Good Medieval or Knightly movies?

[Zixinus]

I just saw the Seventh Seals. It profoundly lacks knightly combat, but if you're interested in a look into the genuine medieval outlook mixed with some philosophy, that is the film for you.

[Lord Insanity]

Its probably classed as too early period wise, but there's also the rather mediocre (In my opinion) King Arthur. The best part of that film in my opinion was Hans Zimmers score.

Are you talking about the one that featured Maid Marian as some pagan warrior woman? Because that one was easily forgettable.

If you watch King Arthur make it the unrated director's cut. The PG-13 cut is crap. If you are looking for action over story you will find King Arthur to be quite good. The director's cut's story is actually fairly good for a mindless action movie. I find it a far more compelling take on the Camelot myth than First Knight or Excalibur.

[The Yosemite Bear]

no knights but...

The Name of the Rose.

[Bob the Gunslinger]

Thanks for all the replies and discussion, everybody. I now have a few titles queued up on Netflix. I'll list some of the movies I've chosen and why, and if you really disagree with my evaluations, feel free to tell me why. I don't want to waste time watching a movie that sucks, or miss out on a good one for a bad reason. Also, you might be able to make recommendations based on the types of films I am or am not interested in seeing.

Movies I've chosen to see:

Kingdom of Heaven, Director's Cut. I've heard too many times that I should watch the movie, so I'll give it a try.

A Knight's Tale. It seems fun.

Excalibur. I barely remember seeing it, but I enjoyed it.

Dragonslayer. One of my favorite movies when I was young, although all I really remember is the dragon.

Dragonheart. I love dragons, so I'll finally give it a chance.

Alexander Nevsky. Sounds awesome.

Merlin: the series. I'll watch it just to see Sam Neill.

LadyHawke. I know I've seen it before but I can't remember anything about it. I guess I'll see it again.

The Flight of Dragons. This movie isn't even out on DVD, so I'll have to watch it on Youtube. But I'm really looking forward to seeing it again.


My "maybe" list:

First Knight. Was it really worth watching? I remember this movie being something of a bomb.

Seventh Seal. You mean the classic film by Bergman? Or is this the movie that had Johnny Depp in it? What is it even about?

Lion in Winter. It sounds like a finely-crafted, dramamtic and moving film. I'm not sure that that's what I'm after right now. I would rather see something fun. Is this movie fun?

Highlander. I've always loved the movie and often the show, but it's not quite what I'm looking for...maybe.

Flesh and Blood. I love Verhoeven's work, but I am squeamish about rape scenes, so I don't know if I want to see this.


"No thanks":

13th Warrior. Wasn't this written by Michael Crichton? The only person I know in reality who likes this film has absolutely terrible taste.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail. I've seen this way too many times.

Robin Hood: POS. Yeaaaah...."No thanks."

Robin Hood (anything). You know, I'm just not a fan.

King Arthur. I'm not a big fan of the "revisionist" angle I've heard this movie took, and I can't stand the sight of Keira Knightly. I'll have to pass.

Joan of Arc. I can't watch another Malkovich movie so soon after Eragon. Or probably ever again.

Braveheart. I used to love this film, when I was young. Now I can't really sit through it. Also, Mel Gibson is a douchebag and I can't separate that fact from my ability to appreciate his performances.

Am I wrong here?

[Stofsk]

"No thanks":

13th Warrior. Wasn't this written by Michael Crichton? The only person I know in reality who likes this film has absolutely terrible taste.

I like The 13th Warrior. I thought it was a good movie, and Antonio Banderas is cool in it.

And is it scary that I completely agree with you on Braveheart? I used to love that movie a lot, but since Mel came out as being a tremendous wanker, I haven't been able to watch any of his films. Similarly with other actors too, who are assholes in real life.

[CaptainChewbacca]

Go rent Outlander. Vikings vs. Neanderthals? PAH!

Vikings vs. Aliens is where it's at.

[Bob the Gunslinger]

Do the aliens have any kind of technology, or are they just orcs from another planet? What makes Outlander interesting?

