Sir Gawain and the Green Knight in the Movies
A look at the movie adaptions of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, along with other media.
The Fountain of Youth in the movies
The legends led to expeditions in the 16th century to find the fabled fountain and their adventures, in turn, have inspired filmmakers to portray them.
El Dorado in the Movies
There are more movies that explore these myths than those which deal with the more mundane history of the conquest itself.
Conquistador II: Francisco Pizarro in the movies
The main account of Francisco Pizarro on film is actually the movie version of Peter Shaffer’s 1964 play The Royal Hunt of the Sun which explored the clash of cultures between its main characters: the last Inca Emperor, Atahualpa, and Pizarro.
Conquistador! Hernán Cortés in the movies
A look at how the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés is portrayed in movies and television series.
Christopher Columbus in the Movies
When looking for movies about Christopher Columbus we discover something surprising – there are actually very few such films.
Medieval movies set in the Pacific
Our world tour of movies set in the medieval period takes us to the Pacific – the bad news is there don’t seem to be many. The good news is that they reward a viewing!
Medieval movies set in North America
We have movies of the Vikings in North America, films of Hiawatha, and a remarkable film of Inuit culture.
Kings of the Sun: Indigenous Medieval Culture in the Movies
Kings of the Sun is a fascinating, if ultimately flawed, film. It is almost unique in Hollywood history because it tells an entirely indigenous, medieval American tale without contact with Europeans.
Seeing and Hearing the ‘Scourge of God’: Attila the Hun in film, music and opera
Attila is a figure who has been treated in all manner of different ways, positive and negative in various art forms – from classical to contemporary music, sculpture, painting, opera, fiction, and film.
Wara Wara and Apocalypto: Films set in Medieval Central and South America
Mel Gibson’s Apocalypto is a fascinating, if controversial and flawed, film depicting the indigenous peoples of South America just prior to their contact with European conquerors.
I sing of the Maiden: Joan of Arc in Musicals and Opera
Many medieval figures and periods are treated in musical and opera and these works offer various insights into the approaches, reputation and reception of medieval history – today, we’re going to look at Joan of Arc.
The Other Conquest: Films set in the Medieval Americas
In this article we will turn our attention to those films which have made the indigenous peoples of medieval America their main subject. As we shall see, this actually uncovers a remarkable set of movies.
Back to the Middle Ages: Medieval Time Travel in the Movies
Looking at time travel films as a genre, there seem to be more medieval time travel films than those to all other periods combined.
The medieval world of Star Wars
Star Wars world has several connections to some very medieval ideas: (Jedi) knights and their swords, their code of conduct, Arthurian myth with the special boy who is unaware of his ancestry…