Epic films have large scale, sweeping scope, and spectacle. The term is slightly ambiguous, sometimes designating a filmgenre and at other times simply big-budget films. Likeepics in the classical literary sense, it is often focused on aheroic character. An epic's ambitious nature helps to set it apart from other genres such as theperiod piece oradventure film.
Epic historical films would usually take a historical or a mythical event and add an extravagant setting, lavish costumes, an expansivemusical score, and anensemble cast, which would make them extremely expensive to produce. The most common subjects of epic films are royalty and important figures from various periods in world history.[1]
The term "epic" originally came from the poetic genre exemplified by such works as theEpic of Gilgamesh and the works of theTrojan War Cycle. In classical literature, epics are considered works focused on deeds or journeys of heroes upon which the fate of many people depends. Similarly, films described as "epic" typically take a historical character, or amythic heroic figure. Common subjects of epics areroyalty,gladiators, great military leaders, or leading personalities from various periods in world history. However, there are some films described as "epic" almost solely on the basis of their enormous scope and the sweeping panorama of their settings such asHow the West Was Won orEast of Eden that do not have the typical substance of classical epics but are directed in an epic style.
When described as "epic" because of content, an epic movie is often set during a time of war or other societal crisis, while usually covering a longer span of time sometimes throughout entire generations coming and passing away, in terms of both the events depicted and the running time of the film. Such films usually have a historical setting, althoughspeculative fiction (i.e.fantasy orscience fiction) settings have become common in recent decades. The central conflict of the film is usually seen as having far-reaching effects, often changing the course of history. The main characters' actions are often central to the resolution of the societal conflict.
In its classification of films by genre, theAmerican Film Institute limits the genre to historical films such asBen-Hur. However, film scholars such as Constantine Santas are willing to extend the label to science-fiction films such as2001: A Space Odyssey andStar Wars.[2] Lynn Ramey suggests that "Surely one of the hardest film genres to define is that of the "epic" film, encompassing such examples asBen-Hur,Gone with the Wind and more recently,300 and theStar Wars films [...] none of these comes from literary epicsper se, and there is little that links them with one another. Among those who espouse film genre studies, epic is one of the most despised and ignored genres".[3] Finally, although theAmerican Movie Channel formally defines epic films as historical films, they nonetheless state the epic film may be combined with the genre of science-fiction and citeStar Wars as an example.[4]
Stylistically, films classed as epic usually employ spectacular settings and specially designed costumes, often accompanied by a sweeping musical score, and anensemble cast ofbankable stars. Epics are usually among the most expensive of films to produce. They often use on-location filming, authentic periodcostumes, and action scenes on a massive scale.Biographical films may be less lavish versions of this genre. They often have aRoadshow theatrical release and are often shot on70 mm film.
Many writers may refer to any film that is "long" (over two hours) as an epic, making the definition epic a matter of dispute, and raise questions as to whether it is a "genre" at all. AsRoger Ebert put it, in his "Great Movies" article onLawrence of Arabia:[5]
The wordepic in recent years has become synonymous withbig-budgetB picture. What you realize watchingLawrence of Arabia is that the wordepic refers not to the cost or the elaborate production, but to the size of the ideas and vision. Werner Herzog'sAguirre: The Wrath of God didn't cost as much as the catering inPearl Harbor, but it is an epic, andPearl Harbor is not.
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The epic is among the oldest of film genres, with one early notable example beingGiovanni Pastrone'sCabiria, a two-and-a-half hour[6]silent film about thePunic Wars, which laid the groundwork for the subsequent silent epics ofD. W. Griffith.
The genre reached a peak of popularity in the early 1960s,[7] when Hollywood frequently collaborated with foreign film studios (such as Rome'sCinecittà) to use relatively exotic locations in Spain, Morocco and elsewhere for the production of epic films such asEl Cid (1961) orLawrence of Arabia (1962). Epic films also saw expansions eastwards, where culturally rich Asian nations such asJapan andIndia produced landmark and ambitious historical epics such asSeven Samurai (1954) andMughal-e-Azam (1960), with both movies banking upon the romanticized zeitgeist of their culturally unique historical eras. This boom period of international co-productions is generally considered to have ended withCleopatra (1963),The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964) andDoctor Zhivago (1965). Nevertheless, films in this genre continued to appear, with one notable example beingWar and Peace, which was released in the formerSoviet Union during 1967–1968. Epic films continue to be produced, although since the development of CGI they typically use computer effects instead of an actual cast of thousands. Since the 1950s, such films have regularly been shot with a wideaspect ratio for a more immersive and panoramic theatrical experience.
Epic films were recognized in a montage at the2006 Academy Awards.
The enduring popularity of the epic is often credited to their ability to appeal to a wide audience. Several of thehighest-grossing films of all-time have been epics.James Cameron's 1997 filmTitanic, which is cited as helping to revive the genre, grossed $1.8 billion at cinemas worldwide to become the highest-grossing film—a record it held for twelve years.[8] If inflation is taken into account, then the historical romantic epicGone with the Wind is the highest-grossing film ever, with two other romantic epics (Titanic andDoctor Zhivago) also featuring among the global top ten.[9]
So far the most Academy Awards ever won by a single film stands at eleven. This feat has only been achieved by three films:Ben-Hur (1959),Titanic (1997) andThe Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003), all of which are above three hours long and considered epic films.[citation needed]
