The New Peplum by Nicholas Diak

The New Peplum by Nicholas Diak

Peplum or "sword-and-sandal" films--an Italian genre of the late 1950s through the 1960s--featured ancient Greek, Roman and Biblical stories with gladiators, mythological monsters and legendary quests. The new wave of historic epics, known as neo-pepla, is distinctly different, embracing new technologies and storytelling techniques to create an immersive experience unattainable in the earlier films. This collection of new essays explores the neo-peplum phenomenon through a range of topics, including comic book adaptations like Hercules, the expansion of genre boundaries in Jupiter Ascending and John Carter, depictions of Romans and slaves in Spartacus, and The Eagle and Centurion as metaphors for America's involvement in the Iraq War.

“Remarkable..each chapter is a scholastic adventure featuring fresh and provocative topics...detailed historical context and insightful close-readings of the films and television episodes...a welcomed addition”—Journal of American Culture; “[The genre] has seen a major revitalization on screens both large and small...brings much-needed scholarly attention to the titular genre”—Journal of Popular Film and Television; “The peplum genre fulfilled my classic mythological niche...it’s relevant to look back on these movies now”—Steven L. Sears, writer and co-executive producer, Xena: Warrior Princess

Nicholas Diak is a pop culture scholar specializing in Italian spy films, post-industrial and synthwave music, and the works of H.P. Lovecraft. He has contributed essays, editorials and reviews to a variety of books, journals, and pop culture websites. He lives in Glendale, Arizona.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781476667621
ISBN 10	1476667624
Title	The New Peplum
Author	Nicholas Diak
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	McFarland & Co Inc
Year published	2017-12-28
Number of pages	242
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.