Epics

EPICS

Narratives in the epic tradition surpass the ordinary in scale, and are of heroic proportions. Epic films typically feature vast panoramas with hundreds of extras, and are likely to be historical or biblical stories containing spectacular scenes. The struggle of the main character is heroic, but realistic. The main character may be a historical figure whose exploits have been memorialised in print or in literature and may be biographical or historical, but its main appeal is the moral or ethical dilemma (the personal issue) tested against a larger panorama – war (Patton) or colonialism (Gandhi). The central character is charismatic. The antagonist is so powerful that the efforts of the central character elevate the central character to a heroic position. There is a historical crisis, such as World War I. The moral struggle by the protagonist is so overwhelming that success seems impossible. There is a depiction of the real world, rather than fantasy – therefore, when violence is displayed, it is all the more shocking. There is often poetic subtext. There is a sense of mission in the central character that is rarely exhibited by central characters in other genres. The complex storyline blends two stories – the personal story of the central character and the historical incident. The central character is tested; as a result of the test, he is challenged to pursue a course of action. The central character meets a tragic fate. The epic film story is closer to the melodrama than to the adventure film.

What to Watch: The Birth of a nation (1915), The Robe (1953), The Ten Commandments (1956), Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), Ben Hur (1959), Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Kagemusha (1980), Spartacus (1960), Doctor Zhivago (1965), The Bounty (1984), Gladiator (2000), Heaven’s Gate (1980), Troy (2004), Braveheart (1995). The Passion of the Christ, Australia (2008). The modern epic features the individual versus the state: (Mr. Smith Goes To Washington, The People vs. Larry Flint),