Favorite Castle movie???

Discussion of topics concerning life in the middle ages around the world, including architecture, history, and warfare.
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JPinoy
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Post by JPinoy »

Here's some medieval and ancients type of movies that I've seen.

L.O.T.R. series
Gladiator
TROY
Alexander
Brave Heart
Timeline
King Arthur (interesting version with Post-Roman rule Britania, but knights had Roman armor)
Scorpion King
Conan the Barbarian series
Red Sonja
Excalibur
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
Valencia (story of El Cid)
HERO (unification of China by the Qin)
The 13th Warrior
Clash of the Titans
Fall of the Roman Empire
Dragon Heart
Attila
The Fall of Troy
Cleopatra (original w/ Liz Taylor)
Cleopatra (remake w/ gorgeous Latina actress... Leonora)
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Post by The Josh »

My favorite movie of all time is Monty Python and the Holy Grail. The DVD of the movie includes a scene made in Lego! We're Knights of the Round Table...


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Post by Master Blobicus »

"I seek the Grail!" I'm with Bruce but I bet I know it better I 've wattched Monty and The Grail 53 times I've watched all three LOTR movies 163 times each. Beat that :P

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Post by TwoTonic Knight »

Appending my comments to your list. I'd add some movies to it, but it's getting late....no coments means I didn't see it (or was bored to sleep by it).

EARLY MEDIEVAL (500 to 1050 AD)
The Knights of the Round Table
Sword of Lancelot - I think I finally saw this one and had a running commentary on it right here on C-C. The director should be taken out and drawn and quartered and then disemboweled (and I'm aware that "drawing" IS disemboweling - Once is not enough)! If you have any ambition to be a director, this is a great example of a listless, uninspired dirctor.
First Knight [SPRING 96] - Dreadful.
Excalibur [SPRING 96] - Idiosynchratic, to say the least. Some actors I hate, but you have to see Nicol Williamson as Merlin
Camelot - Dead bore
Prince Valiant - Robert Wagner with effeminate page boy wig - he's still trying to live down this stinker. Cursed Vikings in the public consciousness as having horned helmets (if the LEGO Vikings have horns, blame this movie).
Sword of the Valiant - Wasn't this the Gawain and the Green Knight movie? Sparkles with Sean Connery on screen, deathly dull the rest of the time (and Connery is on really briefly).
The Sword in the Stone (Disney animation) - Great book, run-of-the-mill animated film.
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (932 AD) - Python is an acquired taste. It's funnier the second or third time around.
The Green Knight
Prince of Jutland
Merlin and the Sword
Merlin of the Crystal Cave
Flight of the Dragons (animated)
The Sword and the Sorcerer (Disney) - Disney?!? Trashy B-movie Sword and Sorcerery (as if you couldn't guess by the title). Steals from all sorts of sources. But at least it has some energy.
Dragonslayer - Go-Motion animation (computer aided motion during otherwise traditional stop-motion animation)makes the Dragon the star (still the best screen dragon). But why didn't the heroine simply disqualify herself from the lottery? :D
Tristan et Iseuldt
The Vikings - "Yonder lies de castle o' me faddah" Yes, I know that was a different Tony Curtis movie (not on this list - something against Arabian Nights movies?).
The Littlest Viking
The Longships - Richard Widmark as a Viking? Well, maybe the wily aspect, but physically?
Eric the Viking - I have the book, haven't seen the movie
The Norseman - Probably the worst movie on this list. Lee Majors leads his band of NFL NorZemen (heavy on the Z) against Amerinds. Utterly no redeeming value.
The Black Shield of Falworth - Awful 50's movie that at least has naivite and enthusiasm going for it.
The Black Arrow - I dimly remember this one - longbowman goes far east. Fairly boring
Alfred the Great (late 800s England) - this was buried late one night so I was only half awake watching it. Michael York as the head Viking and David Hemmings as Alfred. Interesting period, but I don't really remember much about (which probably sums it up)

MIDDLE AGES (1050 to 1450 AD)
MacBeth (set mid-1000s Scotland) - In the poisoned entrails throw,,,Something wicked this way comes, t'is MacBeth.
Hearts and Armor (mid-1000s Spain)
El Cid (late-1000s Spain) - Uninspired Big Budget Heston vehicle.
The Crusades (documentary) - Documentary? What about Cecil B DeMille's trashing of history in his 1935 film The Crusades? Epic battle scenes but pure nonsense story.
The Seventh Seal (set during the Crusades)
Ivanhoe (late 1100s)
1) w/Robert Taylor
2) w/Anthony Andrews & Olivia Hussey
Former is the usual 50's costume melodrama that I have a soft spot for - the latter is truer to the book but a dead bore.

