Mythology Retold Through Entertainment Outlets Essay -- Myth Mythology

Mythology Retold Through Entertainment Outlets The world of Art and Architecture has continually provided the tools to communicate many differing concepts or ideas such as political ideologies like socialism to simple folk-tales or intricate narratives. The elements of Greek Art and Architecture and its direct connection to mythology is the main focus of this essay. I will present the comparison of a "new" representation of a Greek Temple used in the set design of, The Clash of the Titans; to the original where its influence is traced to the classic of all Greek Temples, the Parthenon. By illustrating this comparison of new to original, I hope to communicate the idea of how contemporary society has attempted to retell mythology through entertainment outlets. As stated in the introduction, our contemporary or "new" work is the movie titled, The Clash of the Titans, adapted from the book of the same title written by Beverley Cross. This film was released in the year of 1981 as one of many mythological based stories the entertainment industry has gained profit from. The narrative of this film consists of the mythological tale of Perseus as it took place in Greece when immortals and mortals depended upon one another. Here Hollywood retells the tale of the life of Perseus, son of Zeus; selling mythology to the paying viewer. Within the film the set design is based upon the Greece of that time; the High Classical period of Art and Architecture. Argos is the birthplace of Perseus a city later destroyed by the Kraken, the last of the known Titans. It is here our new work is visualized and represented, the scene of tsunamis crashing upon the temples of Doric order and a statue based upon High Classical period of Greek Art and Arch... ...g new ideas, representations, and methods. As time progresses the element of creativity evolves but never separates itself from the history it has grown from. The concept of, "reconfiguration as a new mode of remembering the past is just another idea we utilize to place ourselves in our own temporality (Netzger, 9). Given that chance we allow ourselves to evolve and grow with time and patience, and this in turn affecting our environment as well as other individuals. Works Cited The Clash of the Titans. Dir. Desmond Davis. With Harry Hamlin, Ursula Andress, and Laurence Olivier. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1981. Netzger, Nancy. "Modes of Remembering The Classical Past" Memory and the Middles Ages. Ed. Nancy Netzger and Virginia Reinburg. Boston: Boston College Museum of Art, 1995. Stokstad, Marilyn. Art History: Volume One. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1995.