Favorite Castle movie???

Discussion of topics concerning life in the middle ages around the world, including architecture, history, and warfare.
User avatar
Rubberchickenknight
Squire
Posts: 626
Joined: Sun Apr 18, 2004 8:49 am
Location: Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

Post by Rubberchickenknight »

Narnia and LOTR did have good costumes and special effects, but they just weren't accurate enough. Same with those movies like Kingdom of Heaven and King Arthur.
E of Alshire wrote:
Rubberchickenknight wrote:
The Disney Robin Hood(With the animals!)
You deserve to be hanged!!!

Says the one with a chicken as his avatar... Wink
LOL! Good argument. :wink:
"When you are wrestling for possession of a sword, the man with the handle always wins." - Neal Stephenson, Snow Crash
dJOLe_sk8
Artisan
Posts: 257
Joined: Fri Jun 02, 2006 6:45 pm
Location: Triballia

Post by dJOLe_sk8 »

Ok,I'm comercial-type :wink: just kidding...
but Lord of the Rings are definitlly the best... i can't wait to see the Hobbit
or Silmarillion perhapss... that could be the biggest spectacle ever...

And I have to mention the Excalubir,just'cause of nostalgia....

Greetings from Serbia
User avatar
Damien
Grammer Guru
Posts: 590
Joined: Sat Jan 15, 2005 3:50 pm
Location: MA - USA

Post by Damien »

Narnia and LOTR did have good costumes and special effects, but they just weren't accurate enough. Same with those movies like Kingdom of Heaven and King Arthur.
I think if one is going to be too picky about accuracy, one will quickly find that no movie on Earth will ever be good enough. Kingdom of Heaven, for instance, especially the Director's Cut, was absolutely fantastic. The only real problems with it (as of the DC) are historical inaccuracies which can easily be dismissed with "it's a movie, not a documentary." More historical accuracy in cinema is a hairy subject, one must understand. Imagine a historically accurate Second Crusade movie -- no audience would be able to follow it. Too many characters. Too many similar looking troops. Too many motivations and subplots. Too many countries, and territories. Not to mention an undercurrent of the utter confusion that was the Manorial/Feudal system.

Yikes.

but Lord of the Rings are definitlly the best... i can't wait to see the Hobbit
or Silmarillion perhapss... that could be the biggest spectacle ever...
Lord of the Rings was quite visually powerful. I'll give it that much. 'Course, it wasn't actually Lord of the Rings. But it looked pretty, eh?

But don't get your hopes up about the Silmarillion ever becoming a film or film trilogy. It contains too many divergent shorter stories, vaguaries, and even a few inconsistencies. Ultimately, it would be like trying to turn the Bible into a movie. Too many different stories in order to make it work.

The Hobbit is a possibility, though, certainly.
Forge not works of art but swords of death, for therein lies great art.
"The Gods made heavy metal and they saw that it was good." - Manowar
dJOLe_sk8
Artisan
Posts: 257
Joined: Fri Jun 02, 2006 6:45 pm
Location: Triballia

Post by dJOLe_sk8 »

Damien wrote:
but Lord of the Rings are definitlly the best... i can't wait to see the Hobbit
or Silmarillion perhapss... that could be the biggest spectacle ever...
Lord of the Rings was quite visually powerful. I'll give it that much. 'Course, it wasn't actually Lord of the Rings. But it looked pretty, eh?
It wasn't?What was it,then?... and yes,it looked pretty,EH

Damien wrote: But don't get your hopes up about the Silmarillion ever becoming a film or film trilogy. It contains too many divergent shorter stories, vaguaries, and even a few inconsistencies. Ultimately, it would be like trying to turn the Bible into a movie. Too many different stories in order to make it work.
Ok,you got me to the last letter...
Of course it can't be a film or trilogy...But many chapters from sillmarillion can be great triology spectacles for itselves...Story about Beren and Luthien,for example...I would personally like to see that one
Damien wrote: The Hobbit is a possibility, though, certainly.
though it is...it will be filmed,you'll see :wink:
User avatar
Damien
Grammer Guru
Posts: 590
Joined: Sat Jan 15, 2005 3:50 pm
Location: MA - USA

Post by Damien »

It wasn't?What was it,then?...
Who knows.

