Classical world on film:
Paper instructions:
Quo Vadis (1951) – Film Annotation and the Development of the Roman Epic Film
For your first blog post assignment, I would like you to write a fully developed blog post with multimedia annotations that touches on your experience annotating and interpreting Quo Vadis. I would like you to discuss the following elements (a few lines for each element should probably suffice, but you should write at least 200-250 words):
1) Provide a summary of the plot in a few lines. Follow this up with an overview of the film’s context: When was the film made? By what studio? Who directed and starred in it?
2) Discuss some of the expectations you had about the film’s genre and style before you watched it? What kind of film were you expecting to see based on the film’s context and your knowledge of the ancient world and filmmaking?
3) Discuss one or two scenes that stood out to you in the film. Why do you think these scenes were important (either to the plot, the genre, character development, themes etc.)? Did filming techniques (mise-en-scène, camera work, editing, sound) add to the scene’s importance (if not, did another scene stand out for technical reasons)?
4) Discuss one of the film’s key themes (Think: what is the film actually about in a universal sense?). Why do you think this theme would appeal to audiences when the film was made? Audiences today?
5) Discuss an element you found unfamiliar or perplexing about the film? Why was it strange?
6) Discuss an element of the film that you saw repeated. Were there patterns in terms of the filming techniques, character actions, plot elements, mise-en-scène etc.?
7) In general, do you think the film presented an authentic image of Roman antiquity? Let me know why you think so or not and briefly explain how this was achieved. (Think: narrative, characters, mise-en-scène, etc.).