Epic Films

“Epic” films, those concerned with monumental events and larger-than-life characters, cover the period from the Creation to the A.D. 1200s and have been churned out by Hollywood and overseas studios since the dawn of filmmaking. Cecil B. DeMille, a master of the genre, hit upon the perfect mixture of sex, splendor, and the sacred to lure audiences to his epic productions.
The 355 film entries include casts and credits, plot synopsis, and narratives on the making of the films. There are 190 photographs in this editon.

Gary A. Smith is the author of six other books dealing with various aspects of motion picture history. His subjects have ranged from epic films such as Ben-Hur to the Beach Party movies starring Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello. A lifelong film fan, he lives in Palm Springs, California.

Gary Allen Smith
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 320
Bibliographic Info: 190 photos, appendices, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2009 [2004]
pISBN: 978-0-7864-4081-8
eISBN: 978-1-4766-0418-3
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments     vi
Foreword: Choreographing Antiquity (Stephen Papich)     1
Preface     5
Introduction     7
THE FILMS     13
Appendix 1: Related Titles     283
Appendix 2: Epics That Never Were     287
Bibliography     289
Index     291

• “[the author] has done a terrific job bringing all these films together. His comments are perceptive, sometimes funny, always well considered. A third volume would not be a bad thing”—Classic Images
• “this volume provides a good introduction to the mainstream genre…a pleasant addition”—Booklist
• “a faithful record of an important film genre”—Communication Booknotes Quarterly
• “enjoyable…entertaining and browsable…highly recommended”—ARBA
• “informative encyclopedia, crammed with all the expected cast and credit data one could wish for”—Film Review
• “this book delivers the goods all the way”—Little Shoppe of Horrors.