Disney’s Hercules – Viewing Journal Questions

1.

How does the film adapt Hercules’ birth and childhood story? Do you believe

these are ‘acceptable’ adaptations?

2.

What do you think of Disney’s depictions of the Greek gods and goddesses?

3.

The scene in which Hercules meets Megara represents a conflation of a number of

Herculean myths – list the various references to the ancient material in this scene

and comment on how this material has been adapted.

Note:

In response to these questions, remember to comment on the points of similarity AND

difference between ancient myth and the film. There should also be consideration of the

intended audience of the film in your answer

Hercules (2014) – Viewing Journal Questions

1.

You have now watched two film adaptations of the Hercules story – in your

opinion, was one more ‘accurate’ to the ancient material than the other? If so,

what made it more ‘accurate’?

2.

Building on your response to Q1, did increased ‘accuracy’ directly lead to a

‘better’ film? (or – to put it another way – was your favourite film of the two the

more accurate one? If so, why? If not, why not?)

3.

How does this film represent the concept of “heroism”? Does this differ from the

Disney conception of Greek heroism? You should consider the intended audience

of both of the films in your answers

Troy (2004) – Viewing Journal Questions

1.

Read the selections of the

Iliad posted in the ‘additional readings’ folder. How

accurately does the film capture these key moments of the narrative?

2

The film drastically condenses the timeline of the events of the Trojan War – in

your opinion, how does this condensed timeline effect our interpretation of the

unfolding events? Do you think this was a ‘good’ or ‘bad’ choice for the

screenplay

Spartacus (1960) – Viewing Journal Questions

There are only two questions this week because they will each require extended

exploration:

1.

The figure of Spartacus is both a gladiator and a slave – in what ways does the

film explore the intersection of these two sides of his character? Remember to

include specific examples of scenes from the film in your analysis.

2.

Do you think the film is a ‘call for revolution’? Or, to put it another way, is the

figure of Spartacus in the movie a ‘revolutionary hero’? You should consider the

historical context of the time of production and support your answer with

examples from the fil