Soon after film came into existence, the termepic was used to describe productions that were lengthy, spectacular, live with action, and often filmed in exotic locales with large casts and staggering budgets. The effort and extravagance needed to mount an epic film paid off handsomely at the box office, for the genre became an immediate favorite with audiences. Epic films survived the tribulations of two world wars and the Depression and have retained the basic characteristics of size and glamour for more than a hundred years. Length was, and still is, one of the traits of the epic, though monolithic three- to four-hour spectacles likeGone with the Wind (1939) andLawrence of Arabia (1962) have been replaced today by such franchises as the Harry Potter films and theLord of the Rings trilogy. Although the form has evolved during many decades of existence, its central elements have been retained, refined, and modernized to suit the tastes of every new generation.

The Encyclopedia of Epic Films identifies, describes, and analyzes those films that meet the criteria of the epicsweeping drama, panoramic landscapes, lengthy adventure sequences, and, in many cases, casts of thousands. This volume looks at the wide variety of epics produced over the last centuryfrom the silent spectacles of D. W. Griffith and biblical melodramas of Cecil B. DeMille to the historical dramas of David Lean and rollercoaster thrillers of Steven Spielberg. Each entry contains:

Major personnel behind the camera, including directors and screenwritersCast and character listingsPlot summaryAnalysisAcademy Award wins and nominationsDVD and Blu-ray availabilityResources for further study
This volume also includes appendixes of foreign epics, superhero spectaculars, and epics produced for television, along with a list of all the directors in the book. Despite a lack of overall critical recognition and respect as a genre, the epic remains a favorite of audiences, and this book pays homage to a form of mass entertainment that continues to fill movie theaters.The Encyclopedia of Epic Filmswill be of interest to academics and scholars, as well as any fan of films made on a grand scale.

Constantine Santas is professor emeritus at Flagler College (St. Augustine, Florida), where he initiated a program of film studies that continues today. He is the author ofResponding to Film (2002),The Epic in Film (2007), andThe Epic Films of David Lean (Scarecrow Press, 2011).

James M. Wilsonteaches film, American literature, and creative writing at Flagler College. He teaches and writes about film and has published short stories in theSouthwestern Review andPrairie Winds, among others.

Maria Colavitois associate professor of philosophy/humanities at Florida State College at Jacksonville. She is the author of three books, including The Pythagorean Intertext in Ovids Metamorphoses(1989) andThe New Theogony: Mythology for the Real World(1992).

Djoymi Bakerteaches screen studies in the School of Culture and Communication at the University of Melbourne. Her articles have appeared in journals such asPopular Culture Review andSenses of Cinema and in anthologies such asStar Trek as Myth: Essays on Symbol and Archetype at the Final Frontier (2010).

Acknowledgments
Introduction
Films A to Z
Appendix A: Superhero and Franchise Epics
Appendix B: Foreign-Language Epics
Appendix C: Epics Made for Television
Appendix D: Whos Who among Directors and Their Work
Selected Bibliography
Index
About the Authors