Antony Augoustakis and Monica Cyrino (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- September 2017
- ISBN:
- 9781474407847
- eISBN:
- 9781474430982
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9781474407847.001.0001
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, World History: BCE to 500CE
The figure of Spartacus often serves as an icon of resistance against oppression in modern political movements, while his legend has inspired numerous receptions over the centuries in many different ...
More
The figure of Spartacus often serves as an icon of resistance against oppression in modern political movements, while his legend has inspired numerous receptions over the centuries in many different popular media. This new book brings together a wide range of scholarly perspectives on the four seasons of the acclaimed and highly successful premium cable television series STARZ Spartacus (2010–13), with contributions from the fields of classics, history, gender, film and media studies, and classical reception. The book uncovers a fascinating range of topics and themes within the series such as slavery, society, politics, spectacle, material culture, sexuality, aesthetics, and fan reception.Less
The figure of Spartacus often serves as an icon of resistance against oppression in modern political movements, while his legend has inspired numerous receptions over the centuries in many different popular media. This new book brings together a wide range of scholarly perspectives on the four seasons of the acclaimed and highly successful premium cable television series STARZ Spartacus (2010–13), with contributions from the fields of classics, history, gender, film and media studies, and classical reception. The book uncovers a fascinating range of topics and themes within the series such as slavery, society, politics, spectacle, material culture, sexuality, aesthetics, and fan reception.
Maya Plisetskaya
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- October 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780300088571
- eISBN:
- 9780300130713
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Yale University Press
- DOI:
- 10.12987/yale/9780300088571.003.0028
- Subject:
- Music, Dance
In this chapter, Maya Plisetskaya reflects on her grief and sorrow after the Soviet authorities did not allow her to leave the country until April 1959. She also talks about Spartacus and the Bolshoi ...
More
In this chapter, Maya Plisetskaya reflects on her grief and sorrow after the Soviet authorities did not allow her to leave the country until April 1959. She also talks about Spartacus and the Bolshoi Ballet's first crack at the Aram Khachaturian ballet, in which she played the part of Aegina. After the first performances of Spartacus, which was choreographed by Igor Moiseyev, she began to negotiate with Vakhtang Chabukiani about a possible repertoire.Less
In this chapter, Maya Plisetskaya reflects on her grief and sorrow after the Soviet authorities did not allow her to leave the country until April 1959. She also talks about Spartacus and the Bolshoi Ballet's first crack at the Aram Khachaturian ballet, in which she played the part of Aegina. After the first performances of Spartacus, which was choreographed by Igor Moiseyev, she began to negotiate with Vakhtang Chabukiani about a possible repertoire.
Peter Green
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520255074
- eISBN:
- 9780520934719
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520255074.003.0006
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Archaeology: Classical
This chapter discusses the Roman slave revolts of the second and early first centuries bc. It notes that although the first Sicilian is little studied by historians, it contains some unique features, ...
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This chapter discusses the Roman slave revolts of the second and early first centuries bc. It notes that although the first Sicilian is little studied by historians, it contains some unique features, and that its leader, Eunus, was in his own way as remarkable a man as Spartacus. The chapter further notes that the main evidence for the revolt and its background is to be found in Diodorus Siculus. It reports that Diodurus was a Sicilian, from Agyrium; that his account post-dates the revolt by less than a century; and that he may have drawn material from the Greek philosopher and historian Posidonius—himself, like Eunus, a native of Apamea. Posidonius was widely traveled and had an interest in the problem of slavery.Less
This chapter discusses the Roman slave revolts of the second and early first centuries bc. It notes that although the first Sicilian is little studied by historians, it contains some unique features, and that its leader, Eunus, was in his own way as remarkable a man as Spartacus. The chapter further notes that the main evidence for the revolt and its background is to be found in Diodorus Siculus. It reports that Diodurus was a Sicilian, from Agyrium; that his account post-dates the revolt by less than a century; and that he may have drawn material from the Greek philosopher and historian Posidonius—himself, like Eunus, a native of Apamea. Posidonius was widely traveled and had an interest in the problem of slavery.
Janice Ross
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780300207637
- eISBN:
- 9780300210644
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Yale University Press
- DOI:
- 10.12987/yale/9780300207637.003.0006
- Subject:
- Music, Dance
This chapter describes “Spartacus”. This ballet by Yakobson is considered to be almost autobiographical in content. The ballet portrays the heroic struggle of Spartacus in a slave revolt. It ...
