The Anabasis in Paramount’s Promotion of The Warriors (1979): From the Gang Streets to The New York Times
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Abstract
In 1978-1979 the American film director Walter Hill shot The Warriors, an adaptation of Sol Yurick’s eponymous novel, which was in turn inspired by Xenophon’s Anabasis. Classicists have fruitfully examined Hill’s The Warriors in relation to Yurick’s novel and the Anabasis. Given this research, this paper examines an aspect of the film that has not hitherto been explored: its promotion by its production company, none other than Paramount Pictures. Specifically, the paper asks the questions: to what extent did Paramount connect the film to the Anabasis? What were the goals of its promotional strategy? To answer these questions, the paper utilises information from the American trade film press and other primary sources of the late 1970s and early 1980s (reviews, trailers and ads).
Abstract
In 1978-1979 the American film director Walter Hill shot The Warriors, an adaptation of Sol Yurick’s eponymous novel, which was in turn inspired by Xenophon’s Anabasis. Classicists have fruitfully examined Hill’s The Warriors in relation to Yurick’s novel and the Anabasis. Given this research, this paper examines an aspect of the film that has not hitherto been explored: its promotion by its production company, none other than Paramount Pictures. Specifically, the paper asks the questions: to what extent did Paramount connect the film to the Anabasis? What were the goals of its promotional strategy? To answer these questions, the paper utilises information from the American trade film press and other primary sources of the late 1970s and early 1980s (reviews, trailers and ads).
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Frontmatter I
- Acknowledgements VII
- Contents IX
- Abbreviations XIII
- List of Figures XV
- Introduction 1
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Part I: New Readings of Xenophon’s Anabasis
- Starting and Restarting the Anabasis 13
- Killing the King: Cyrus’ Attack on his Brother in Anabasis, and its Reception in Cyropaedia 43
- Xenophon’s Moral Luck: Crisis and Leadership Opportunity in Anabasis 3 63
- The Reception and Interpretation of Xenophon’s Discussion with Socrates in the Anabasis (3.1.4–8) 85
- From the Tigris to the Sea: The Problematic Geography of Anabasis Book 4 105
- A Universalist Moral Compass: Depicting Greeks and Foreigners in Anabasis 5 and 6 131
- Xenophon’s Woes in Thrace: The Very Model of a Modern Mercenary Commander? 157
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Part II: Themes in Xenophon’s Anabasis
- Friendship (φιλία) in Xenophon’s Anabasis 183
- Beyond Xenophon: Other Speakers in Xenophon’s Anabasis 205
- Rumour and Misrepresentation in Xenophon’s Anabasis 233
- Emotions and Narrative in Xenophon’s Anabasis: Leaders Handling Negative Emotions 257
- The Human Body in Xenophon’s Anabasis 287
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Part III: The Reception of Xenophon’s Anabasis from Antiquity to Modern Times
- Anabasis as Monument: Arrian, Xenophontic Space, and Literary Authority 311
- Xenophon and Arrian: Aspects of Leadership in their Anabases 329
- The Anabases of Chariton’s Callirhoe and Heliodorus’ Charicleia 345
- The Siren’s Song: Xenophon’s Anabasis in Byzantium 367
- The Reception of Xenophon’s Anabasis in the 15th and 16th Centuries 395
- The Anabasis Illustrated 423
- Voltaire: Questions on the Anabasis 455
- Scillus and After: The Historian’s Retreat from Xenophon to Toynbee 477
- The Anabasis in Paramount’s Promotion of The Warriors (1979): From the Gang Streets to The New York Times 499
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Envoi
- Teaching the Anabasis in the Twenty-First Century: Challenges and Prospects 523
- List of Contributors 531
- General Index 535
- Index of Key Passages 547
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Frontmatter I
- Acknowledgements VII
- Contents IX
- Abbreviations XIII
- List of Figures XV
- Introduction 1
-
Part I: New Readings of Xenophon’s Anabasis
- Starting and Restarting the Anabasis 13
- Killing the King: Cyrus’ Attack on his Brother in Anabasis, and its Reception in Cyropaedia 43
- Xenophon’s Moral Luck: Crisis and Leadership Opportunity in Anabasis 3 63
- The Reception and Interpretation of Xenophon’s Discussion with Socrates in the Anabasis (3.1.4–8) 85
- From the Tigris to the Sea: The Problematic Geography of Anabasis Book 4 105
- A Universalist Moral Compass: Depicting Greeks and Foreigners in Anabasis 5 and 6 131
- Xenophon’s Woes in Thrace: The Very Model of a Modern Mercenary Commander? 157
-
Part II: Themes in Xenophon’s Anabasis
- Friendship (φιλία) in Xenophon’s Anabasis 183
- Beyond Xenophon: Other Speakers in Xenophon’s Anabasis 205
- Rumour and Misrepresentation in Xenophon’s Anabasis 233
- Emotions and Narrative in Xenophon’s Anabasis: Leaders Handling Negative Emotions 257
- The Human Body in Xenophon’s Anabasis 287
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Part III: The Reception of Xenophon’s Anabasis from Antiquity to Modern Times
- Anabasis as Monument: Arrian, Xenophontic Space, and Literary Authority 311
- Xenophon and Arrian: Aspects of Leadership in their Anabases 329
- The Anabases of Chariton’s Callirhoe and Heliodorus’ Charicleia 345
- The Siren’s Song: Xenophon’s Anabasis in Byzantium 367
- The Reception of Xenophon’s Anabasis in the 15th and 16th Centuries 395
- The Anabasis Illustrated 423
- Voltaire: Questions on the Anabasis 455
- Scillus and After: The Historian’s Retreat from Xenophon to Toynbee 477
- The Anabasis in Paramount’s Promotion of The Warriors (1979): From the Gang Streets to The New York Times 499
-
Envoi
- Teaching the Anabasis in the Twenty-First Century: Challenges and Prospects 523
- List of Contributors 531
- General Index 535
- Index of Key Passages 547
