Wilson, Santas publish 'Epic' encyclopedia

Related Media

“The Encyclopedia of Epic Films”

ST. AUGUSTINE, FL (04/16/2014)(readMedia)-- Soon after film came into existence, the term epic was used to describe productions that were lengthy, spectacular, filled with action and often filmed in exotic locales with large casts and staggering budgets.

Many of those films are now catalogued in "The Encyclopedia of Epic Films," co-authored by Flagler College Associate Professor of English James Wilson and Flagler Professor Emeritus Constantine Santas.

The book, which also features Florida State College and former Flagler Professor Maria Colavito and University of Melbourne Professor Djoymi Baker as authors, lists 250 films such as "Gone With the Wind," "The Ten Commandments," "Lawrence of Arabia" and "Avatar."

"The aim of the book is to highlight the epic as a significant film genre, rather than as an empty spectacle, often derided by its critics," said Santas.

Santas and Wilson agreed that one of the most daunting tasks in writing the book was narrowing down the list of films, a process they completed by applying their own working definition of what it means to be an epic film.

"Our definition was that epics are heroic tales of grandeur and spectacle played out upon expansive settings with a strong sense of time and place, frequently of longer than average duration," said Wilson. "Most epics are stories involving action, such as war, racial conflicts, massive migrations, or struggles to survive."

Each entry contains cast and crew lists, awards and nominations, DVD and Blu-ray editions as well as notes and a bibliography.

"The Encyclopedia of Epic Films," is available through the publisher, Rowman & Littlefield, as well as Barnes and Noble and Amazon.com.

___

Flagler College is an independent, four-year, comprehensive baccalaureate college located in St. Augustine, Fla. The college offers 29 majors, 34 minors and two pre-professional programs, the largest majors being business, education and communication. Small by intent, Flagler College has an enrollment of about 2,500 students, as well as a satellite campus at Tallahassee Community College in Tallahassee, Fla. A Flagler education is less than half the cost of similar private colleges, and competitive with many state universities. A relatively young institution (founded in 1968), Flagler College is also noted for its historic beauty. The centerpiece of the campus is the former Hotel Ponce de Leon, a grand resort built in 1888 by Henry M. Flagler, industrialist, railroad pioneer and co-founder of Standard Oil. The Ponce has been designated as a National Historic Landmark. For more on Flagler College, visit www.flagler.edu.