One could call it A Film Trilogy Vaguely Resembling In Basic Concept The Lord of The Rings and From It Taking Many Names and Scenarios Without Bothering To Actually Follow The Storyline Prescribed By The Source Material In The Slightest.

Not trying to be all anti-film about it. I'm not. I own the Extended Editions and enjoy them. But one would have to be doing some serious psychotropic drugs to claim that the film trilogy even resembled the book in feel, mood, style, or story. The only thing they seem to have in common is character names and basic plot.


Of course it can't be a film or trilogy...But many chapters from sillmarillion can be great triology spectacles for itselves...Story about Beren and Luthien,for example...I would personally like to see that one
I'd rather see something about Fingolfin. But I'm biased in that he's my favourite character (in the entire history of Middle-earth, not just in the Silm).

All things considered, though - it's not going to happen. None of the stories in the Silmarillion are long enough to fill out an hour and a half or more of film. The problem with that is that whoever was to make the film would have to 'fill in' the gaps. This could create wild inconsistencies, poor dialogue, dialogue that isn't true to the characters, and a number of other absurdities that I already got enough of from the LotR films.

However, if we could resurrect Tolkien for a little while to help create such a film -I'd be the first one at the theatre.
Forge not works of art but swords of death, for therein lies great art.
"The Gods made heavy metal and they saw that it was good." - Manowar
User avatar
leshrac
Villein
Posts: 27
Joined: Mon Aug 28, 2006 11:19 am
Location: Michigan

Post by leshrac »

In this order:

LotR, 13th Warrior, Conan the Barbarian ( the 2nd one was complete commercial trash), Barbarian Brothers, Braveheart.

Damien said
But one would have to be doing some serious psychotropic drugs to claim that the film trilogy even resembled the book in feel, mood, style, or story. The only thing they seem to have in common is character names and basic plot.
I have read LotR about 12 times and I have to disagree. Yeah some stuff was left out and yeah the "Arwen" character garbage is NOT what Tolkien wrote. However, I do believe Peter Jackson captured the feel and depth of the books. When you make a book to movie translation, you cant copy every miniscule event and hope to keep under buget. The movies were great and I think that Tolkien himself would have been impressed with them.
My dark age lasted 3 weeks back in 1996!
User avatar
Jacob C.
Councilor
Posts: 1028
Joined: Wed Nov 10, 2004 2:45 am
Location: The Queen City
Contact:

Post by Jacob C. »

Kingdom of Heaven, for instance, especially the Director's Cut, was absolutely fantastic.
I just recently bought the Dirctor's Cut.
I think the lead character, Balian, should have been played by someone else.
Orlando Bloom does a decent job but he doesn't rise to the level of "greatness."

Imagine if Russel Crowe was given that role! The movie would have won some Oscars, no doubt.


Did anyone mention the movie Willow?
I saw the movie a buncha times as a kid and I recently picked up the DVD. Its just as entertaining as it was 15 years ago!
Don't forget "The Messenger".

Sure, it was a movie about Joan of Arc. But it features some really nice castle shots, fortifications, and other items.
That movie was more historical fiction than reality but nonetheless, it was a very good movie.
[url=http://www.majhost.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?m=RabbitSpook]My Majhost Gallery[/url]

[url=http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?m=RabbitSpook]My Brickshelf Gallery[/url]
dJOLe_sk8
Artisan
Posts: 257
Joined: Fri Jun 02, 2006 6:45 pm
Location: Triballia

Post by dJOLe_sk8 »

Jacob C. wrote:Did anyone mention the movie Willow?
I saw the movie a buncha times as a kid and I recently picked up the DVD. Its just as entertaining as it was 15 years ago!.
Oh, how could I forget this... nice pointing Jacob C.
As I child I was always drawing that monstruos fire-breathing-two(or more?)-headed-dragon and those black trolls...
This is a real fantasy classic movie, I wish I find it on DVD
They didn't use much of special effects then, Warwick Davis is a real dwarf :)

Greetings from Serbia
User avatar
TheOrk
Master
Posts: 1755
Joined: Wed Sep 08, 2004 12:39 am
Location: Canada

Post by TheOrk »

If your all fans of old medieval movies. Go watch the movie "the Magic Sword" I think it came out around the early 70's, but I'm not sure. That movie was corny to the point of being a comedy.

