by Kaleem Hasan
To not know what happened before one was born is to always remain a child – Cicero.
I am always happy to see a Hollywood movie emerge on the classical world even if the results are less than one would ideally hope for. The West cannot be understood without the Greek and Roman heritage. At the present monent, our entire globe is, in a way, western. Therefore the world becomes incomprehensible without an adequate engagement with this ancient past. To the extent that when Hollywood movies attempt such subjects there is always the possibility that people will get interested in the subject and look to other avenues for further explorations in this regard. In this way these Hollywood attempts provide a valuable service even if the films in question are considered intrinsically poor. (more…)