movies

So you think that you're a movie aficionado? You think that if it's historically connected, you've seen it?

Check to see if you're familiar with the movies cataloged here.

What follows is a list of movies on various Period, Pre-Period and mediaval-fantasy related themes.

This list is provided merely for the purpose of allowing people to know what movies have been made along this genre.

The historical accuracy in movies is, at best, less than adequate and many times, outright wrong.

However, movies can provide inspiration for projects and can be (hopefully) entertaining to watch.

Note that this list is by no means all inclusive.

[Title & Year]

[Time Period/Genre]

[Duration in minutes]

[Director]

[Stars, if any of noted name]

[Comments, if any]

Director: Leslie Megahey on one release; Peter/David Thompson on another release.

Cast includes: Colin Firth, Amina Annabi, Ian Holm, Donald Pleasence and Nicol Williamson.

Cast includes: Alejandro Repulles, Gonzalo Pizarro, Cecilia Rivera, Helena Rojo, Edward Roland

Black & White; The repelling of a German invasion in the 13th century. Musical score by Prokofiev. One of the great movies.

Set in the Middle Ages, about a young woman who chooses to be walled up for the rest of her life.

Pellegrina, who becomes king of a great city. [Part of Pasolini's Medieval trilogy of Arabian Nights, Decameron, and Canterbury Tales]

Based on Jean Anouilh's play about Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Becket and his English King, Henry II.

Black & White; Famous for the naked male slave chained to a wall, and also included a topless woman.

Based on Lew Wallace's book. The story of Judah Ben-Hur and his boyhood friend Messala.

Based on a splendid novel by Brian Moore. Looks at French Jesuits among Canadian Indians and issues of two-way acculturation.

Cast includes: Mel Gibson, Sophie Marceau, Patrick McGoohan, Catherine McCormack and Angus MacFadyen.

This is a massively inaccurate portrayal of the life of the 13th-century Scots hero William Wallace. But the battle scenes are very well done and the story is well told.

Cast includes: Richard Harris, David Hemmings, Lionel Jeffries, Franco Nero, Vanessa Redgrave

Four stories. [Part of Pasolini's Medieval trilogy of Arabian Nights, Decameron, and Canterbury Tales]

Cortez' conquest of Mexico and the Spanish Inquistion all involved in one story. With a famous score by Alfred Newman.

Black & White; In French; Based on a day in 1616 when a Spanish regiment comes to a town in occupied Flanders.

Cast includes: Danny Kaye, Glynis Johns, Basil Rathbone, Angela Landsbury, John Carradine, Alan Napier, Cecil Parker and Edward Ashley.

Extremely funny. A "must see" classic based on Sylvia Fine's book: The Maladjusted Jester.

Based on a late 19th century play about a long-nosed early 17th century Frenchman.

Cast includes: Catherine McCormack, Rufus Sewell, Jacqueline Bisset, Oliver Platt, Moira Kelly, Naomi Watts and Fred Ward.

Based on the true story of Veronica Franco. EXCELLENT CLOTHES!!!! Perhaps the finest movie made to date based on the Renaissance. A "MUST SEE" for anyone interested in the Italian Renaissance.

Black & White; Not about Dante, but a modern circus owner. The film does contain an Inferno Devil's Paradise sequence.

Eight tales from Boccacio. [Part of Pasolini's Medieval trilogy of Arabian Nights, Decameron, and Canterbury Tales]

Black & White; Seductress causes Cesare, the city's ruler, and his son to both fall madly in love with her.

Black & White; Extraordinary silent film. Also released in two parts: <Part 1> Kriemhild's Revenge; <Part 2> Siegfried.

Based on a Michael Crichton novel. A civilized Arab is sent to help barbarous Vikings.

Black & White; In French; Based on Jean Cocteau's modern-dress adaptation of the Tristan and Isolde legend.

Cast includes: Nigel Terry, Nichol Williamson, Paul Geoffrey, Cherie Lunghi, Helen Mirren, Nicholas Clay

Black & White; About 4th-century persecution against Christians in Rome. The English-dubbed version, adapted by Marc Connelly and Fred Pressbburger features a different story line from the original.

Cast includes: Sophia Loren, Stephen Boyd, Alec Guinness, James Mason, Christopher Plummer, Anthony Quayle

Encolpio a beautiful youth, whose young lover and slave, Gitone, has been stolen from him and sold to an older man. He vows to get him back.

Cast includes: Laurence Olivier, Flora Robson, Leslie Banks, Raymond Massey, Vivien Leigh

About mercenaries at their finest. Later re-released under the title of The Sword and the Rose.

Black & White; In Italian; Written by Fellini; Also released under the title of: Flowers of St. Francis

12th century samauri falls in love with a married woman. Oscar for best foreign film and costume design.

Black & White; Post WWII France, ex-solider returns to find a medieval jewelled religious item.

Cast includes: Mel Gibson, Glenn Close, Paul Scofield, Helena Bonham Carter and Alan Bates.