More
This chapter describes “Spartacus”. This ballet by Yakobson is considered to be almost autobiographical in content. The ballet portrays the heroic struggle of Spartacus in a slave revolt. It effectively shows the development of Yakobson's work from the creation of a full length piece for the Kirov Ballet. The story in the ballet was shaped to advance Soviet propaganda during the early days of the war. The work sparked controversy and changed Yakobson's career. “Spartacus” was Yakobson's grandest manifesto as an artistic dissident. Internationally, the work proved to be a public humiliation, becoming the target of anti-Soviet feeling by American critics. However, in many ways “Spartacus” came to symbolize the shadier side of Cold War cultural diplomacy.Less
This chapter describes “Spartacus”. This ballet by Yakobson is considered to be almost autobiographical in content. The ballet portrays the heroic struggle of Spartacus in a slave revolt. It effectively shows the development of Yakobson's work from the creation of a full length piece for the Kirov Ballet. The story in the ballet was shaped to advance Soviet propaganda during the early days of the war. The work sparked controversy and changed Yakobson's career. “Spartacus” was Yakobson's grandest manifesto as an artistic dissident. Internationally, the work proved to be a public humiliation, becoming the target of anti-Soviet feeling by American critics. However, in many ways “Spartacus” came to symbolize the shadier side of Cold War cultural diplomacy.
Janice Ross
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780300207637
- eISBN:
- 9780300210644
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Yale University Press
- DOI:
- 10.12987/yale/9780300207637.003.0007
- Subject:
- Music, Dance
This chapter deals with ballets written by Yakobson after “Spartacus.” His ballets at this time exhibited anti-heroics postures, fracturing the indestructible Stalinist-male image. Yakobson added a ...
More
This chapter deals with ballets written by Yakobson after “Spartacus.” His ballets at this time exhibited anti-heroics postures, fracturing the indestructible Stalinist-male image. Yakobson added a more brutal and satiric tones in the characters he created during this era of his career. He was not discouraged by the harsh reception of “Spartacus” abroad; instead, he jumbled the qualities of the modern hero into the problems of contemporary Russian society. Yakobson did not confuse reality and realism in his ballets; rather he used dance to give an “aerial” view of the facts of the time. These postwar ballets transformed power and image from the state to the artist—the formulation of power from the artist against the state. By deconstructing the Soviet hero through his ballets, Yakobson rewrote the USSR's symbol of power.Less
This chapter deals with ballets written by Yakobson after “Spartacus.” His ballets at this time exhibited anti-heroics postures, fracturing the indestructible Stalinist-male image. Yakobson added a more brutal and satiric tones in the characters he created during this era of his career. He was not discouraged by the harsh reception of “Spartacus” abroad; instead, he jumbled the qualities of the modern hero into the problems of contemporary Russian society. Yakobson did not confuse reality and realism in his ballets; rather he used dance to give an “aerial” view of the facts of the time. These postwar ballets transformed power and image from the state to the artist—the formulation of power from the artist against the state. By deconstructing the Soviet hero through his ballets, Yakobson rewrote the USSR's symbol of power.
Antony Augoustakis and Monica S. Cyrino
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- September 2017
- ISBN:
- 9781474407847
- eISBN:
- 9781474430982
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9781474407847.003.0001
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, World History: BCE to 500CE
This introductory chapter discusses the highly successful television series Spartacus, which aired on the premium cable network STARZ from 2010 to 2013. The story of Spartacus, the historical ...
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This introductory chapter discusses the highly successful television series Spartacus, which aired on the premium cable network STARZ from 2010 to 2013. The story of Spartacus, the historical Thracian gladiator who led a slave uprising against the Roman Republican army from 73 to 71 BC, has inspired numerous receptions over the centuries in a variety of different media, while the figure of the rebel slave leader has often served as an icon of resistance against oppression in modern political movements and popular ideologies. Here, the chapter looks into the production history of the STARZ series and how the series itself treads familiar ground at the same time as it explores new territory.Less
This introductory chapter discusses the highly successful television series Spartacus, which aired on the premium cable network STARZ from 2010 to 2013. The story of Spartacus, the historical Thracian gladiator who led a slave uprising against the Roman Republican army from 73 to 71 BC, has inspired numerous receptions over the centuries in a variety of different media, while the figure of the rebel slave leader has often served as an icon of resistance against oppression in modern political movements and popular ideologies. Here, the chapter looks into the production history of the STARZ series and how the series itself treads familiar ground at the same time as it explores new territory.
