epic genre

8/10/2019 Epic Genre

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Film Appreciation and Analysis

:Epic Genre


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DEFINITION

Epicnoun:A long film, book or other work portraying heroic deeds

and adventures or covering an extended period of time.example: A Hol lywood bib l ica l epic / A Big Hol lywood epic

adject ives: Relating to or characteristics of an epic or epics.

Heroic or grand in scale or character.

example: our nat ional epic po em Beowul f / h is epic journey aroundthe wor ld

Genrenoun: A style or category of art, music and literature

example: the spy thr i l ler is a very masc ul ine genre


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EPIC FILMS

Epic Filmsis a sty le of f i lm-makingwith large scale, sweeping scopeand spectacle, often transpo rt ing the viewerto other settings.

As Roger Ebert (no table f i lm cr i t ic) and others have noted, the usage of

the term has changed overtime and still debatable to this day.According to an article titledWhat Makes A Film Epic by RandallWallace from the Directors Guild of America,

Epic has nothing to do with the size of the cast, the budget or any other

physical aspects of the produ ct ion . Epic scale is a measure of the scop eof a character's inner journey.

But people in general today , defines Epic Films as a grand scope of

actions and special effects sequence that are displayed in the film.


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CHARACTERISTICS

The term "epic" originally came from the poetic genre. In classicalliterature, epics are cons idered w orks focus ed on deedsorjourney s o fheroes upon which the fate of a large number of p eople depend.

films described as "epic" typically take a histor ical character, or a mythicheroic f igu re.

Common subjects of epics:

royalty

gladiators

great military leaders

leading personalities from various periods in world history


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CHARACTERISTICS

There are some films described as "epic" almost so lely on thebasis of the ir enormou s sc ope and the sweeping panoramaof their settings.

Fantasy or Science-Fict ion settings have become common inrecent decades.

The central conflict of the film is usually seen as having far-reaching effects, often chang ing the cours e of history.

The main characters' actions are often central to the resolu t ionof th e societal con f l ic t .


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CHARACTERISTICS

Many writers may refer to any film that is "long" (over twohours) as an epic,causing a dispute about its definition andraise questions as to whether it is a "genre" at all.

As Roger Ebert put it, in his "Great Movies" article on Lawrenceof Arabia:

The wo rd epic in recent years has become synonymous with bigbud get B p icture. What you real ize watching Lawrence of Arabia is thatthe word epic refers not to the cost or the elaborate prod uct ion, but tothe size of the ideas and visio n. Werner Herzog 's Agu irre: The Wrath ofGod d idn' t cos t as much as the cater ing in Pear l Harbor, but i t is an

epic, and Pearl Harbor is no t.


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CHARACTERISTIC

According to the American Film Institute, it limits the genre tohistorical films such as Ben-Hur

Some film scholars have willingly extended the label to science-fiction films such as 2001: A Space Odyssey

Nickolas Haydock suggests that

" Surely o ne of the hardest f i lm genres to def ine is that of the "epic" f i lm,encom passing such examp les as Ben-Hur, Gone w ith the Wind ....and m orerecent ly, 300 and th e Star Wars f i lms ...no ne o f these comes from li terary

epics p er se, and there is l i t t le that l inks th em w ith one another. Am ong those

who espou se f ilm genre studies, epic is one of the most despised andignored genres Finally, al though the Am erican Movie Channel formal lydef ines epic f i lms as histor ical f i lms, they non etheless s tate the epic f i lm

may b e combined w ith the genre of science-f ic t ion and c i te Star Wars as anexample.


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LOCAL EPIC FILMS (MALAYSIA)

Dated back to 1968, Raja Bersiong was oneof the f irs t histor ical epic f i lm p resentedin co lour.

It was adapted based on a story by former

Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman

The film was directed by Jamil Sulong, whohad previously directed Batu Belah BatuBertangkup and Si Tanggang.

Raja Bersiong cost an estimated of RM750,000 , ten t imes the co st of an averageMalay f i lm back then. However, it was aflop at the box-office.


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LOCAL EPIC FILMS (MALAYSIA)

Puteri Gunung Ledang, Malaysias most

expensive film, is a perfect example of an

epic fantasy period film. It sets in the

Sultanate of Malacca and the Javanese

Kingdom of Majapahit.

The film was directed masterfully by Saw

Teong Hin, who had captured the essence

of the love story between the Javanese

Hindu Princess, Gusti Puteri and HangTuah, the famed Malay Muslim warrior from

Melaka.

It was the first big-budget Malay film that had

cost over USD $4 million (RM16.6 Million)


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LOCAL EPIC FILMS

Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa is an epic actionfilm loosely based on the 16thcenturydocument.

The film tells the story of MerongMahawangsa, who escorts Prince Marcus

Carprenius of the Roman Empire toLangkasuka to marry Princess Meng LiHua from the Han Dynasty of China, thusuni t ing the two pow ers of east and west .

The film is directed, co-written & co-producedby Yusry Abdul Halim (KRU Studios)

It is the second most expensive film evermade in Malaysia, cost around RM 8 Million

and but it fell short at the box office withonly RM 6.5 Million


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INTERNATIONAL EPIC FILMS (US)

Gone With The Wind is a 1939 American epichistorical romance adapted from the 1936Pulitzer-Winning Novel, written byMargaret Mitchell.

