UW historian compares history to Hollywood
Gregory Aldrete will present “History of Hollywood: Ben-Hur and Gladiator” at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 25.
Hosted by Winchester Academy, this virtual program will be broadcast on WILW 96.3 FM or viewed on WIN-TV, Spectrum Cable Channel 991, Winchester Academy Facebook page, or YouTube live stream. Viewers can visit the webpage www.winchesterwaupaca.org for a link to the program.
Viewer gatherings will also be open to the public at Danes Hall Granite Cellar at 301 N. Main St. in Waupaca.
Audience members may submit questions to the speaker via Facebook or by phoning 715-942-9917 during the program.
Gregory Aldrete is professor emeritus of history and humanistic studies at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. He has contributed six educational video courses to The Great Courses series and is an award-winning teacher, scholar and author.
Aldrete blends a passion for study of the lives of the Romans with an interdisciplinary approach to research.
His program will examine two famous movies set in ancient Rome, Ben-Hur, a 1959 film starring Charlton Heston, and Gladiator, a 2000 film starring Russell Crow. He will analyze the historical accuracy of their plots, sets, costumes, and characters.
See how true-to-life Ben-Hur’s spectacular chariot race and naval battle really are. Find out whether Gladiator’s depiction of the lives and deaths of Roman gladiators and emperors Marcus Aurelius and Commodus are more fact or fiction.
Tracy Behrendt and Mark Flora are co-sponsors of this program.