Historic Heroes

2023

The study of ancient heroes in film provides an eminent contribution to our understanding of the present by identifying the upheavals, conflicts, crises and resolution strategies that manifest themselves in heroic figures. This volume approaches heroizations by examining political leadership in heroic narratives and the influence of ancient heroes on the construction of modern (super-)heroes. Studies on the negations of the heroic reveal ambivalence, fluidity and legitimization difficulties of the examined figures. Contributions on narrativization and aesthetics address didactic potentials, genre influences, intermedial references and the possible future of (de)heroization in cinematic antiquity.

"Classical Heroes in the 21st Century: New Perspectives on Contemporary Cinematic Narratives of Antiquity", ed. M. Linder and N. Steffensen, in the Helden - Heroisierungen - Heroismen series by the Ergon Verlag, Baden-Baden, 2023

Audiences' expectations of how a hero should behave are shaped by how the hero measures up against characters coded as villainous. This chapter examines the interdependence of these two concepts with reference to two screen case studies with direct and indirect connections to the Trojan War as an archetype for all wars. Juxtaposing William Scofield, the accidental hero of the World War I movie 1917 (DreamWorks Pictures, 2019) with the villainous Ajax in Troy: Fall of a City (BBC/Netflix, 2018) allows us to reflect on how radically the labels of hero and villain have been recalibrated in the second decade of the new millennium. What has not changed, however, is the ongoing role that ancient Greek literature, characters, and themes play in such conversations in our popular culture.

International Journal of Criminology and Sociology,, 2013

Today we see an increase in the usage of the term hero. Especially in the media, the term is applied not only to those who do specific heroic deeds but to entire professions, e.g., the military. In this paper, we analyze the media's social construction of military heroes with respect to four individuals, two fictional characters and two real people. We argue that four themes are essential to the construction of the military hero whether for fictional or real people: a biography; strength of purpose; gender; and the reinforcement of national values. Once constructed in the media, the hero often contributes to political ends by reinforcing national values. More specifically, in their construction military heroes reflect and reproduce ideologies that legitimate the state and its military aggressiveness.

5. Aegean Congress/Social Sciences-Congre book , 2022

The relationship between cinema and reality can be examined in three subgroups. These are 'the movies that claim that the events and main characters in the movie were real', 'films deal with stories attached to reality' and 'films unpretentious about being real'. As an interesting fact, , Wolfgang Petersen's 2004 film "Troy" doesn't fit in any of these three options! It's because "Troy", which is based on one of the 'mythological' stories that reveal that they are not real with the surreal elements they contain, was presented to the audience in the Classic Epic format, purified from the gods, miracles and extraordinary powers, as an exceptional case. The main element that arouses curiosity in the audience of Epic Films is the reality of the events and characters shown in these movies. However, "how many movie protagonists were for real? The reason for this confusing argument is that historical movies being more associated with reality by the audience than movies set today. In Epic Films, the expectation about reality is whether the visual elements such as decor, costume, and production design fit the era they convey, as well as fidelity to the text.

The Reception of Ancient Virtues and Vices in Modern Popular Culture, 2017

The following is not intended as a review per se of Wolfgang Petersen's Troy. Rather, it seeks to examine some of the issues arising out of one of the most-discussed aspects, the changes made from the 'canon' of Greek mythology. I expected, from advance information, to spend the entirety of the film in open-mouthed shock at what had been done. I didn't.

INAC, 2023

Helen of Troy and Alexander a COMPARISON

2019

From antiquity to the present time, “from Achilles to Zidane” (so the title of a recent exhibition; Faliu/Tourett),1 heroes have represented key elements of the cultural imaginary and the symbolic knowledge system of communities with remarkable persistence. The heroic plays a role in the understanding of cultural systems of meaning both in their longue durée and in their specific historical, social, and cultural manifestations and conditions. Recently, it has often been claimed that, after the disastrous two world wars, a ‘post-heroic’ age has begun, especially in Western European societies, and most prominently in Germany.2 In current discussions, scepticism towards and even a rejection of heroism predominate (Bohrer et al.); at the same time, the need for heroic leaders seems to persist, sometimes emerges anew, and is often taken for granted.3 But how can we explain these concurrent positions? “Whenever ‘heroes’ are admired, the question arises of ‘who is this needed by, and why’”...

Based on Ulrich Bröckling’s typology of the heroic, this article examines representations of Antonius in cinema and television. Is Antonius a hero who loses this status over the course of the plot, or is he an anti-hero from the beginning? What is the relationship between his cinematic characterisation and his portrayal in historical records? Does the cultural assessment of a film character change over time? Related to these points is the observation that the changing expectations towards heroes over time (can) also lead to different interpretations of the role of Antony.