15 great films set at the Middle Ages
Historical Middle Ages. This means not Fantasy Middle Ages, not Tudor England, not Edo Japan, not Peplum films.
In other words, Europe 450-1450; Japan 1100-1600.
Of course it does not include several great films I have not seen.
In other words, Europe 450-1450; Japan 1100-1600.
Of course it does not include several great films I have not seen.
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15 titles
- DirectorIngmar BergmanStarsMax von SydowGunnar BjörnstrandBengt EkerotA knight returning to Sweden after the Crusades seeks answers about life, death, and the existence of God as he plays chess against the Grim Reaper during the Black Plague.A knight, Death, the Plague, philosophical meandering, Ingmar Bergman. How more Medieval can you get?
- DirectorDaniel VigneStarsGérard DepardieuNathalie BayeMaurice BarrierIn medieval France, some villagers challenge a man's claim of identity when he (as he says) returns home from some time in the army.A tale of love, deception, sacrifice and the importance of the village life. Whoever thought a remake set in XIX USA was a good idea was boujnd for failure..
- DirectorSergei EisensteinStarsNikolay CherkasovLyudmila TselikovskayaSerafima BirmanDuring the early part of his reign, Ivan the Terrible faces betrayal from the aristocracy and even his closest friends as he seeks to unite the Russian people.The end of an era, and the beginning of another one, masterfully told by Eisenstein. I'd include Ivan Groznyy II (1958) as a second part of a long film.
- DirectorOtakar VávraStarsVladimír SmeralElo RomancikJosef KemrIn the 1600s, an overzealous clergy hauls innocent women in front of tribunals, forces them to confess to imaginary witchery, and engages in brutal torture and persecution of their subjects.A gripping tale of how, with very Medieval methods of terror, a new ruling class can take power. Also, a brave allegory of Stalinism in occupied Czechoslovakia.
- DirectorAndrei TarkovskyStarsAnatoliy SolonitsynIvan LapikovNikolay GrinkoThe life, times and afflictions of the fifteenth-century Russian iconographer St. Andrei Rublev.God and pain and redemption in an incredible tour de force, set in early XV Century Russia.
- DirectorAkira KurosawaStarsTatsuya NakadaiAkira TeraoJinpachi NezuIn Medieval Japan, an elderly warlord retires, handing over his empire to his three sons. However, he vastly underestimates how the new-found power will corrupt them and cause them to turn on each other...and him.The darkest King Lear, set in medieval Japan. The ending scene is the most hopeless one ever put on film.
- DirectorPier Paolo PasoliniStarsHugh GriffithLaura BettiNinetto DavoliPasolini's artistic, sometimes violent, always vividly cinematic retelling of some of Chaucer's most erotic tales.Passolini as Chaucer. Fun to watch Middle Ages. Yes, people strived for life, sex, fun. They were vulgar, and shrewd, and naive.
- DirectorRichard LesterStarsSean ConneryAudrey HepburnRobert ShawRobin Hood, aging none too gracefully, returns exhausted from the Crusades to woo and win Maid Marian one last time.Love trascends all ages. We gotta agree on that. Great acting, also.
- DirectorMasahiro ShinodaStarsDavid LampsonDon KennyTetsurô TanbaTwo Jesuit priests encounter persecution when they travel to Japan in the 17th century to spread Christianity and to locate their mentor.A political, religious and existential drama unveils in XVI Century Japan. Another unforgettable ending (I saw the film 45 years ago, and haven't seen the Scorsese remake).
- DirectorSergei EisensteinDmitriy VasilevStarsNikolay CherkasovNikolai OkhlopkovAndrei AbrikosovThe story of how a great Russian prince led a ragtag army to battle an invading force of Teutonic Knights.The Battle in the Ice. That must be the best battle sequence ever filmed. Not to speak about the political power of the film.
- DirectorRichard DonnerStarsPaul WalkerGerard ButlerBilly ConnollyA group of archaeologists get embroiled in an adventure where they must travel back in time to 14th Century France, to save their professor before the French battle the English at Castlegard. If they fail, they won't be able to return.An underrated movie, in my opinion. The dream of a historian becomes a nightmare... or truly a dream come true.
There is actually good historical research behind this film. - DirectorAkira KurosawaStarsToshirô MifuneMisa UeharaMinoru ChiakiLured by gold, two greedy peasants unknowingly escort a princess and her general across enemy lines.Much, much more that the inspiration for the R2D2 and C3PO characters.
- DirectorMel GibsonStarsMel GibsonSophie MarceauPatrick McGoohanScottish warrior William Wallace leads his countrymen in a rebellion to free his homeland from the tyranny of King Edward I of England.A good and honest action film.
- DirectorAnthony HarveyStarsPeter O'TooleKatharine HepburnAnthony Hopkins1183 A.D.: King Henry II's three sons all want to inherit the throne, but he won't commit to a choice. When he allows his imprisoned wife Eleanor of Aquitaine out for a Christmas visit, they all variously plot to force him into a decision.Very medieval court politics in XII Century England. Great performances all around.
- DirectorBrian HelgelandStarsHeath LedgerMark AddyRufus SewellAfter his master dies, a peasant squire, fueled by his desire for food and glory, creates a new identity for himself as a knight.OK, the film starts with Queen, the music group, and it doesn't even pretend to be historically accurate. But it works, with some Medieval charm and way of seeing things included.