I.         The basic cinematic and screen-writing task:  what to concentrate on

II.        Values of the Homeric warrior society:

            a.  competitive; me first; peer approval; tangible recognition
            b.  cooperative; acceptance or defiance of authority (Book 1)
                       - Agamemnon’s thankless job

III.       Blood and guts

             a.  brutality of war; killing scenes (Book 16, e.g. CP pp. 35-36)
                 bring it to the screen?  Cf. Saving Private Ryan vs. earlier D-Day movies;
                 The Passion of the Christ vs. earlier cinematic and artistic versions)
            b.  trash talking (e.g., CP p. 41); info about warrior’s family
            c.  craving for remembrance; no Christian expectations of afterlife

IV.       Achilles’ choice (9.410-416) and personality

            excessive wrath; Unforgiven (Book 9; CP pp. 25-26, 29) 
            excessive grief over Patroclus (feeling guilty?) 
            cruel treatment of Hektor (Book 22, CP pp. 48-49)  
            cryin’ w/Priam (Book 24, CP pp. 58-59)

  V.      Other characters

            a.  a kinder, gentler side: Hektor and Andromache (Book 6)
            b.  Agamemnon as the heavy; his regret (Book 9, CP pp. 22-23)
            c.   the old teacher (Phoinix, Book 9)
            d.  The bane of every [academic] committee: “I was there when . . .” - Nestor

VI.       What is the message of the Iliad?  Can it be brought out in a film version?

  PLEASE BRING THE COURSE PACKET TO CLASS.  Screening of “Troy” Wednesday from 5-7:42 P.M. in MEZ 1.306.