Set against the backdrop of the AmericanCivil War and Reconstruction era, thestory is told from the perspective of whiteSoutherners.

The film had an estimated budget of USD$3.85 Million and had earned over USD$390 Million.


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INTERNATIONAL EPIC FILMS (US/UK)

Gladiator is a 2000 American-British epichistorical drama, directed by RidleyScott, previously directed Alien (1979)and Blade Runner (1982).

The film tells the story of a fictionalcharacter portrayed by Russel Crowe,a loyal Roman general MaximusDecimus Meridius, who is betrayedwhen the emperor Marcus Aurelius's

ambitious son, Commodus, murdershis father and seizes the throne.

The film had cost over USD $103 Millionand had earned USD $ 457,640,427 inthe box office.


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INTERNATIONAL EPIC FILMS (SPAIN)

Pans Labyrinth 2006 Mexican-Spanish darkfantasy film, written and directed byGuillermo del Toro.(Pacif ic Rim , Hellboy)

The films narrative intertwines the real world

with a mythical world centered around anovergrown abandoned labyrinth and amysterious faun creature, with which themain character, Ofelia, interacts

Many critics have labeled the film as The

Darker Version of Alice in Wonderland

The films budget had estimated up to USD $19Million has earned over USD $83,258,226Million


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INTERNATIONAL EPIC FILMS (CHINA)

Red Cliff is a Chinese epic war film from 2008-2009, based on the Battle of Red Cliffs(208209 AD) and the events at the end ofthe Han Dynasty and immediately prior tothe Three Kingdoms period in ancientChina.

The film is directed by John Woo (MissionImpossible II) and was released in twoparts totaling over four hours in length.

With an estimated budget of US$80 million,Red Cliff is the most expensive Asian-financed film to date.

The budget of the film was over USD$80,000,000 and had earned over USD

$248,308,17 at the box-office.


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REFERENCE

http://www.filmsite.org/epicsfilms.html

http://www.dga.org/Craft/DGAQ/All-Articles/0309-Sept-2003/What-Makes-a-Film-an-Epic.aspx

http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/

http://www.impawards.com/index.html
http://www.filmsite.org/epicsfilms.htmlhttp://www.dga.org/Craft/DGAQ/All-Articles/0309-Sept-2003/What-Makes-a-Film-an-Epic.aspxhttp://www.dga.org/Craft/DGAQ/All-Articles/0309-Sept-2003/What-Makes-a-Film-an-Epic.aspxhttp://www.oxforddictionaries.com/http://www.impawards.com/index.htmlhttp://www.impawards.com/index.htmlhttp://www.impawards.com/index.htmlhttp://www.impawards.com/index.htmlhttp://www.impawards.com/index.htmlhttp://www.oxforddictionaries.com/http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/http://www.dga.org/Craft/DGAQ/All-Articles/0309-Sept-2003/What-Makes-a-Film-an-Epic.aspxhttp://www.dga.org/Craft/DGAQ/All-Articles/0309-Sept-2003/What-Makes-a-Film-an-Epic.aspxhttp://www.dga.org/Craft/DGAQ/All-Articles/0309-Sept-2003/What-Makes-a-Film-an-Epic.aspxhttp://www.dga.org/Craft/DGAQ/All-Articles/0309-Sept-2003/What-Makes-a-Film-an-Epic.aspxhttp://www.dga.org/Craft/DGAQ/All-Articles/0309-Sept-2003/What-Makes-a-Film-an-Epic.aspxhttp://www.dga.org/Craft/DGAQ/All-Articles/0309-Sept-2003/What-Makes-a-Film-an-Epic.aspxhttp://www.dga.org/Craft/DGAQ/All-Articles/0309-Sept-2003/What-Makes-a-Film-an-Epic.aspxhttp://www.dga.org/Craft/DGAQ/All-Articles/0309-Sept-2003/What-Makes-a-Film-an-Epic.aspxhttp://www.dga.org/Craft/DGAQ/All-Articles/0309-Sept-2003/What-Makes-a-Film-an-Epic.aspxhttp://www.dga.org/Craft/DGAQ/All-Articles/0309-Sept-2003/What-Makes-a-Film-an-Epic.aspxhttp://www.dga.org/Craft/DGAQ/All-Articles/0309-Sept-2003/What-Makes-a-Film-an-Epic.aspxhttp://www.dga.org/Craft/DGAQ/All-Articles/0309-Sept-2003/What-Makes-a-Film-an-Epic.aspxhttp://www.dga.org/Craft/DGAQ/All-Articles/0309-Sept-2003/What-Makes-a-Film-an-Epic.aspxhttp://www.dga.org/Craft/DGAQ/All-Articles/0309-Sept-2003/What-Makes-a-Film-an-Epic.aspxhttp://www.dga.org/Craft/DGAQ/All-Articles/0309-Sept-2003/What-Makes-a-Film-an-Epic.aspxhttp://www.dga.org/Craft/DGAQ/All-Articles/0309-Sept-2003/What-Makes-a-Film-an-Epic.aspxhttp://www.dga.org/Craft/DGAQ/All-Articles/0309-Sept-2003/What-Makes-a-Film-an-Epic.aspxhttp://www.filmsite.org/epicsfilms.html

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