A Historian Goes to the Movies: Ancient Rome
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Narrated by:
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Gregory S. Aldrete
About this listen
How have films like Ben-Hur, Spartacus, Gladiator, or even a satire like Monty Python’s Life of Brian created our popular perceptions of ancient Roman history? In what ways have they led us astray? And why, despite the occasional box-office flop, do movies set in ancient Rome still have the power to captivate us, and to turn each of us into theater-going history buffs?
In these 12 lectures, an award-winning historian gives you a front-row look at the great movies that have shaped ancient Rome’s role in popular culture and memory. Packed with insights into both history and filmmaking, this series immerses you in the glory and grandeur (and, sometimes, the folly) of classic and contemporary films featuring over 50 years of cinematic talent, including directors like Stanley Kubrick and Ridley Scott and actors such as Elizabeth Taylor and Russell Crowe.
You’ll investigate portrayals of ancient Roman life on the big screen and small screen; learn how to tease out fact from fiction in some of Hollywood’s most stunning spectacles; and deepen your appreciation for films that, when made right, can be thrilling time machines into the past. Some films you may already be a fan of; other films you might have only heard of in passing. But all of them are essential to a well-rounded understanding of the intricate relationship between the world of ancient Rome and the world of the movies.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
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- By: Graham Hancock
- Narrated by: Graham Hancock
- Length: 18 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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Fingerprints of the Gods is the revolutionary rewrite of history that has persuaded millions of listeners throughout the world to change their preconceptions about the history behind modern society. An intellectual detective story, this unique history audiobook directs probing questions at orthodox history, presenting disturbing new evidence that historians have tried - but failed - to explain.
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Classic in Historical Mysteries
- By Kelly on 09-05-19
By: Graham Hancock
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The Secret History of Christmas
- By: Bill Bryson
- Narrated by: Bill Bryson
- Length: 3 hrs and 3 mins
- Original Recording
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Christmas is the single biggest annual event on the planet, a time for merry-making, over-indulgence, peace, goodwill, and the occasional family row. It’s as comfortable and familiar as a pair of old shoes and yet still glittery and exciting. But what do you really know about it? It’s stuffed full of traditions and rituals that most of us have been observing all our lives without having the slightest idea of where they come from.
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Fascinating and Entertaining
- By Laura Carrington on 11-23-22
By: Bill Bryson
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World War 2 in the Pacific Collection: Across Wake Island, Bataan, Guadalcanal, Corregidor, and Iwo Jima
- Helmet for My Pillow: From Parris Island to the Pacific, The Saga of Pappy Gunn, On Valor's Side, The Coastwatchers, They Call it Pacific, Joe Foss Flying Marine, South from Corregidor, The Story of Wake Island, & Mission Beyond Darkness
- By: Robert Lackie, General George C. Kenney, T. Grady Gallant, and others
- Narrated by: Museum Audiobooks Cast
- Length: 66 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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This is a nine-book bundle on the Pacific War, the theatre of World War II that was fought in Asia, the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean and Oceania. The Pacific War saw the Allies pitted against Japan, aided by Thailand and its Axis allies, Germany and Italy. Fighting included some of the largest naval battles in history, and the war culminated in the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
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Good collection, great bargain well worth a credit
- By R. Denton on 08-13-21
By: Robert Lackie, and others
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Black Elk Speaks
- Being the Life Story of a Holy Man of the Oglala Sioux, The Premier Edition
- By: John G. Neihardt
- Narrated by: Robin Neihardt
- Length: 6 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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Widely hailed as a spiritual classic, this inspirational and unfailingly powerful story reveals the life and visions of the Lakota healer Nicholas Black Elk (1863–1950) and the tragic history of his Sioux people during the epic closing decades of the Old West. In 1930, the aging Black Elk met a kindred spirit, the famed poet, writer, and critic John G. Neihardt (1881–1973) on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota.