Nuno Simões Rodrigues (ed.)
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- September 2017
- ISBN:
- 9781474407847
- eISBN:
- 9781474430982
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9781474407847.003.0003
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, World History: BCE to 500CE
This chapter starts from the iconic 1960 Stanley Kubrick film version of Spartacus and it compares it with the other version to demonstrate how in the Kubrick version the political and ideological ...
More
This chapter starts from the iconic 1960 Stanley Kubrick film version of Spartacus and it compares it with the other version to demonstrate how in the Kubrick version the political and ideological nature of the Spartacus figure re-emerges in the twenty-first century, reinvented and far more sexualized than its predecessor. STARZ Spartacus, the chapter argues, has an altogether different set of objectives, placing special emphasis on the glorified and eroticized image of mostly male—but also female—bodies. This chapter concludes that Kubrick's Spartacus is transformed from a political icon, representing freedom, equality, and independence, into a new Spartacus who also becomes the image of a hypersexualized masculinity.Less
This chapter starts from the iconic 1960 Stanley Kubrick film version of Spartacus and it compares it with the other version to demonstrate how in the Kubrick version the political and ideological nature of the Spartacus figure re-emerges in the twenty-first century, reinvented and far more sexualized than its predecessor. STARZ Spartacus, the chapter argues, has an altogether different set of objectives, placing special emphasis on the glorified and eroticized image of mostly male—but also female—bodies. This chapter concludes that Kubrick's Spartacus is transformed from a political icon, representing freedom, equality, and independence, into a new Spartacus who also becomes the image of a hypersexualized masculinity.
Sylvie Magerstädt
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- September 2019
- ISBN:
- 9781784995324
- eISBN:
- 9781526144614
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Manchester University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7228/manchester/9781784995324.003.0007
- Subject:
- Film, Television and Radio, Television
This section contains a case study of the HBO–BBC co-production Rome (2005–7).
This section contains a case study of the HBO–BBC co-production Rome (2005–7).
Sylvie Magerstädt
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- September 2019
- ISBN:
- 9781784995324
- eISBN:
- 9781526144614
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Manchester University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7228/manchester/9781784995324.003.0008
- Subject:
- Film, Television and Radio, Television
This section contains a case study of the HBO–BBC co-production STARZ Spartacus (2010-13).
This section contains a case study of the HBO–BBC co-production STARZ Spartacus (2010-13).
Larry Ceplair and Christopher Trumbo
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- May 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780813146805
- eISBN:
- 9780813154770
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Kentucky
- DOI:
- 10.5810/kentucky/9780813146805.003.0018
- Subject:
- Film, Television and Radio, Film
Trumbo’s major breakthrough occurred when he was assigned to adapt Howard Fast’s historical novel about the great slave uprising against the Roman Empire. To maintain his vision of the movie, he ...
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Trumbo’s major breakthrough occurred when he was assigned to adapt Howard Fast’s historical novel about the great slave uprising against the Roman Empire. To maintain his vision of the movie, he waged a series of battles against director Stanley Kubrick and some of the actors. As part of that campaign, he wrote some of his most scintillating analyses and employed some of his best maneuvers to earn a screen credit.Less
Trumbo’s major breakthrough occurred when he was assigned to adapt Howard Fast’s historical novel about the great slave uprising against the Roman Empire. To maintain his vision of the movie, he waged a series of battles against director Stanley Kubrick and some of the actors. As part of that campaign, he wrote some of his most scintillating analyses and employed some of his best maneuvers to earn a screen credit.
Larry Ceplair and Christopher Trumbo
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- May 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780813146805
- eISBN:
- 9780813154770
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Kentucky
- DOI:
- 10.5810/kentucky/9780813146805.003.0019
- Subject:
- Film, Television and Radio, Film
While working on the Spartacus script, Otto Preminger asked Trumbo to write the script for Exodus. Preminger publicly announced that Trumbo would receive screen credit. (The announcement that Trumbo ...
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While working on the Spartacus script, Otto Preminger asked Trumbo to write the script for Exodus. Preminger publicly announced that Trumbo would receive screen credit. (The announcement that Trumbo would also receive screen credit for Spartacus came seven months later.) Thus, at the end of 1960, Trumbo’s name was on the screen twice, for two hugely successful films. This feat provoked a slow weakening of the blacklist, but blacklistees returned to work in a trickle, not a wave.Less
While working on the Spartacus script, Otto Preminger asked Trumbo to write the script for Exodus. Preminger publicly announced that Trumbo would receive screen credit. (The announcement that Trumbo would also receive screen credit for Spartacus came seven months later.) Thus, at the end of 1960, Trumbo’s name was on the screen twice, for two hugely successful films. This feat provoked a slow weakening of the blacklist, but blacklistees returned to work in a trickle, not a wave.
