What is your favorite medieval movie?

[Phil Berghan-Whyman]

I've tended to avoid putting in movies that are focused on the non-medieval aspects. Dracula is Victorian or Edwardian (I think) and the fact that its protagonist is portrayed as a knight is take it or leave it.

I like Vincent Ward's Navigator, but its as much about the 20th C as the medieval past. Similarly I considered entering Creighton's Timeline (but who would vote for it, so whats the point).

I've added Robin and Marion and also Monty Python's Holy Grail (it ends with the massive intrusion of the modern day, but thats maybe why I'm happy to include it: it ENDS with the MASSIVE INTRUSION of the modern day - the rest is all authentic faux medieval.

Also havn't managed to fix the repeated entry problem yet, so just vote for the one everyone else picks.

[Phil Berghan-Whyman]

[Chevalier]

Besides Alexander Nevsky (Russian) - obviously, the obvious fantasy one (The Navigator), many of the cited movies are past medieval times: Queen Margot (French), Alatriste, and Aguirre, Wrath of God (German). And The Seventh Seal is probably not German, at least if you mean the Ingmar Bergmann film?


I still send you a choc fish because it was a valiant try and you might need one for the upcoming Viggo Mortensen/Lord of the Rings Aragorn Alatriste-version (www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAcrIr84OdQ)!

Who else wants a choc fish?

[Gaius Drustanus]

I really liked"King Alfred" with a young David Hemmings in the title role and a very young Michael York scene stealing as the pagan Guthrum, King of the Danes. It has a great subplot involving Sexual Politics and the conflict between Medieval Christian fanaticism and sexuality. Being British and early 1970s(?) it makes a excellent effort at Authenticity with 2 great Viking ships and accurately portrayed Helmets, swords etc (although the Sutton Hoo helmets had correct face plates but were missing the cheek and neck plates - cost cutting?).
The battle scenes, done without CGI, are Awesome and easily the best portrayal of what medieval infantry combat was like in a movie that I know of. "The Vikings", an American flick, with Kirk Douglas and Janet Leigh isn't too bad a Viking movie either, for Hollywood.
Another favourite is also another British offering"Arthur-the Young Warlord" with a great outing by Brian Blessed as Mark, King of Cornwell. Actually a conflation of 4 episodes of a TV series called"Arthur of the Britons" it featured a actor in the lead role who was light years better than that Clive guy in the recent"King Arthur"movie. Also features, like the recent film, Cerdic, founder of the the Royal House of the Wessex, the Cerdingas, and therefore the most distant known ancestor of our own Queen Elizabeth. Another Saxon character, an orphan living among the Britons, was Kay, later seen as Arthurs Seneschal.
For those of Mallory symphathies there is"Excalibur" an over blown, hippyfied and pseudopsychedelic indulgence from the early 1980s.

[Phil Berghan-Whyman]

[Gaius Drustanus]

In consideration of my persona, I should mention that my favourite Roman movie is"Julius Caesar", a movie by Uli Udell. Uli also made a ho hum version of"The Mists of Avalon" starring Angelica Huston and Julianna Margulies and based on that feminist/California Mysticism tome by Marion Zimmer Bradley and an interpretation of the migration period epic, the Nibelungenlied,"The Curse of the Ring". I always thought that Vindaloo was the curse of the ring.
But really "Curse" is pretty good except the scenes around the Slaying of Fafnir (more money could have been spent on CGI or special effects for that Dragon - forced perspective Iguanna with plastic bits stuck on haven't cut it since the Sixties and"Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea"} This story, known to the Norse as the "Volsunga Saga", certainly has merit . The New Zealand connection through Sam Neill in the lead role should also give credit to Uli's other effort (I think) in the Arthurian epic"Merlin".