Robin Hood (900-1000 England)
1) w/Errol Flynn - Golden
2) w/Patrick Bergin) - Uma Thurman as Marion? This was supposed to come out on the big screen but didn't want to compete with Costner's Men Without Tights. A darker and grittier Robin Hood tale.
3) w/Michael Praed/Jason Connery
4) Disney (animated) [SPRING 96]) - Wait, is this the God Awful Barnyard critters with American Southern accents version?
Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves - Men Without Tights. Politically Correct version with non-charismatic Robin Hood (Costner). Some nice action scenes and Alan Rickman truly chewing up the scenery (better over the top than Costner's listless performance).
Robin and Marion - Disillusioned Middle-aged Robin revisionist tale. Good cast - Sean Connery, Nicol Williamson, Robert Shaw. Richard Lester director (Three & Four Musketeers).
Robin Hood: Men in Tights [FALL 95] - Has a few moments (title song), but Mel Brooks was past his peak as a writer/director.
Men of Sherwood Forest
The Court Jester (12th C England) - The flagon with the dragon has the pellet with the posion, the vessel with the pestle has the brew that is true. One of Danny Kaye's better outings.
Lionhart -
The Flame and the Arrow
The Lion in Winter (about Henry II, ruler of England 1154-1189) - Boring medieval political drama
Beckett (archbishop of Canterbury during reign of Henry II) - no wait, I'm thinking of A Man for All Seasons.
Brother Sun, Sister Moon (St Francis of Assisi, 1182-1226) religious - interesting tale of St. Francis.
The Conqueror (about Genghis Khan, early 1200s Asia) - The movie that (eventually) killed John Wayne (radition poisoning from atomic tests - along with a large number of the cast and crew). Shows what a truly dreadful actor Wayne was - just a laughably bad preformance.
Alexander Nevesky (mid-1200s Russia) - Classic, if somewhat a creature of the political times.
The Dragon and the Sword (Russian)
The Magic Sword (13thC) - Gary Lockwood stars? Really bad effects. I mean dreadful, laughably bad.
Braveheart (1300 Scotland) [SPRING 96] - Don't take the historical accuracy as Gospel, but spectacular.
The Black Rose (time of Kublai Khan, late 1200s)
Edward II (early 14th C)
The Name of the Rose (set in 1312 monastery) [SPRING 94] - I'm a sucker for Sean Connery films. Whodunnit meets the Middle Ages with religious persecutions. I rather like this one (rather steamy sequence that has made it on my basic satellite uncut).
Decameron Nights (about Italian poet Boccaccio, mid-1300s)
Hamlet (set 1300/1400?)
1) w/Mel Gibson - Stick to action, Mel.
2) w/Laurence Olivier - My brother's name is Laurence, guess why.
Rosenkrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (Hamlet comedy) [FALL 93]
Richard II (late 1300s England)
Richard III (late 1400s England) - as you may be able to tell by my lack of comments, I find most of Shakespeare's historical plays boring. I feel asleep to a large number of them when I was young and my mother controlled the TV.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1400's France) - Sanctuary! Charles Laughton in a part made for him (sorry, Charles).
A Walk with Love and Death (1400s Italy)
Joan of Arc: A Portrait of a Legend (1428 France)
Henry V (early 1400s England)
1) w/Kenneth Branagh, [SPRING 95]
2) w/Laurence Olivier
I still haven't made it all the way through either of these, and my mother was a Shakespeare fan (see naming of my brother above).
The Advocate
The Warlord - Chucky Heston as a lusting Norman in a small keep.
Ladyhawke (based on 12C French legend) [FALL 95] - Matthew Broderick should never have gotten work again. The movie never quite clicks.
The Sorceress (13-14C France)
The Princess Bride - wonderful comedic fantasy that was unappreciated at the time.
The Messenger: The story of Joan of Arc - Which was this one: there were two from the same year. I think this was the doubting thomas version. Blarg.
Jabberwocky (Monty Python) - This had some Python members, but was not Monty Python. The only real belly laugh in the entire movie is ruined by a pool of blood, which sums up the movie's brutal sense of alleged humor. But it did have a great Jabberwock true to Tenniel's Alice illustration. I think that was David Prowse (Darth Vader) once again faceless as the fully armored (jousting armor) knight.
Stealing Heaven (about Abelard & Heloise, early 1100s France)
Black Adder I (British comedy) - Where the wit is more lethal than the weapons. 8)
The Navigator (from 11/12C Cumbria to 20C New Zealand
King Lear
Snow White (Disney) - That voice! Ahhhh, not that voice! I always thought the Evil Stepmother was the babe. The first full-length animated film - an absolute breakthrough, but see the advance in the skills of the animators in Pinnochio and Fantasia.
Sleeping Beauty (Disney) - odd, angular style in an attempt to have a medieval look. The first half of the movie is a dead bore, but the second half comes to life with and has a great final transformation into the 2nd best screen dragon (and inspiration for the best).
Willow - uneven fantasy with (dang, I forget - he's in the Potter films)...Warwick Davis in the title role.
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Sir Kohran
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Post by Sir Kohran »