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Tale of tears
- By William Sanders on 01-25-15
By: John G. Neihardt
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What listeners say about A Historian Goes to the Movies: Ancient Rome
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Lenina Huxley
- 01-10-22
Entertaining and insightful
I've always wondered if the battle scene at the beginning of Gladiator was historically accurate. I now know the answer to the question after listening to this series of lectures.
This course offers a very informative and interesting look at movies about Rome and pivotal moments in Roman history. Each lecture is long enough to be detailed and thoughtful but never so long it becomes tedious or redundant.
I disagreed a bit with his conclusions on sci-fi inspired by Rome. He misses the point about Christianity in Star Trek's 'Bread and Circuses' and I think his thesis on The Matrix is a stretch, but these are quibbles.
I'm now going to have to look up the movies discussed and re-watch them with a new perspective -- one rooted in actual history.
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- Gilbert M. Stack
- 04-02-22
This Is a Good One
This is the sort of book that puts the “great” in the “Great Courses”. Aldrete looks at more than ten movies focused on Ancient Rome and uses them to teach us little bits of trivia about the ancient republic and empire. Along the way, he also tells us many interesting facts about the making of the movies. Some (most) are blockbusters like Ben Hur, but he goes to the other extreme as well looking at Monty Python’s Life of Brian. Overall, this is just a very fun book.
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2 people found this helpful
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- LJLee
- 08-05-24
Interesting
I always try to rate based on how accurate the description/stated goal is. This is literally a historian taking us through the movies and discussing the historical accuracy and societal reflections of that era. I found it fascinating.
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- Mark
- 02-02-20
A Great Audio Course
Listeners may worry that by choosing the audio format of this course they'll be missing out on some spectacular visuals. After viewing a free sample lecture from this series, I can assure you that audio is all you need. Licensing fees probably made it prohibitively expensive for The Great Courses to include clips (or even stills) in their video, so a professor speaking to the camera is pretty much all you will see.
Whichever version you choose, this is an exceptional course. Professor Aldrete clearly loves these movies and offers much more than a simple rehearsal of what filmmakers got right or wrong. What I enjoyed most were his analyses of how modern politics and social concerns have influenced cinematic depictions of Ancient Rome. He also does a fine job tracing the rise, fall and renaissance of the sword-and-sandals genre from its inception to the present. When I watch these movies again, it will be with a much deeper appreciation and understanding.
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28 people found this helpful
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- Mom-Unit
- 06-28-24
Fascinating evaluations!
The “Battlestar Galactica” theme music starting each chapter, lol! Could use an update chapter as the latest movies mentioned are “the Hunger Games”. Great reader.
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- LMIBroad
- 06-26-20
Please tell me this is the beginning of a series
Very well done. As a film buff with a degree in history, I was hooked. I hope this is the beginning of A Historian goes to the Movies: The Middle Ages, Ancient Egypt, etc.
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14 people found this helpful
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- K. R. Medina
- 06-01-22
one of the best!
I have dozens of Great Courses, but I must say this was one of my favorites.
The combination of history and escapism really made me happy.
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- Loki of Jotunheim
- 03-12-22
Enjoyable, and I don’t even like violent history
I picked this title up because it was a Great Courses series and it was included in Audible Plus’ library. However, it was not exactly my cup of tea to begin with. War and violence are not my favorite topics. I do enjoy social history and I was surprise to find how much of it I found in this lecture. You will learn just as much about how Romans lived as you will about how they fought. For a title I got for free. I am pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed it.
The performance was great and the professor spoke in an engaging tone! However, he was a bit fast for me and I slowed it down so I could understand him better. I do not fault him for this, but it might make the performance a bit harder to follow for some. Just slow it down and you will enjoy it.
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- abnheel
- 11-28-23
Interesting
I like some of the perspectives from a historians view and also back story to how films were made or why certain concepts weren't done a specific way (design, cast, scenes, etc). Good course for anyone a big fan of Rome and portrayal in movies
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- Walter
- 02-04-24
great!
viable for those who want to understand the references of movies but also those who want to deepen their knowledge about the Romans. easy to understand, informative and entertaining.
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