Watching movies will always be one of the best things to do during leisure. It brought us into a new realm of wonders. We can be able set ourselves up somewhere far unknown to us. We can meet people of diverse characters, lives, cultures, and customs. It makes us open to new learning based on how people have lived their lives from a different perspective. One of the exciting genres of film is medieval movies. You may also be one of the many who fan watching this type of movie.
Medieval movies are movies created with the setting during the medieval ages. It showcases the lives, traditions, customs, and untold stories during that era. It portrays the lives during the middle ages using visual, audio, and thematic forms of cinema. Watching medieval movies opened our eyes and let us glimpse how the people lived their lives during that era.
Medieval movies are exciting and offer great adventures of the past. Though the middle ages happened over five centuries ago, many are still portrayed through song, architecture, novels, music and the other medium is through film. If you are interested in knowing or in having a glimpse during the middle ages, I have gathered pieces of information that will suit your best interest regarding the middle ages.
Macbeth
Over the years, several distinct versions of Macbeth, one of Shakespeare’s most well-known plays, have been performed on stage and screen. One of the most recent films, starring Michael Fassbender, is terrific. Macbeth is a play set in the Middle Ages that includes sword fights, power struggles between nobles, and many mucking around in the woods, among other elements. However, that isn’t the only thing that this version does not do. In addition, it causes the plot to become much more violent than it would be on stage, which further emphasizes the savagery of the narrative. They both do an excellent job portraying Macbeth, who is enraged and tortured, as well as Lady Macbeth.
A Knight’s Tale
A Knight’s Tale was one of Heath Ledger’s earliest films, and it was this film that established him as a significant international celebrity. In the movie, Ledger portrays William Thatcher, an actor who pretends to be a knight and battles to rise to the top of the ranks of the theater industry. It contains a significantly higher number of modern pop culture references than most medieval films. The premise of this film is that humans can determine their fate.
Braveheart
There are no set standards for what constitutes a decent medieval film. It’s entertaining to watch Errol Flynn’s take on the Robin Hood legend, which may be a little ridiculous but still looks great. The main protagonists smile at each other as they perch precariously on a branch. After the Golden Age of Hollywood movies, you don’t have to cope with the medieval squalor that grew more prevalent. Not only that but the album’s soundtrack was nominated for an Academy Award the same year.
El Cid
Both Charlton Heston and Sophia Loren starred in the 1961 film El Cid. The film is about El Cid, Rodrigo Diaz de Bivar. This book depicts his life. In this video, Moors invaded Christian Spain in the 11th century. El Cid, a charismatic knight, attempts to unite his kingdom and organize his people to repel the oncoming hordes. Ridley Scott’s Kingdom of Heaven stars Orlando Bloom.
Black Death
Although he’s made some meaningful choices among the more mundane things he’s since put out, Sean Bean has yet to score a mega-hit after his role in The Lord of the Rings trilogy was completed. Although it’s a shame that Black Death didn’t catch on with more people, it did an excellent job of playing to Bean’s strengths by casting him as the grizzled Knight Ulrich. The surrounding landscape is appropriately ambiguous and filthy, and Ulrich’s ultimate goal has a fascinating mystical element to it.
Excalibur
Excalibur, a medieval film directed by John Boorman, was released in 1981. King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table are the main characters in this story. The entire cast was outstanding. Arthur was played by Nigel Terry, while Patrick Stewart played Leondegrance, Liam Neeson played Gawain, and Helen Mirren played Morgana. The movie Excalibur has received an Oscar nomination for Best Cinematography, while Boorman received a prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 1981 for his great work.
The Name of The Rose
Sean Connery starred in and directed the film adaptation of Umberto Eco’s ultra-postmodern novel about medieval monks, written by Jean-Jacques Annaud and directed by Sean Connery. When Sean Connery portrays William of Baskerville, he is a monk who utilizes his foresight to solve a series of murders and killings that are taking place in the monastery in which he lives. Even though The studio is not keen on Connery, the medieval technology featured in the film is quite entertaining.
Henry V
Shakespeare’s work has served as the foundation for several popular medieval films, the most notable of which is Henry V. Following Henry V as he attempts to claim the kingdom of France for England during the time of the Hundred Years War, the film was set in the 14th century. Emma Thompson, Judi Dench, and Robbie Coltrane appear in the movie.
The Lion In Winter
The Lion in Winter, a film that depicts the life of King Henry II and features Peter O’Toole as the monarch and Katharine Hepburn as Eleanor of Aquitaine, is another highly regarded biographical film. The film also features a young Anthony Hopkins in Richard the Lionheart, the couple’s eldest son. Adapted on the same-titled Broadway play, it was one of the most successful pictures of 1968, earning over $11 million in box office receipts. Three Academy Awards were also given to the film, including one for the best music score, one for the best-adapted screenplay, and one for the best actress for Katharine Hepburn.
10 Honorable Mention
The Passion Of Joan Of Arc (1928)
Ran (1985)
The Seventh Seal (1957)
Monty Python & The Holy Grail (1975)
Valhalla Rising (2009)
Ironclad (2011)
Kingdom Of Heaven (2005)
The King (2019)
The Last Duel (2021)
Richard III (1955)