in the Department of Geography at the University of Lethbridge and holds a Board of Governor’s Research Chair in Archaeological Theory and Reception. Having excavated in Israel, Turkey, Jordan, Egypt, and Canada, he is the co-editor of the Alberta Archaeological Review and chair of publications for the American Society of Overseas Research (ASOR). He is currently researching the reception of Near Eastern Archaeology in a variety of media and has recently published a three-volume book on archaeological reception in the Victorian era, The Ancient Near East in the Nineteenth Century (2015).

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