[Tsyroc]

Flesh and Blood (aka Flesh+Blood). I like this movie too. It definitely does not sugar coat medieval times. IIRC it was Paul Verhoven's first English Language movie. It stars Rutger Hauer and Jennifer Jason Leigh.

It's not really knightly or medieval, being set in the Renaissance period, and it's definitely not for the fainthearted; there was a rather graphic rape scene IIRC.

Good point about the time frame and not being knightly.

The movie is pretty graphic in many different ways.

The rape scene isn't particularly violent but I found it pretty disturbing regardless.


So I'd say scratch this one from the list based on the original post's criteria.

[Tsyroc]

Do the aliens have any kind of technology, or are they just orcs from another planet? What makes Outlander interesting?

One alien does start out with technology. The other doesn't have any, nor really need it.

I liked this movie a lot, but as an FYI the reason it was mentioned in comparison with the Thirteenth Warrior is that it is another movie making up a story as an interesting basis for the Beowulf myth.

[CaptainChewbacca]

Do the aliens have any kind of technology, or are they just orcs from another planet? What makes Outlander interesting?

Its basically a reinterpretation of Beowulf, where the monster is an alien and Beowulf is an alien warrior (who looks human) who helps the local vikings kill it.

[Zixinus]

Seventh Seal. You mean the classic film by Bergman? Or is this the movie that had Johnny Depp in it? What is it even about?

The classic film by Bergman. I was unaware about a movie involving Johnny Depp.

The film is about a knight and his squire returning home after the crusades, only to find that his home is ravished by the black plaque (a "slight" anachronism, yes). Just as he arrives, he finds Death waiting for him and ready to take him away. However, the knight challenges to a game of chess, which he heard Death enjoys immensely. This is so.
The knight wants to return to his home. On his way, he meets a small travelling troop and a village, that pilgrims visit.

The film is primarily philosophical, hence the lack of swordfights. While the squire and the knight have some modern outlooks, the rest of the cast isn't.
Strangely, I find this version of death the most menacing, much more so than your typical skeleton.

[charlemagne]

I like The 13th Warrior. I thought it was a good movie, and Antonio Banderas is cool in it.

Seconded; historical accuracy aside, it's a nice take on how myths get started (e.g. the whole "dragon" thing). Also, learned Arab teaches Barbarian to "paint sounds"!

Re "The First Knight" - man, that movie did not age well. I recently catched it on TV, and found the fight scenes are quite painful to watch.

[Coyote]

The 13th Warrior was fine. People dis it so they can seem all hoidy-toidy while drinking their tea with their pinkies sticking out. Seriously, it's fun and there's no reason it can't be enjoyed.

[His Divine Shadow]

I'm not sure since I've never seen the movie but my mom used have a new years tradition of always watching Ivanhoe and I distinctly remember it being pretty medieval, not sure if there where a lot of knights in it.

[Guardsman Bass]

13th Warrior. Wasn't this written by Michael Crichton? The only person I know in reality who likes this film has absolutely terrible taste.

I love that movie (more than I like the book, although historical accuracy issues aside it was an interesting deviation from Crichton's usual "Don't play God" works). Some of the scenes in particular are excellent, including the fights with Banderas.

Then again, it's not really a knightly movie, seeing as how it takes place amongst in the 8th century with an Arab dude and a bunch of scandinavian viking-equivalents.

[The Yosemite Bear]

though not knightly, how about "The Name of The Rose", it's certinly medival. And it's one of my favorite period murder mysteries.

[The Dark]

13th Warrior. Wasn't this written by Michael Crichton? The only person I know in reality who likes this film has absolutely terrible taste.

I love that movie (more than I like the book, although historical accuracy issues aside it was an interesting deviation from Crichton's usual "Don't play God" works). Some of the scenes in particular are excellent, including the fights with Banderas.

Then again, it's not really a knightly movie, seeing as how it takes place amongst in the 8th century with an Arab dude and a bunch of scandinavian viking-equivalents.

