Where the Middle Ages Begin
Splendent Media has signed a multiyear deal to represent worldwide rights (outside Japan) to 69 titles from filmmaker Akira Kurosawa, including 19 screenplays that were never produced. Kurosawa, who considered one of the most influential movie director’s in the history of cinema, made over thirty films in his lifetime, including several that were set in […]
Teaching Knighthood and the Late Medieval Battlefield using the Knights of The Messenger By Matthieu Chan Tsin The Once and Future Classroom, Vol.7:1 (2009) Introduction: When Luc Besson and Sony released The Messenger in 1999, movie reviewers were quick to judge the director’s version of Joan of Arc’s story as historically inaccurate. However, the same […]
Is it appropriate to point out inaccuracies of detail in historical film? As a collective commercial enterprise, is a movie inherently limited in its portrayal of the past, and does this matter? How does film convention affect representation? Can movies err on the side of historical truth?
This thesis examines the understanding of the Middle Ages among the UK public and the impact that popular big-budget films which depict the period have on that understanding.
The Wild Hunt (2009) Directed by Alexandre Franchi Starring Ricky Mabe, Mark Antony Krupa and Trevor Hayes Being a Canadian means that I have seen more than my fair share of Canadian films. With some exceptions, most of these films look cheaply made, poorly written and depressingly dark in tone. The Wild Hunt, a tale […]
Your Highness Starring: Danny McBride, James Franco and Natalie Portman Released in North America on April 8, 2011 Synopsis: Throughout history, tales of chivalry have burnished the legends of brave, handsome knights who rescue fair damsels, slay dragons and conquer evil. But behind many a hero is a good-for-nothing younger brother trying just to stay out […]
The filmic renditions analysed are Zemeckis’s 2007 performance capture Beowulf (the Hollywood version), and Sturla Gunnarsson’s Beowulf and Grendel (2005, a Canadian-Icelandic production): they both deviate from the original poem, but given their closeness in date, the different treatment is so considerable as to warrant comparison.
Black Death Starring Sean Bean, Eddie Redmayne, David Warner and Carice Van Houten Synopsis: The year is 1348. Europe has fallen under the shadow of the Black Death. As the plague decimates all in its path, fear and superstition are rife. In this apocalyptic environment, the church is losing its grip on the people. There […]
Daniel Mangrané and Carlos Serrano de Osma’s Spanish Parsifal (1951): a Strange Film? Zarandona, Juan Miguel Arthuriana 20.4 (2010) Abstract The Spanish cinematic work entitled Parsifal (1951) has always been termed ‘strange’ and regarded as an artistic failure. However, reconsideration of the context in which this film was produced suggests it is worthy of greater attention. After […]
Sandra: We had the misfortune of watching Nicholas Cage (at his “finest” – yet again), and Ron Perlman in the newly released film, “Season of the Witch”. Think “Van Helsing” and part “Hellboy” in medieval costume, with some Dungeons & Dragons dialogue thrown in for good measure…. The story starts with our heroes, Cage and […]
Season of the Witch Starring Nicolas Cage, Ron Perlman, Christopher Lee and Claire Foy Directed by Dominic Sena Released: January 2010 Official Synopsis: Nicolas Cage stars as the medieval knight Behmen who undertakes a mission pitting him against an devious witch and making him the last hope for the world against an ancient and dark […]
Monty Python and the Holy Grail Released in 1975 Starring: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin Perhaps the most unique take on the legend of King Arthur, Monty Python and the Holy Grail is considered to be one of the funniest movies ever made. Written, produced, directed and […]
Released in 1995, Braveheart was a smash hit, drawing large audiences and winning five Academy Awards, including the Awards for Best Picture and Best Director. It marked a high point for its star and director, Mel Gibson, and revitalized the historical epic genre in filmmaking. Synopsis: In the late 13th century, William Wallace (Mel Gibson) […]
The re-making of a mythic hero: Scottish nationalism in “Braveheart” By Kenneth Carr Hawley Master’s Thesis, Texas Tech University, 1998 Introduction: Nationalistic sentiment looks to the past to legitimate the present and secure the friture; it re-makes history, appropriaring mythic legends as it forges a narional identirs’. Each time an ancient story is told, the myths […]
This article has emerged out of my interest in the production of Stirling as a symbolic heritage centre and particularly the centrality of the figures of Wallace and Bruce in the town’s place-image, and in nationalist iconography.
In terms of historical accuracy, or even accuracy in portraying the Arthurian legend, it would be best to say that anything actually medieval-related was only included by accident.
Amber Entertainment and 2000 AD, a British comic book company, have agreed to develop a feature film based upon the graphic novel Stronghold, which features zombies terrorizing medieval Wales. According to Varierty.com production will begin by next year, and will be directed by Jason Kingsley and adapted to the screen by writer Tom Fickling. Jason Kingsley, a […]
Vision – From the Life of Hildegard von Bingen Directed by Margarethe von Trotta Starring Barbara Sukowa, Hannah Herzsprung and Heino Ferch Released in Germany in 2009, now released in the United States in German with English subtitles. Hildegard von Bingen was truly a woman ahead of her time. A visionary in every sense of […]
Born in Berlin, Margarethe von Trotta is one of the leaders of the New German Cinema movement, as well as one of the world’s most important feminist filmmakers. In 1977, she wrote and directed her first solo feature, The Second Awakening of Christa Klages, which introduced many of the themes that she would return to […]
Barbara Sukowa plays the lead role in Vision – From the Life of Hildegard von Bingen. She has starred in several movies, including Marianne and Juliane (1981), Johny Mnemonic (1995) and the Cradle will Rock (1998). Hildegard von Bingen was a great visionary for her time; does she still have something to teach us? There […]
Born nearly 1000 years ago, Hildegard von Bingen (1098–1179) remains a popular figure to this day. A polymath ahead of her time who was at once spiritual and practical, von Bingen challenged Church rules and founded two convents. She was a visionary and modern theologian who, at age 60, explained the lunar eclipse not as […]
The Reckoning Starring William Dafoe and Paul Bettany Directed by Paul McGuigan Released in 2003 Set in 14th century England, The Reckoning focuses on Nicholas, a young priest who has broken his vow of chastity and in turn becomes a fugitive, escaping from his fellow monks and their judgment. Posing as an actor in a traveling […]
A group of medieval archaeologists get the opportunity to go back in time to the year 1357 when a high-tech company accidentally finds a way of traveling back through time.
The DVD and Blu-Ray versions of Robin Hood have been released. They contain the theatrical version of the film as well as an unrated version, which is approximately 15 minutes longer. Other extras on the film include twelve minutes’ worth of deleted scenes, with optional commentary and an introduction by editor Pietro Scalia; an hour-long documentary […]
The 13th Warrior, starring Antonio Banderas, was released in 1999. It was based on the novel Eaters of the Dead, by Michael Crichton. The film follows a group of Viking warriors, accompanied by an Arab ambassador, as they defend a village from a mysterious foe. The movie is considered a Hollywood flop, having cost an […]
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