Anise K. Strong
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- January 2019
- ISBN:
- 9781474424516
- eISBN:
- 9781474449533
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9781474424516.003.0010
- Subject:
- Film, Television and Radio, Film
This chapter examines the oldest of the ancient heroes in this section of the book, the mythical warrior woman Xena in the eponymous Xena: Warrior Princess. The show first aired at the end of the ...
More
This chapter examines the oldest of the ancient heroes in this section of the book, the mythical warrior woman Xena in the eponymous Xena: Warrior Princess. The show first aired at the end of the twentieth century (1995) and continued through the early twenty- first century (2001). The depiction of Xena is significant not only because of her gender, but also because of the onscreen precedents she set for future characters. The chapter shows that Xena set the trend for women on screen who could be sexually active and polyamorous and not be coded as immoral or deviant. By following a model that more typically applied to male characters of the ancient world, Xena represented a more complicated image of heroism for female characters. Such a representation laid the foundations for
a number of later characters, such as Saxa in STARZ Spartacus (2010–13) and Starbuck in Battlestar Gallactica (2005–9).Less
This chapter examines the oldest of the ancient heroes in this section of the book, the mythical warrior woman Xena in the eponymous Xena: Warrior Princess. The show first aired at the end of the twentieth century (1995) and continued through the early twenty- first century (2001). The depiction of Xena is significant not only because of her gender, but also because of the onscreen precedents she set for future characters. The chapter shows that Xena set the trend for women on screen who could be sexually active and polyamorous and not be coded as immoral or deviant. By following a model that more typically applied to male characters of the ancient world, Xena represented a more complicated image of heroism for female characters. Such a representation laid the foundations for
a number of later characters, such as Saxa in STARZ Spartacus (2010–13) and Starbuck in Battlestar Gallactica (2005–9).
Maya Plisetskaya
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- October 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780300088571
- eISBN:
- 9780300130713
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Yale University Press
- DOI:
- 10.12987/yale/9780300088571.003.0029
- Subject:
- Music, Dance
In this chapter, Maya Plisetskaya focuses on the premiere of Spartacus on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow on March 11, 1956, and her meeting with Rodion Shchedrin, her future husband. The ...
More
In this chapter, Maya Plisetskaya focuses on the premiere of Spartacus on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow on March 11, 1956, and her meeting with Rodion Shchedrin, her future husband. The rehearsal period for the Moscow production dragged on so long that Leonid Yakobson finished his work with the Aram Khachaturian score in Leningrad ahead of Igor Moiseyev. Maya invited a few friends to the Spartacus premiere and reserved two tickets for Shchedrin. The premiere was a success. The following day, Shchedrin told Maya that Vladimir Radunsky was working on a new Little Humpbacked Horse for the Bolshoi Theater and that he was enlightening Shchedrin as best he could about the ballet. By late August Maya was pregnant.Less
In this chapter, Maya Plisetskaya focuses on the premiere of Spartacus on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow on March 11, 1956, and her meeting with Rodion Shchedrin, her future husband. The rehearsal period for the Moscow production dragged on so long that Leonid Yakobson finished his work with the Aram Khachaturian score in Leningrad ahead of Igor Moiseyev. Maya invited a few friends to the Spartacus premiere and reserved two tickets for Shchedrin. The premiere was a success. The following day, Shchedrin told Maya that Vladimir Radunsky was working on a new Little Humpbacked Horse for the Bolshoi Theater and that he was enlightening Shchedrin as best he could about the ballet. By late August Maya was pregnant.
Maya Plisetskaya
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- October 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780300088571
- eISBN:
- 9780300130713
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Yale University Press
- DOI:
- 10.12987/yale/9780300088571.003.0035
- Subject:
- Music, Dance
In this chapter, Maya Plisetskaya reflects on her work with Leonid Veniaminovich Yakobson, one of Russia's great choreographers. Maya worked more often and for a longer time with Yakobson than with ...