My favourite movies and their best actors IMO.

1. Robin Hood (Kevin Costner)

2. Lord of the Rings (Ian Mckellen)

3. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (John Cleese)

4. The 13th Warrior (Antonio Banderas)

5. Excalibur (Nigel Terry)
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Post by Longbowmen »

I like these the most:

1 Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves

2 First Knight
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Post by ottoatm »

Although not quite medieval, I also enjoy the Lord of the Rings movies, although if you're looking to avoid an accuracy argument, steer WELL clear of the those movies if I'm in the neighbourhood.
I know this may be asking for trouble... but I'm really curious as to what sort of inaccuracies you might be talking about... I have no idea what is fantasy and what is based on truth in those movies - only that I love them (EXTENDED versions - as any purist who read the books first will insist ;-) )

>>Edit>> In reference to the LOTR series

>>2nd Edit>> I stand in awe of TwoTonic Knight's movie knowledge...
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Post by Formendacil »

ottoatm wrote:
Although not quite medieval, I also enjoy the Lord of the Rings movies, although if you're looking to avoid an accuracy argument, steer WELL clear of the those movies if I'm in the neighbourhood.
I know this may be asking for trouble... but I'm really curious as to what sort of inaccuracies you might be talking about... I have no idea what is fantasy and what is based on truth in those movies - only that I love them (EXTENDED versions - as any purist who read the books first will insist ;-) )

>>Edit>> In reference to the LOTR series

>>2nd Edit>> I stand in awe of TwoTonic Knight's movie knowledge...
I'll do my best to keep this concise and simple.

The big, sweeping plot cuts I could handle. This is, after all, a 1000-page book being turned into a movie. So, while I love Tom Bombadil, etc, I can understand and almost approve why they did it.

It's the little stuff that gets to me. The unnecessary changes that seem to have been made for no reason. Aragorn's crown comes to mind. There is a very clear description of it in the Return of the King, and there are actual sketches extant of it by Tolkien himself in the Letters. Arwen's sword is another matter in the same vein, but I believe I've discussed that elsewhere.

I still think that they're great movies, but PJ and company didn't quite do all that they could have. In the matter of the sword or the crown, what difference would it have made to use canonically-correct props?

None that I'm aware of, and it would have even saved them the trouble of designing the ones they used. It wouldn't have offended the movie-only fans because they'd have never known the difference, and it would have pleased the book fans, who do.
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Post by TwoTonic Knight »

ottoatm wrote:
Although not quite medieval, I also enjoy the Lord of the Rings movies, although if you're looking to avoid an accuracy argument, steer WELL clear of the those movies if I'm in the neighbourhood.
I know this may be asking for trouble... but I'm really curious as to what sort of inaccuracies you might be talking about... I have no idea what is fantasy and what is based on truth in those movies - only that I love them (EXTENDED versions - as any purist who read the books first will insist ;-) )

>>Edit>> In reference to the LOTR series

>>2nd Edit>> I stand in awe of TwoTonic Knight's movie knowledge...
NOOOOOO! Don't get him started! He's not talking about historical inaccuracies, but points where the movie diverged from The Bible...uh...Lord of the Rings!

