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The Great Courses Plus

A Historian Goes to the Movies: Ancient Rome

via The Great Courses Plus

Overview

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.

Topics Covered:
  • 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

Taught by

Gregory S. Aldrete, Ph.D.

Reviews

3.8 rating at The Great Courses Plus based on 73 ratings

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