© RafaÅ‚ BorysÅ‚awski
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The Middle Ages Go Pop: Visions of Medieval Women, Monstrosities and the
Supernatural in Cinema  a Subjective Overview.
The Middle Ages on film (beginnings)
" popularity of Shakespearean battle scenes in 19th c. theatre  living tableaux on stage.
" silent Robin Hoods with Robert Fraser (1912) and Douglas Fairbanks (1922)
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=robin+hood+1922
" Expressionist and silent La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc (1927-8)  initially caused uproar
in Britain.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQAchMdy__8
" In dialogue with it Luc Besson s The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1999).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gv2p2WZoUE
The cinematicity of the Middle Ages: their popularity with filmmakers (in various types
of films)  several examples.
" Biopics and historical films& The Lion in Winter (Anthony Harvey, 1968); Kingdom
of Heaven (Ridley Scott, 2005).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cVwBjwRGgg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oO6pCRe3pM
" Inspired by literary works: Ivanhoe (1952); The Canterbury Tales (Pier P. Pasolini,
1972); The Name of the Rose (J. Annaud, 1986)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSAKwwsjmZg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-yYJgpQ-CE
" Robin Hood films: R.H., Prince of Thieves (Kevin Reynolds, 1991); Robin Hood
(Ridley Scott, 2010)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJx6Nk2Y2BQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2kQ7Spm5fo
" Arthuriana: Knights of the Round Table (R. Thorpe, 1952); Merlin (S. Barron, 1988);
King Arthur (A. Fuqua, 2004).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlG2H2FTSOQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_c5cwUKtl0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqZh1tg_bF4
" Norse Opera and Vikings: The Vikings (R. Fleisher, 1958); The Norsemen (c. Pierce,
1978 with Lee Majors moustache); Valhalla Rising (N.W. Refn, 2009).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hyk9UScz4_8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7kf-nV_E5Y
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQgoGccHJD4
" The comic Middle Ages: Monty Python and the Holy Grail (T. Gilliam, 1975); R.H.:
Men in Tights (M. Brooks, 1993).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKNDml12Big
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7Hgm_Vv7a8
" Middle Ages and fantasy: Willow (G. Lucas, 1988); Highlander (R. Mulcahy, 1986).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzn2izehkno
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSZ0gxh2ZKQ
Visions of medieval women in cinema: between sexuality (vulnerable and militant),
spirituality (also vulnerable and militant) and monstrosity. Paradoxically a "medieval
perspective.
© RafaÅ‚ BorysÅ‚awski
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The Viking's Daughter: The Story of the Ancient Norsemen (1908): A Saxon prisoner
rescues his Viking's captor's daughter, resulting in his freedom and their marriage.
Dir. by J. Stuart Blackton, starring Florence Lawrence (as Thecla, the Viking s daughter)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0000781/
The Viking Queen (1967), set in Roman Britain, Romans, Celts (+druids) and Vikings (?) all
mixed up. Boudica presented as a Viking queen (???). Skimpy dressed women and
violence.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUb3PiCIZp0
Feminine inner worlds and spirituality.
" the Joan of Arc films;
" Marketa Lazarova (Frantia
ek Vlá%0Å„il, 1967, CZ)  a nightmarish /dream vision
representation of the ruthlessness of medieval power relations (gender and society). A
nobleman s daughter is kidnapped by a rougue knight and is forced to serve as his
mistress
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g04DeqQK3hE
" Anchoress (Chris Newby, 1993), based on the life of a 14th c. female anchoress
(Christine Carpenter), a Marian visionary walled into a church. Powerfully
atmospheric, shot in b-w.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106271/
Medieval monsters: inspired (?) by Beowulf.
" The Thirteenth Warrior (1999), dir. by John McTiernan, with Antonio Banderas and
Vladimir Kulich as Buliwyf.
Based on Michael Crichton s Eaters of the Dead (multiple Grendels as based upon the
Neanderthal man theory).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nkTZKiOLzI
" Beowulf (1999), dir. by Graham Baker, with Christopher Lambert, "takes place in a
post-apocalyptic, techno-feudal future that owes more to Mad Max than Beowulf.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYZSz44C_DY
" A Grendel from the outer space: Outlander (2008), dir. by Howard McCain. A
combination of sci-fi and popmedieval violence inspired by Beowulf ("Beowulf meets
Predator ).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9e3ejuR4L1A |
" Black Death (Christopher Smith, 2010), a horror film inspired by the plague: satanism
and the undead roam a village spared from the affliction.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sj3Jw1DLGpA
Finally, let us not forget about them dragons in films.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRjSw-4qcgM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKiYuIsPxYk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvaiQFr85wg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KA8Qkw3nks