Designs on the Past

The epic glitter and glamour of Hollywood’s Golden Age

In the period 1916-1966, during its so-called Golden Age, Hollywood developed a passion for the ancient world and produced many epic movie blockbusters. The studios used every device they could find to wow audiences with the spectacle of antiquity.

In this unique study, Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones shows how Hollywood carefully and skilfully created the popular modern perception of the ancient world. He analyses how producers, art directors, costumiers, publicity agents, movie stars, and inevitably, ‘a cast of thousands’ literally designed and crafted the ancient world from scratch.

This lively book offers a technical as well as a theoretical guide to a much-neglected area of film studies and reception studies that will appeal to anyone working in these disciplines.

Key Features

• Lavishly illustrated with film stills and examples of rare and fascinating marketing material
• Broad coverage of films including The King of Kings, The Sign of the Cross, Samson and Delilah, Land of the Pharoahs, The Ten Commandments, Ben-Hur, Spartacus and Cleopatra
• Considers different aspects of film production: the Hollywood set, costume design, the role of the movie star, dialogue, narration and music
• Sets a new agenda for exploring the relationship between history and film and between history and visual culture
• Explores the archaeology of stardom examining the onscreen/offscreen images of Elizabeth Taylor, Charlton Heston and Rita Hayworth
• Includes a filmography, chronological outline and study aids