Includes indexes.

Filmography: pages 167-204.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 205-206) and index.

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 from literary epic form. He discusses the films by historical period, showing how the cinema re-works history for the changing needs of its audience, much as the ancient mythographers did. He reveals that its outward face is just as ambiguous as that of the literary epic, because different cultures, changing social patterns, various types of audience, all mould the style. This book includes a detailed filmography with titles, director, release date and leading players listed for more than 600 films.

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