virtual workshop on the making and impact of Spartacus film.

Spartacus @ 60

A Virtual Conference

21 December 2020

Organised by Nathan Abrams (Bangor University), James Fenwick (Sheffield

Hallam University) and Elisa Pezzotta (Bergamo University).

To mark sixty years since the release of Spartacus, this virtual

workshop will consider the making and impact of this crucial film.

Spartacus has left an indelible mark on our popular culture and is

considered to be one of the best of its genre. But its exact position

with Stanley Kubrick's oeuvre has been misunderstood with some critics

and academics excluding it from his canon. Consequently, it has not been

subjected to the same scrutiny from a wide variety of disciplines and

methodological perspectives as his other films. This workshop proposes

to bring together scholars and fans from diverse disciplinary

backgrounds to explore Spartacus sixty years since its release, discuss

its impact and consider its position within Kubrick's oeuvre and the

wider visual and socio-political culture.

Possible angles might include:

Spartacus -- origins, influences, production, aesthetics, publicity,

reception, afterlife, legacy

Where does Spartacus sit in Kubrick's oeuvre?

Where does Spartacus sit in Kirk Douglas' oeuvre?

Kirk Douglas as producer

What is the cultural/film-making legacy of Spartacus?

What is the position of Spartacus within the wider visual culture?

Spartacus and parenthood

Spartacus and women

Spartacus and race, ethnicity and otherness

Spartacus and the Cold War

Spartacus and the Hollywood blacklist

Spartacus as epic

Spartacus, audiences, fandom and 'cult'

How to research Spartacus during the lockdown?

The legacy of a piece of dialogue: 'I'm Spartacus'.

Spartacus and history

Paratexts e.g. Dell comic books

Queer Spartacus

Is /Spartacus/ a Kubrick film?

To submit an abstract, please complete the following form

by

October 1st, 2020. Early submissions are encouraged.

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=VUxHxiOpKk2b1OzjcUjbstEPib22iEFNqYWVn2LmcVpUNFZPQTFBVU8xRThPTzlCNDFBUVZYNU43TC4u> by