Hollywood's Ancient Worlds

By Jeffrey Richards,

Book cover of Hollywood's Ancient Worlds

Book description

This book offers a new, full analysis of the Ancient World epic and how this film genre continues to comment on modern-day issues.Few genres have been subject to such critical scorn as the Ancient World epic. Yet they have regularly achieved huge box office success. This book tells the history…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked Hollywood's Ancient Worlds as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Richards’ book broadens the perspective advanced here with a concise overview of American and British films and some American-European co-productions about ancient Greek, Roman, biblical, and other cultures.

Its main focus is on the 1950s and 1960s, when epic filmmaking reached its height with color and widescreen cinematography, giant sets, huge casts, stereophonic sound, extreme lengths, and ruinous costs.

Richards rides to the rescue of several less-than-stellar films but can be severe as well, e.g. about 300: “probably the most Fascistic film to come out in cinemas since the fall of the Third Reich.” (No argument here.)

A few…

Want books like Hollywood's Ancient Worlds?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Hollywood's Ancient Worlds.

Browse books like Hollywood's Ancient Worlds

Book cover of Sawdust Caesar: The Untold History of Mussolini and Fascism
Book cover of Hitler's State Architecture: The Impact of Classical Antiquity
Book cover of Ben-Hur: The Original Blockbuster

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,187

readers submitted
so far, will you?

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in Rome, ancient Rome, and totalitarianism?

Rome 339 books
Ancient Rome 304 books
Totalitarianism 47 books