Banderas' character seems to be based off Ahmad ibn Rustah, a tenth-century Persian explorer who traveled with the Rus to Novgorod and wrote of all the peoples he encountered. He was familiar enough with the British Isles to mention the Heptarchy.

One I like is El Cid, with Sophia Loren and Charlton Heston.

As long as you're willing to overlook a single laughable myth (jus primus noctae), The Warlord with Heston's pretty good too.

For Medieval Japan (not European knightly, but some of the ideas can carry over), Ran is Kurosawa's adaptation of King Lear. Betrayal and war in Japan.

I know you don't like Robin Hood, but give the 1938 The Adventures of Robin Hood a try - it has Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, and Basil Rathbone. Flynn and Rathbone were the two best actors of the swashbuckling era.

Finally, though it's probably more early Renaissance, I still can't believe nobody's mentioned Princess Bride. The fencing scenes would fit for late Medieval urban areas, and it's just too damn quotable for its own good.

[Commander 598]

13th Warrior. Wasn't this written by Michael Crichton? The only person I know in reality who likes this film has absolutely terrible taste.

I love that movie (more than I like the book, although historical accuracy issues aside it was an interesting deviation from Crichton's usual "Don't play God" works). Some of the scenes in particular are excellent, including the fights with Banderas.

Then again, it's not really a knightly movie, seeing as how it takes place amongst in the 8th century with an Arab dude and a bunch of scandinavian viking-equivalents.

Banderas' character seems to be based off Ahmad ibn Rustah, a tenth-century Persian explorer who traveled with the Rus to Novgorod and wrote of all the peoples he encountered. He was familiar enough with the British Isles to mention the Heptarchy.

Banderas' character was Ahmad ibn Fadlan. While his accounts may be somewhat dubious or exaggerated, likely due to his career as a writer, he was an actual person who did travel into present day Russia.

[Styphon]

For Medieval Japan (not European knightly, but some of the ideas can carry over), Ran is Kurosawa's adaptation of King Lear. Betrayal and war in Japan.

Um...

Lion in Winter. It sounds like a finely-crafted, dramamtic and moving film. I'm not sure that that's what I'm after right now. I would rather see something fun. Is this movie fun?

Ran is not fun. It's very well made, and very good at what it does, but what it does is cause horrible nihilistic depression (YMMV, etc.). Do watch it some time, but don't watch it during your current happy knightly film spree.

[Patrick Degan]

For Medieval Japan (not European knightly, but some of the ideas can carry over), Ran is Kurosawa's adaptation of King Lear. Betrayal and war in Japan.

Um...

Lion in Winter. It sounds like a finely-crafted, dramamtic and moving film. I'm not sure that that's what I'm after right now. I would rather see something fun. Is this movie fun?

Ran is not fun. It's very well made, and very good at what it does, but what it does is cause horrible nihilistic depression (YMMV, etc.). Do watch it some time, but don't watch it during your current happy knightly film spree.

Agreed. I'd go with Kagemusha rather than Ran —though the ending to that one's a bit of a downer as well.

[Patrick Degan]

Here's a video link to Alexander Nevsky at videosoft.com. It is full-length but poor in quality (though watchable). Mainly, the soundtrack is a bit out-of-synch with the footage. But you'll still get the full sweep of the movie. The Battle of the Lake, taking up about 23 minutes, is easily the most impressive sequence of the film.

Two errors on my part in describing this film: it came out in 1938, five years earlier than I thought, and the Teutonic Knights did not have swastikas emblazoned on their surcoats —though they are incorporated in the mitre of the archbishop accompanying the invading army. Eisenstein did intend the movie as anti-German propaganda, seeing them as an inevitable invader. It was shelved when the Non Aggression Pact was signed but distributed widely after the Germans invaded.

[wautd]

I enjoyed watching Wilhelm Tell during my childhood. Not a movie but a 80's TV series. Not sure how well it has aged though.

edit: hold on, I always called it wilhelm tell but it's acutallly named Crossbow.

PS. I freaking loved the opening song