[stephan]

anazapta is a good movie as well and very medieval in it behaviour and concept
it is about the plauge and how it affects people and who they blame



stephan

[Angel]

[Gaius Drustanus]

Sam Neill's 1998"Merlin" wasn't by Uli Udell but was directed by Steve Barron. Less metaphysical but similar theme was"The Crystal Cave" based on the best selling novel by Mary Stewart. That was not successful enough hoeever for follow up with her sequel novels "The Hollow Hills" or "The Final Enchantment".
Incidentally despite the recent FARB BARB, the Angelina Joly movie "Beowulf"was pretty good I thought. Angie not wearing a shred of clothing in the Whole movie, does FARB stand for F***ing Awesome Route-able Babe? If so then it explains why Niall wasn't at that display. Such a Film, like Tolkein, is mythical or legendary based on historical storytelling taking place in an idealised Medieval world not subject to reenactment standards. Back in th 1890s there was an excellent animated version made by Australians called"Grendel,Grendel,Grendel". My kids Rebecca and Nathanial loved it and it told the Beowulf story from the point of view of the Monster, his Mother and the Dragon, all endangered species(the dragon could foretell the future).
It was Cool. The Gerard Butler version was O.K. too.

[griff]

off topic
Quote from the past
"And so if we are all such great historians please someone advise me of a s Norse female Konungr."

"Queen Christina""She was crowned King of Sweden...lived and ruled as a man".


." Since the actual Queen Christina of Sweden (1626-1689) was bisexual in orientation, this provided the story with a pretext for its lesbian leanings. Furthermore, the cross-dressing and gender disguises of Garbo, her romantic attraction to her own lady-in-waiting, and her notorious bedroom scene in the inn with Gilbert further troubled film censors, but engendered curiosity for the glamorous star. The film was not nominated for Academy Awards.

sounds like a good movie.

[griff]

no one had ticked flesh and blood so i thought i should.
great movie
the spa scene jennifer jason leigh acting was suberb.

[Oskar der Drachen]

Flesh and Blood was also good in how it portrayed the advatages and pitfalls of hiring Mercenaries to do your fighting for you.

If I remember correctly it was set in Europe just after Edward III left, and had abandoned many of his troops in Europe? Please correct me if I'm wrong.

The problem with trained military troopers is that if they are not being paid, they still go looking for work.....

Great picture of how roving baqnds of Mercs set themselves up as Warlords of as much territory as they could grab.

[Gaius Drustanus]

Quote:"set themselves up as warlords"

Which reminds me of "The Warlord", the dark age Norman flick with Charlton Heston as the 1066 period Knight guardimg the Dukes borders. It also so has a sexual theme around the historically dodgy concept of Prima Nocte later revisited by Mel Gibson. Very slow moving for a long time it's ultimately worthwhile. Frisians stand in for Vikings.
It"s better, on the whole, than Charlton's other medieval outing:"El Cid". The fighting in that, and the acting, is BAD. Sophia Loren's acting is almost more WOODEN than she is in "The Fall of the Roman Empire".
"Flesh and Blood" featured that Australian Actor Jack Thompson in it, didn't it? He came to my clinic once as a patient when he was doing a cop show for TV here in Auckland. "Flesh and Blood" was also an early outing for Rutger Hauer before he became an android.

[Oskar der Drachen]

As a slight deviation....

Medieval movies that I'd like to see made? The life of John Hawkwood and the White Company.

http://www.amazon.com/John-Hawkwood-English-Mercenary-Fourteenth-Century/dp/0801883237

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Hawkwood

Forgive me the Wikipedia reference, the best references online you have to pay for....

John Hawkwood, second son to a tanner, and arguably the best Professional Mercenary ever. Set himself up in Europe, and when it got too small, went to fight through most of Italy. He got such a following of professional fighting troops, towns would buy him off before he even moved on them, and other armies went out of thier way to avoid him. He eventually got so rich that being a Merc didn't interest him anymore, moved into politics, and married royalty. They eventually built statues to him. He's my Hero.

[Phil Berghan-Whyman]

Hawkwood: Diabolical Englishman by Frances Stonor Saunders is another excellent read about Hawkwood.

http://www.amazon.com/Hawkwood-Diabolical-Frances-Stonor-Saunders/dp/057121908X/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1204447824&sr=1-4

A movie would be awesome.

I think historical people like Fiore de Liberi (for example) would make excellent characters for a TV series. A traveling knight and weapons master who gets tangled up in things, fights duels, is hired for wars etc. It would be great if done well.