Techno-euphoria and the world-improving dream: Gladiator
In this essay, I explore the potential of the epic genre as a form of transnational cinema, and reconsider its traditional role as a vehicle of national ideology and aspirations. I suggest that the contemporary historical epic conveys a sense of double-voicing by adapting epic themes usually associa...
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Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina
2006-04-01
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Series: | Ilha do Desterro |
Online Access: | https://periodicos.ufsc.br/index.php/desterro/article/view/1489 |
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doaj-d6ed254bf39a4544a6c27ea159ed68052020-11-25T01:36:33ZengUniversidade Federal de Santa CatarinaIlha do Desterro 0101-48462175-80262006-04-0105110913010.5007/2175-8026.2006n51p1091360Techno-euphoria and the world-improving dream: GladiatorRobert Burgoyne0Wayne State UniversityIn this essay, I explore the potential of the epic genre as a form of transnational cinema, and reconsider its traditional role as a vehicle of national ideology and aspirations. I suggest that the contemporary historical epic conveys a sense of double-voicing by adapting epic themes usually associated with national narratives to collectivities that are not framed by nation. Reading the epic alongside the work of Giorgio Agamben, I draw particular attention to the ways that the contemporary epic foregrounds the potential of “bare life” as a form of historical agency, emphasizing the emergence of the multitude and the mongrel community. I also consider the particular formal characteristics of the epic film—its design-intensive mise-en-scène, its use of spectacle and its style of sensory expansiveness—as producing an affective and emotional relation to the historical past, creating a fullness of engagement and amplitude of consciousness.https://periodicos.ufsc.br/index.php/desterro/article/view/1489 |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Robert Burgoyne |
spellingShingle |
Robert Burgoyne Techno-euphoria and the world-improving dream: Gladiator Ilha do Desterro |
author_facet |
Robert Burgoyne |
author_sort |
Robert Burgoyne |
title |
Techno-euphoria and the world-improving dream: Gladiator |
title_short |
Techno-euphoria and the world-improving dream: Gladiator |
title_full |
Techno-euphoria and the world-improving dream: Gladiator |
title_fullStr |
Techno-euphoria and the world-improving dream: Gladiator |
title_full_unstemmed |
Techno-euphoria and the world-improving dream: Gladiator |
title_sort |
techno-euphoria and the world-improving dream: gladiator |
publisher |
Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina |
series |
Ilha do Desterro |
issn |
0101-4846 2175-8026 |
publishDate |
2006-04-01 |
description |
In this essay, I explore the potential of the epic genre as a form of transnational cinema, and reconsider its traditional role as a vehicle of national ideology and aspirations. I suggest that the contemporary historical epic conveys a sense of double-voicing by adapting epic themes usually associated with national narratives to collectivities that are not framed by nation. Reading the epic alongside the work of Giorgio Agamben, I draw particular attention to the ways that the contemporary epic foregrounds the potential of “bare life” as a form of historical agency, emphasizing the emergence of the multitude and the mongrel community. I also consider the particular formal characteristics of the epic film—its design-intensive mise-en-scène, its use of spectacle and its style of sensory expansiveness—as producing an affective and emotional relation to the historical past, creating a fullness of engagement and amplitude of consciousness. |
url |
https://periodicos.ufsc.br/index.php/desterro/article/view/1489 |
work_keys_str_mv |
AT robertburgoyne technoeuphoriaandtheworldimprovingdreamgladiator |
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