More
In this chapter, Maya Plisetskaya reflects on her work with Leonid Veniaminovich Yakobson, one of Russia's great choreographers. Maya worked more often and for a longer time with Yakobson than with any other of her contemporary choreographers. She danced Swan Lake under Yakobson's choreography to open the Kremlin Palace of Congresses on December 23, 1961. After yet another Swan Lake, this time for the king of Laos, Maya focused on rehearsing Spartacus with Maria Nikolayevna Shamsheva as coach. Sol Hurok, who had seen Yakobson's ballet in Leningrad, wanted to bring it on Maya's fall tour of America. Yakobson's Spartacus premiered at the Bolshoi Theater on April 4, 1962. Yakobson died on October 17, 1975.Less
In this chapter, Maya Plisetskaya reflects on her work with Leonid Veniaminovich Yakobson, one of Russia's great choreographers. Maya worked more often and for a longer time with Yakobson than with any other of her contemporary choreographers. She danced Swan Lake under Yakobson's choreography to open the Kremlin Palace of Congresses on December 23, 1961. After yet another Swan Lake, this time for the king of Laos, Maya focused on rehearsing Spartacus with Maria Nikolayevna Shamsheva as coach. Sol Hurok, who had seen Yakobson's ballet in Leningrad, wanted to bring it on Maya's fall tour of America. Yakobson's Spartacus premiered at the Bolshoi Theater on April 4, 1962. Yakobson died on October 17, 1975.
Joanna Paul
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- May 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199542925
- eISBN:
- 9780191745881
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199542925.003.0005
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
The figure of the hero is a particularly useful way of assessing the relationship between cinematic and literary epic. The figure of Spartacus demonstrates that even as new versions of an ancient ...
More
The figure of the hero is a particularly useful way of assessing the relationship between cinematic and literary epic. The figure of Spartacus demonstrates that even as new versions of an ancient epic hero reflect contemporary concerns (such as violent behaviour in warfare), many continuities remain between the hero, his characterization, and his function in ancient and modern contexts. This chapter considers the history of turning Spartacus into a hero, before focusing on the 1960 film and the Howard Fast novel on which it was based. It explores how each presents Spartacus's heroic behaviour, motivation, achievements, and individuality, all against the backdrop of the controversial Communist ideology of the film.Less
The figure of the hero is a particularly useful way of assessing the relationship between cinematic and literary epic. The figure of Spartacus demonstrates that even as new versions of an ancient epic hero reflect contemporary concerns (such as violent behaviour in warfare), many continuities remain between the hero, his characterization, and his function in ancient and modern contexts. This chapter considers the history of turning Spartacus into a hero, before focusing on the 1960 film and the Howard Fast novel on which it was based. It explores how each presents Spartacus's heroic behaviour, motivation, achievements, and individuality, all against the backdrop of the controversial Communist ideology of the film.
Alastair J. L. Blanshard
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- October 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780199689729
- eISBN:
- 9780191814044
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199689729.003.0014
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, European History: BCE to 500CE
From mainstream Hollywood studios to the pornographic outputs of backyard production houses, cinema has continually been tantalized by the homoerotic possibilities of ancient Rome. From some of the ...
More
From mainstream Hollywood studios to the pornographic outputs of backyard production houses, cinema has continually been tantalized by the homoerotic possibilities of ancient Rome. From some of the earliest productions, we can see cinema providing much for the enjoyment of queer viewers, as male bodies are positioned and displayed for voyeuristic pleasure; this chapter interrogates the queer viewing experience. Over time, a cinematic narrative about Roman homosexuality has developed, in films such as Ben-Hur, Spartacus, Fellini Satyricon, and Derek Jarman’s Sebastiane, as well as in pornographic films. It is one in which hierarchically structured relationships centred on scenarios of domination and submission predominate. The eroticization of slavery represents one of cinema’s most distinctive contributions to the representation of Roman homosexuality and it is a feature that only a few film-makers have been prepared to subvert.Less
From mainstream Hollywood studios to the pornographic outputs of backyard production houses, cinema has continually been tantalized by the homoerotic possibilities of ancient Rome. From some of the earliest productions, we can see cinema providing much for the enjoyment of queer viewers, as male bodies are positioned and displayed for voyeuristic pleasure; this chapter interrogates the queer viewing experience. Over time, a cinematic narrative about Roman homosexuality has developed, in films such as Ben-Hur, Spartacus, Fellini Satyricon, and Derek Jarman’s Sebastiane, as well as in pornographic films. It is one in which hierarchically structured relationships centred on scenarios of domination and submission predominate. The eroticization of slavery represents one of cinema’s most distinctive contributions to the representation of Roman homosexuality and it is a feature that only a few film-makers have been prepared to subvert.
