Masters of desire: the (re)erotization of the slave’s body in cinematic and television representations of ancient Rome

Abstract

Abstract The exhibition of the naked and near-naked bodies of enslaved people is a notable feature in cinematic representation of Rome. This article analyses the way in which these bodies are framed erotically and what an examination of this feature can tell us about the cinematic reception of ancient Rome. In this article, particular attention is paid to the erotization of the body of the slave within peplum films. Looking at these bodies allows us to see the gender dynamics at play in these films as well as the way in which cinema figures Rome as place of liberation and sexual licence. It also allows us to interrogate the power dynamics that operate in such systems of representation and explore the way that such films collocate regimes of pleasures with systems of domination and submission.