They never used CGI special effects for the death scenes in that movie. The result was a lot more freaky/scary then in modern movies.
Avatar by Graynar
User avatar
El Mariachi
Laborer
Posts: 118
Joined: Mon Aug 21, 2006 10:59 am

Post by El Mariachi »

Monty Python and the Holy Grail Image
Last edited by El Mariachi on Fri Sep 01, 2006 11:43 am, edited 1 time in total.
"God is dead; but considering the state the species Man is in, there will perhaps be caves, for ages yet, in which his shadow will be shown"

Friederich Nietzsche
User avatar
kelderic
Knight Bannerett
Posts: 2583
Joined: Mon May 01, 2006 8:45 pm
Location: Indiana, USA
Contact:

Post by kelderic »

This would have to be Braveheart. It just goes to show, You dont mess with peasants.

Kelderic
Battling with college to try and prevent the dark age.
User avatar
TheOrk
Master
Posts: 1755
Joined: Wed Sep 08, 2004 12:39 am
Location: Canada

Post by TheOrk »

kelderic wrote:This would have to be Braveheart. It just goes to show, You dont mess with peasants.

Kelderic
Correction, that would be "you don't mess with scotsmen."

8)
Avatar by Graynar
User avatar
El Mariachi
Laborer
Posts: 118
Joined: Mon Aug 21, 2006 10:59 am

Post by El Mariachi »

TheOrk wrote:
kelderic wrote:This would have to be Braveheart. It just goes to show, You dont mess with peasants.

Kelderic
Correction, that would be "you don't mess with scotsmen."

8)
Double correction, that would be ''you don't mess with ANGRY scotsmen''

...

and Mel Gibson
"God is dead; but considering the state the species Man is in, there will perhaps be caves, for ages yet, in which his shadow will be shown"

Friederich Nietzsche
User avatar
TwoTonic Knight
TwoTonic of Many Colors
Posts: 1815
Joined: Thu Dec 04, 2003 11:33 pm
Location: The Lowest Pit of Megablocks

Post by TwoTonic Knight »

TheOrk wrote:If your all fans of old medieval movies. Go watch the movie "the Magic Sword" I think it came out around the early 70's, but I'm not sure. That movie was corny to the point of being a comedy.

They never used CGI special effects for the death scenes in that movie. The result was a lot more freaky/scary then in modern movies.
Gary Lockwood (2001: A Space Odessey) was the star of that stinker, which came out in the early 60's. Singularly awful. It featured perhaps the most lethergic dragon killing scene in all of cinema: Lockwood walks up in a bored fasion and with no preliminaries lazily one-thrusts the poor beastie (if you can call that a thrust, more of an anemic shove). I may be OVER-dramaticizing the scene with my description (I kid you not).
Redwine the Ribald: Stare long enough into the abyss...
Two-Tonic Tippler: ...and you spit into it.

[img]http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/corsair/C ... ippler.jpg[/img]
User avatar
g2
Sir Postsalot
Posts: 1053
Joined: Thu Feb 17, 2005 10:20 pm
Location: Melbourne, Australia - Age 38
Contact:

Post by g2 »

My favourite castle themed movies are (in no particular order):
  • Conan the Barbarian
    Conan the Destroyer
    Gladiator
    Robin Hood Prince of Thieves
    First Knight
    LOTR Trilogy
    Last Samurai
    A Knight's Tale
    The Court Jester
    The Holy Grail
    Dragon Heart
    The Name of the Rose
    Willow
    Red Sonja
    Ladyhawke
I would like to think that I am in the process of acquiring these on DVD for my collection. But alas real-world bills and payments usually get in the way. But maybe one day I will have all these in my collection.
Post Reply