HIS 111: World Civilization I

King Leonidas and a force of 300 men fight the Persians at Thermopylae in 480 B.C. Adaptation of a graphic novel of the same title by Frank Miller. Rated R.

Greek general Themistokles attempts to unite all of Greece by leading the charge that will change the course of the war. He's pitted against the massive invading Persian forces led by mortal-turned-god Xerxes, and Artemesia, vengeful commander of the Persian navy. Rated R.

In the 5th-century B.C., King Leonidas of Sparta has only his 300 bodyguards to stand with him against an invasion by the 60,000 men of the Persian army. Their heroic stand against the invasion gives the other Greek city-states time to organize a large fighting force and ultimately defeat the Persians. Not Rated.

Based on the life of William Wilberforce--his passion and perseverance to pass a law ending the slave trade in the late 18th Century--and the people, including his minister, who pushed him to pursue it to the end.

Alexander, the King of Macedonia and one of the greatest military leaders in the history of warfare, conquers much of the known world.

As the Mayan kingdom faces its decline, the rulers insist the key to prosperity is to build more temples and offer human sacrifices. Jaguar Paw, a young man captured for sacrifice, flees to avoid his fate. In Mayan with English subtitles. Rated R.

During the waning days of Roman Empire, the barbarian Huns are making their way toward Europe. A warrior named Attila violently assumes Hun leadership and unites the warring clans under his banner. But this is not enough for him, Attila seeks to form an empire, and he sees Rome, bristling under the leadership of the incompetent Caesar Valentinian , ripe for the picking.

When a Jewish prince is betrayed and sent into slavery by a Roman friend, he regains his freedom and comes back for revenge. Not Rated. Best Picture-1959.

Set during the time of the first outbreak of bubonic plague in England, a young monk is given the task of learning the truth about reports of people being brought back to life in a small village. Rated R.

William Wallace is a bold Scotsman who used the steel of his blade and the fire of his intellect to rally his countrymen to liberation. Rated R. Best Picture-1995.

The triumphs and tragedy of the Egyptian queen, Cleopatra.

A splinter group of Roman soldiers fight for their lives behind enemy lines after their legion is decimated in a devastating guerrilla attack. Rated R.

The fabled Spanish hero Rodrigo Diaz (a.k.a. El Cid) overcomes a family vendetta and court intrigue to defend Christian Spain against the Moors. Not Rated.

A film of the early years of the reign of Elizabeth I of England and her difficult task of learning what is necessary to be a monarch. Rated R.

A mature Queen Elizabeth endures multiple crises late in her reign including court intrigues, an assassination plot, the Spanish Armada, and romantic disappointments. Rated PG-13.

When a Roman general is betrayed and his family murdered by an emperor's corrupt son, he comes to Rome as a gladiator to seek revenge. Rated R. Best Picture-2000.

Fueled by vengeance, General Hannibal drives his cavalry of elephants through the treacherous Alps into Italy, crushing anyone who dared to oppose him. To break the morale of his enemies, Hannibal captures the beautiful Sylvia of Rome so she can spread the news of impending doom to her people.

A re-telling of the classic tale of power and corruption, moved by the passions and desires of towering personalities. Aphrodite promises the most beautiful woman in the world to Paris, Prince of Troy, but alas, Helen is already married to Menelaus King of Sparta, brother of Agamemnon. When she escapes to Troy with Paris, Menelaus rallies the kings of Greece to attack Troy.

One man defeated three assassins who sought to murder the most powerful warlord in pre-unified China. Starring Jet Li. In Chinese with English subtitles.

A knight seeks to free the captive King Richard and put him back on the throne. Not Rated.

An adaptation of the classic Shakespeare play, chronicling the events around the assassination of Julius Caesar. Not Rated.

Balian of Ibelin travels to Jerusalem during the crusades of the 12th century, and there he finds himself as the defender of the city and its people. Rated R.

During the early 16th Century idealistic German monk Martin Luther, disgusted by the materialism in the church, begins the dialogue that will lead to the Protestant Reformation.

Henry VIII wants to divorce his wife, and seeks the approval of the aristocracy. Sir Thomas More is a man of principle and reason, and is thus placed in a difficult position: should he stand up for his principles, risking the wrath of a corrupt King fond of executing people for treason? Or should he bow to the seemingly unstoppable corruption of Henry VIII, who has no qualms about bending the law to suit his own needs?

In the first century A.D., Flavius Silva, commander of the Roman Tenth Legion in Palestine, leads his forces in combat against the remaining Jewish Zealots who have taken refuge in the seemingly impregnable fortress of Masada. There, the engineering and military might of Rome faces the passion and ingenuity of Eleazer ben Yair and his people. 2 video discs.

A young girl receives a vision that drives her to rid France of its oppressors.

The story recounts the early life of Genghis Khan who was a slave before going on to conquer half the world including Russia in 1206. Rated R. In Mongolian with English subtitles.

A slave-turned-gladiator finds himself in a race against time to save his true love, who has been betrothed to a corrupt Roman Senator. As Mount Vesuvius erupts, he must fight to save his beloved as Pompeii crumbles around him. Rated PG-13.

A historical drama based on a legendary 208 A.D. battle that heralded the end of the Han Dynasty.

In 13th century England, Robin and his band of marauders confront corruption in a local village and lead an uprising against the crown that will forever alter the balance of world power. Rated PG-13.

The slave Spartacus leads a violent revolt against the decadent Roman Republic. Starring Kirk Douglas.

After he is bought by the owner of a Roman gladiator school and trained as an gladiator A slave leads a rebellion of slaves and gladiators into revolt against Rome.

For sheer pageantry and spectacle few motion pictures can claim to equal the splendor of Cecil B. DeMille's 1956 remake of his epic The Ten Commandments. Filmed in Egypt and the Sinai with one of the biggest sets ever constructed for a motion picture this version tells the story of the life of Moses (Charlton Heston). Once favored in the Pharaoh's (Yul Brynner) household Moses turned his back on a privileged life to lead his people to freedom.

An adaptation of Homer's great epic, the film follows the assault on Troy by the united Greek forces and chronicles the fates of the men involved.