Favorite Historical Films, Medieval Period

[r3volution 3.0]

This strikes me as an underserved period of history for film, so I'm wondering what you've found.

We'll loosely define "historical." The film must be set in the period, though it need not be aiming for complete accuracy.

Choose no more than 5.

I'm going with (in no particular order):

-Valhalla Rising
-Joan of Arc (1999)
-Robin Hood (2010)
-Braveheart
-Kingdom of Heaven

[A Son of Liberty]

Surprised The Name of the Rose was not included in your list.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091605/

[A Son of Liberty]

Also, the Brother Cadfael series was very good:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadfael

[fisharmor]

I haven't seen all but two of those... Braveheart was a great film but is historically schizophrenic.
Joan of Arc was... well I don't spend a lot of time thinking about it.

Here are some of my favorites.

In the Name of the Rose
The Falcon ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Falcon_(film) )
With Fire and Sword ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/With_F...d_Sword_(film) )
Heaven and Earth ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heaven...th_(1990_film) )
We'll throw the Mifune "Samurai" trilogy in there too... and of course the Seven Samurai, which is so good that I find "The Magnificent Seven" unwatchable.
Oh, yeah, I love me some The Secret of Kells

Those are the ones I would put first as they actually pay attention to accuracy (well, most of them).
The most accurate depiction of Western European armor in a medieval movie is Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Terry Jones has actually spent the back half of his life doing really great documentaries on pre-Renaissance Europe.

I do enjoy the occasional medievalesque fantasy film but I'm generally intolerant of celluloid mind dumps, no matter what the genre.

I enjoy the 13th Warrior, but seriously, a Viking in a Murmillo helmet?

Does anyone remember the 1991 Robin Hood movie that showed on Fox on TV? Any movie with Jurgen Prochnow as the bad guy isn't all bad.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_..._British_film)

[fisharmor]

Surprised The Name of the Rose was not included in your list.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091605/

+rep, I was still typing! LOL

[Zippyjuan]

Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

[euphemia]

Henry V, adapted from the Shakespeare play of the same title.

I still cry when I read the St. Crispin's Day speech from Act iv

If we are mark'd to die, we are enow
To do our country loss; and if to live,
The fewer men, the greater share of honour.
God's will! I pray thee, wish not one man more.
By Jove, I am not covetous for gold,
Nor care I who doth feed upon my cost;
It yearns me not if men my garments wear;
Such outward things dwell not in my desires.
But if it be a sin to covet honour,
I am the most offending soul alive.
No, faith, my coz, wish not a man from England.
God's peace! I would not lose so great an honour
As one man more methinks would share from me
For the best hope I have. O, do not wish one more!
Rather proclaim it, Westmorland, through my host,
That he which hath no stomach to this fight,
Let him depart; his passport shall be made,
And crowns for convoy put into his purse;
We would not die in that man's company
That fears his fellowship to die with us.
This day is call'd the feast of Crispian.
He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
Will stand a tip-toe when this day is nam'd,
And rouse him at the name of Crispian.
He that shall live this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
And say "To-morrow is Saint Crispian."
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars,
And say "These wounds I had on Crispin's day."
Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot,
But he'll remember, with advantages,
What feats he did that day. Then shall our names,
Familiar in his mouth as household words—
Harry the King, Bedford and Exeter,
Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester—
Be in their flowing cups freshly rememb'red.
This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be rememberèd-
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition;
And gentlemen in England now a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.

[A Son of Liberty]

Oh, yeah, I love me some The Secret of Kells

Well done, sir.

Not only a great animated feature, but also a really great way to introduce kids to medieval Irish culture... if there is such a need... lol

[A Son of Liberty]

Henry V, adapted from the Shakespeare play of the same title.

I still cry when I read the St. Crispin's Day speech from Act iv

If we are mark'd to die, we are enow
To do our country loss; and if to live,
The fewer men, the greater share of honour.
God's will! I pray thee, wish not one man more.
By Jove, I am not covetous for gold,
Nor care I who doth feed upon my cost;
It yearns me not if men my garments wear;
Such outward things dwell not in my desires.
But if it be a sin to covet honour,
I am the most offending soul alive.
No, faith, my coz, wish not a man from England.
God's peace! I would not lose so great an honour
As one man more methinks would share from me
For the best hope I have. O, do not wish one more!
Rather proclaim it, Westmorland, through my host,
That he which hath no stomach to this fight,
Let him depart; his passport shall be made,
And crowns for convoy put into his purse;
We would not die in that man's company
That fears his fellowship to die with us.
This day is call'd the feast of Crispian.
He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
Will stand a tip-toe when this day is nam'd,
And rouse him at the name of Crispian.
He that shall live this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
And say "To-morrow is Saint Crispian."
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars,
And say "These wounds I had on Crispin's day."
Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot,
But he'll remember, with advantages,
What feats he did that day. Then shall our names,
Familiar in his mouth as household words—
Harry the King, Bedford and Exeter,
Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester—
Be in their flowing cups freshly rememb'red.
This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be rememberèd-
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition;
And gentlemen in England now a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.

A great scene, and a great moment in film for Sir Kenneth Branagh.

[euphemia]

I first read that play back in high school. All these years later I still cry at this point.