Screening Roman Britain

This book is the first systematic study examining depictions of Roman Britain in fictional film and television, exploring the varying interpretations of the rich history and myths that emerge from the clash of cultures between Romans and Britons. The book proceeds chronologically through four hundred years of Roman occupation, starting with the Claudian invasion in ad 43 as featured in the television drama Britannia, before examining numerous works on Boudica's rebellion (Warrior Queen; Boudica: Warrior Queen and Boudica: Queen of War). It then investigates the period of settlement and Northern conflicts in the second century ad as reflected in the comedy show Chelmsford 123 and the recent films Centurion and The Eagle. The final chapter considers Rome's influence on the most enduring of British myths - Arthurian legend - as illustrated in films like King Arthur, The Last Legion, Arthur & Merlin: Knights of Camelot and other recent works. On its route through history, the book examines how these works have interwoven contemporary concerns into their ancient worlds. As the book demonstrates, Roman Britain has left lasting traces in our culture. Exploring its representation on screen offers valuable insights into these traces and addresses questions about national identity, colonialism, multiculturalism and the mythologising of history. This volume provides a fascinating study of Roman Britain on screen, of interest to students and scholars of classical reception, film and television, and history, as well as those with an interest in representation and the cultural significance and contemporary relevance of early colonial narratives.

Sylvie Magerstädt is a senior lecturer in film studies at the University of Notre Dame Australia. Her work sits at the intersection of ancient history, philosophy and film studies, with a particular interest in mythology and culture.

List of Figures ix Acknowledgements x 1 Forests, furs and Celtomania - introducing Roman Britain on screen 1 2 Trees and nightmares - Romano-British encounters on the eve of invasion 17 2.1 Tribes at war versus Pax Romana - the complex politics of collaboration and resistance in Britannia (2017-21) 22 2.2 Britannia's druids as sages and savages 34 2.3 From multiculturalism to monotheism - the spectrum of religious ideas in Britannia 39 3 Freedom fighter or terrorist - Boudica as controversial British icon 53 3.1 Between mother and war leader - Boudica's reluctant rise to fame in ITV's Warrior Queen (1978) 62 3.2 British identity in the modern imagination in Boudica: Warrior Queen (2003) 72 3.3 The making of a (failed) heroine in Boudica: Rise of the Warrior Queen (2019) and Boudica: Queen of War (2023) 82 4 A tale of two parts - Roman Britain between assimilation and resistance 97 4.1 Settling the south - colonial discourses in Chelmsford 123 (1988-90) 104 4.2 The troubled northern frontier in Centurion (2010) 115 4.3 Friends and foes in The Eagle (2011) 130 5 Historicising the myth - Roman traces in Arthurian legends 149 5.1 The Roman Arthur or Pelagius against the Church of Rome in King Arthur (2004) 156 5.2 The last of the Romans - Arthurian ancestry in The Last Legion (2007) 171 5.3 Roman traces across Arthurian screens: Kaamelott (2004-9), Arthur & Merlin: Knights of Camelot (2020) and The Winter King (2023) 179 Epilogue: Roman history, myth and fictions in British screen culture 190 The cultural trajectory of Roman Britain in literature, film and television 195 Index 198