A "must see" version. Shakespeare's play, done as he would have wanted it. A Magnificent Portrayal of Hamlet. Destined to be a classic.

Cast includes: Kenneth Branagh, Brian Blessed, Billy Crystal, Gerard Depardieu and Richard Attenborough.

Cast includes: Anthony Hopkins, Derek Jacobi, John Gielgud and Lesley-Anne Down.

About the time after the death of Constantine when sporadic persecution was still being carried out.

Black & White; Music by Prokofiev. This was banned in Russia until 1958 because Stalin objected to the portrayal of Ivan's secret police.

Cast includes: King Baggot (as Ivanhoe), Leah Baird, Jack Bates, Wallace Bosco, Evelyn Hope

Cast includes: James Mason, Anthony Andrews, Olivia Hussey, Sam Neill, John Rhys-Davies

Probably the most ambitious Byzantine movie ever which in its original German version was released in 2 part of some 4 hours. It presents the struggle of the daughters of the Gothic King Theodoric for power after his death.

A cult classic about a traveling band which stages medieval fairs at which they joust in full medieval gear, from motorcyles.

In Norwegian; From the novel by Sigrid Undset. A young woman, daughter of a medieval Norwegian landowner, tries to find her own path.

What happens after the knights have failed to find the Grail. Also released as: The Grail

Black & White; Based on Felix Dann's German bestseller Kampf um Rom about the decline of the Roman Empire.

In Italian; Hierarchical relations in the earlier middle ages: a young girl becomes a monastic oblate, a young man who succeeds his father as lord of the territory calls for divine signs.

An excellent movie. The story of St. Thomas More as a man of conscience. Won six Oscars.

Medieval peasant's spirit trapped for a 1000 years in a dummy is released in the modern world.

Cast includes: Vanessa Redgrave, Glenda Jackson, Patrick McGoohan, Timothy Dalton, Nigel Davenport, Trevor Howard, Daniel Massey, Robert Dudley,Ian Holm

A version of Tasso's poem. A love story between a Christian and a Saracen forms the basic story.

About two pilgrim-tramps and their encounters with the Devil, the Virgin Mary, people who are arguing about Catholic doctrine, and assorted religious zealots.

In accordance with Islamic law, Muhammad is not actually shown on screen, and neither he, nor most of his relatives are allowed to speak. This left Muhammad's uncle as the central character.

A modern story, but with a medieval painting as a focus as a man recovers from WWI shell shock by restoring the painting in a Yorkshire curch.

Cast includes: Keanu Reeves, Kenneth Branagh, Brian Blessed, Denzel Washington, Emma Thompson, Michael Keaton

An excellent movie; Shakespeare's play; Keaton as the Constable, steals the show. Destined to be a classic.

Black & White; About an English boy who leads a group of villagers into a tunnel to escape the plague, and emerges in a modern city.

About an 11th-century Viking prince sailing to America in search of his father, abducted by Indians. *This one is so bad that it is a classic.

Based on Virginia Wolf's novel. The hero(ine) lives four hundred years first as a man, and later as a woman.

Silent Black & White; Held to be the greatest performance ever captured on film. The film was so powerful that it was initially banned in England. Based on actual trial transcripts.

Black & White; Set in Sweden in 1637. Christina was raised as a man, she tells advisors she will not marry and have children. She has eyes only for Countess Ebba, who betrays her by falling in love with a man. Christina, distraught, dresses as man and takes a room in a local inn. There she meets, and falls in love with a Spanish nobleman. She eventually abdicates to be with him, but is killed before they can marry.

About Marguerite de Valois and the events surrounding the St. Bartholemew's day massacre of 1572. Based on Alexander Dumas' novel.

Excellent film. Set in 16th century Japan, this is a "must see" version of King Lear. A true classic.

Modern millenialism. The movie represents, quite literally, the coming of the Apocalypse.

Based on trial records about an impostor in 16th century Southern France. Try to see subtitled version, not the dubbed one.

Cast includes: Laurence Olivier, Ralph Richardson, Claire Bloom, John Gielgud Shakespeare's play.

Based on the Lloyd C. Douglas novel about Roman centurion who presides over Christ's crucifixion.

A "must see" film. The classic version of Shakespeare's play. Famous musical score by Nino Roto

Black & White; Based on George Bernard Shaw's play. Screenplay by Graham Greene.

Black & White; Set in 14th-century Sweden, about a knight returning from a crusade playing a chess game with death.

Black and White; In Spanish; The story of St. Simon Stylites, who stood on a pillar for forty years.

Black & White; An hour-long precis of the trial based on the historical records.

About Francois Villon, a version of Rudolf Frimal's operetta. Filmed before in 1930. Story without music as The Beloved Rogue (1927), and If I Were King (1928)

Black & White; It's original title was: The Saga of The Viking Women and Their Voyage to the Waters of The Great Sea Serpent.

Black & White; Story of religious medieval Swedish family whose daughter is raped by vagrants. Oscar for best foreign movie.

Black & White; The story of a young religious novice, Viridiana, as she is about to take her vows.



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