Derek Elley shows how the film epic has take up one of the most ancient art-forms and propelled it into the present day, covered in 20th century ambitions, anxieties, hopes and fantasies. He reminds us of the glee with which many epic films have worn their label, and of the sheer fun of the genre. His entertaining survey of historical epic films, dealing with periods up to the end of the Dark Ages, looks at epic form in the cinema as reinterpreted...