CLA 230 Classical Myth and Modern Film
This course compares film adaptations of Greco-Roman myths to ancient literary depictions of the same myths. We consider why the myths of classical antiquity have had such a lasting presence in Western cultures, and we examine how understanding the role of myth in the literature, art, and cultures of ancient Greece and Rome can inform our understanding of film as modern myth-making. In addition to analyzing modern adaptations of ancient myths, like Black Orpheus, O Brother Where Art Thou, and Von Trier's Medea, we analyze the myths told in ancient epic and in science fiction and western films, and the myths of Greek tragedy and movies focused on a tragic figure, like Whip Whitaker in the 2012 film, Flight.