An examination of Sienkiewicz's famous novel about Ancient
Rome, Quo Vadis? and the five film adaptations that the book has
spawned Looks at how the different film versions interpret, select
from, and modify the novel and the ancient sources on which it is
based, adapting it to contemporary social and political pressures
and to the particular artistic and commercial goals of each
production Offers an exceptionally clear view of how films have
presented ancient Rome and how modern conditions determine its
reception
First published in serial form in Poland 1896, the novel Quo Vadis?
has been filmed many times, and this book explores five film
adaptations of the work. It examines how these different versions
interpret, select from, and modify the novel and the ancient
sources on which it is based, adapting it to contemporary social
and political pressures and to the particular artistic and
commercial goals of each production. Because there are so many
versions, the project offers an exceptionally clear view of how
films have presented ancient Rome and how modern conditions
determine its reception. This book will be of interest to all
libraries with holdings in classics, the reception of the ancient
world, and film studies.
"Recommended [to] all readers." ( CHOICE , March 2010) "There is much to admire in this book. It has a clear focus and a good set of questions. It knows its way round the five films and around the classical sources, and is prepared to look at broader issues in relation to the close reading of the films." ( Bryn Mawr Classical Review , March 2009)
Ruth Scodel is currently D. R. Shackleton Bailey Collegiate Professor of Greek and Latin in the Department of Classical Studies at the University of Michigan. She is the author of numerous articles on Greek literature.
Inhaltsangabe
- Acknowledgements
1. Novel and Film
2. Adapting the narrative
- Sienkiewicz' Novel: adapting the story
- Focalizers, Judgments, and Petronius
- Petronius as focal character
- Seeing and Mapping Rome
3. Gender and Ethnicity
- Marcus and Lygia
- Petronius and Eunice
- Pomponia
- Gender Roles in Public and Private Life
- Ethnicity and Gender Roles in the 1985 Version
- Adaptations in the 2001 Version
4. Political Institutions, Political Subtexts
- The Complex Allusions of the 1985 Miniseries
- Foreign Policy in the Films
- The Military in the 1951 Version
- The Arrival of Galba
5. The Roman People
6. Religion and Religious Authority in Quo Vadis?
- Paganism
- Judaism
- Christianity: Ritual, Theology, and Conflict in Sienkiewicz' Novel
- The Representation of the Scriptures
- Radicals: Crispus
- Mainstream Christianity: Peter and Paul
- Conclusion
7. Conclusions
8. Exkursus: Chilo's Mother: A Peculiarity of the German Translations of Quo Vadis?
- Synopsis of the Novel and the Film Versions of Quo vadis