(looking down the list) Too late!

I have an interesting anecdote regarding the last time I saw the nice safe family film Court Jester, but inasmuch as the cable company I had was sporadically cross-connecting the station it was showing on with The Playboy Channel :shock: , perhaps I best leave that story untold here. :wink:
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Post by The Tennis Ball Kid »

and there are actual sketches extant of it by Tolkien himself in the Letters.
They didn't have the rights to anything but Lord of The Rings, meaning that they couldn't use the crown unless it was described in LOTR(I don't think it was), as for Arwen's sword I was much too upset about her being the one defying the Nazgul instead of Frodo, that I couldn't care less what shape her sword was.... A better example would be the lights in Shelob's lair, Frodo didn't need that phial because it was as bright as day, I wish Hitchcock could have directed that scene....I'd ramble on about the poor depiction of some of the characters, or scenes that were cut(e.g. 'The Choices of Master Samwise') so we could see important things like Legolas singlehandledly taking down an Mumak the size of an Imperial AT-AT...but I won't..

Where were we? Oh right, good castle movies...

1.The Adventures of Robin Hood(Errol Flyn)
I think this has pretty much been covered, it's classic. Watch it.
2. Alexander Nevesky
It's a bit dated(you can tell it was approved by Stalin), but it's worth watching for the battle on the ice scene alone. Great score by Profikev.
3. Lord of The Rings
Bashki's animated masterpiece. Unappreciated, one day this will be viewed as the best film of the 20th century. Here's a review.*
4. 'The Vikings'
Good stuff.
5. The Princess Bride
"Inconceivable" that a film could be this fun to watch.

ttbk

*I'm kidding, watch the live action version, they're still great movies, and they have the end of the story, and the Balrog doesn't wear bunnyslippers.
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Post by Formendacil »

The Tennis Ball Kid wrote:
and there are actual sketches extant of it by Tolkien himself in the Letters.
They didn't have the rights to anything but Lord of The Rings, meaning that they couldn't use the crown unless it was described in LOTR(I don't think it was),....
It IS described, quite well, in the chapter "The Steward and the King" at the point where Faramir brings it out and gives his little spiel to the people of the city. The pictures only would come into play if you had absolutely no brain to visualise what is described. And surely at least ONE designer at Weta could do that....

Faramir.... There's another thing I could get started on, but I think you people already get the point: I liked the movies, but not as representations of the Lord of the Rings.
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Post by Jojo »

Hello!


What about the Disney pictures "The Sword in the Stone", "Taran (The Black Cauldron)" and "Robin Hood"?


Bye
Jojo

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Post by Dragon Master »

BRAVEHEART!
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Post by TwoTonic Knight »

Jojo wrote:Hello!


What about the Disney pictures "The Sword in the Stone", "Taran (The Black Cauldron)" and "Robin Hood"?
Are you forwarding them as something good, or asking? See my ultra-mini reviews above for the so-so Sword in the Stone and the ludicrous Robin Hood. The Black Cauldron (from The Book of Three and The Black Cauldron, highly recommended books by Lloyd Alexander) simply misses. It was from the lost era (as in Disney lost it's way on making animated features - dark ages if you will). They were trying to move in the right direction, but didn't have the talent at the time.
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Post by doctorsparkles »

TwoTonic Knight wrote:The Black Cauldron (from The Book of Three and The Black Cauldron, highly recommended books by Lloyd Alexander) simply misses. It was from the lost era (as in Disney lost it's way on making animated features - dark ages if you will). They were trying to move in the right direction, but didn't have the talent at the time.
Ah, the story of a boy and his magical pig... The Black Cauldron was terrible. I bought it a while back because a friend of mine told me that Tim Burton did some work on it. Not only was the movie pretty much unwatchable, but Tim Burton is no-where to be found in the credits (nor is the film anywhere to be found in his filmography).
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