# Medieval Movies **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 6, 2003, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medieval-movies/153243 "2003-02-06T17:15:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2003, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medieval-movies/153243/21 "2003-02-06T18:59:47Z")
[Not a lot of sword and sorcery, but one of the best medieval movies ever made](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0050976) ---
**Author:** ![Kilt-wearin\_man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/82dd89/32.png) [@Kilt-wearin\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilt-wearin_man)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2003, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medieval-movies/153243/22 "2003-02-06T19:09:36Z")
**Conan the Barbarian** - pre-medieval, and not a lot of armor, but plenty of ass-kicking. And a second for **Flesh+Blood** - it has Rutger Hauer doing what he does best, and Jennifer Jason Leigh doing lots of things in not much clothing. ---
**Author:** ![dorkusmalorkusmafia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorkusmalorkusmafia/32/7266_2.png) [@dorkusmalorkusmafia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorkusmalorkusmafia)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2003, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medieval-movies/153243/23 "2003-02-06T19:10:52Z")
Hawk the Slayer is perhaps the most perfect movie out there ever. It takes itself completely seriously but is so campy and bad that it is a riot. I can only see how alcohol will improve this already perfect feature. It even has Jack Palance in it though he looks decades older than his father! ---
**Author:** ![Avalonian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@Avalonian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avalonian)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2003, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medieval-movies/153243/24 "2003-02-06T19:21:08Z")
One movie to avoid like the plague is the absolutely terrible _Druids_ with Chris Lambert. The fight scenes are an indistiguishable mess and the plot isn’t much better. Do **not** see this movie. You’ll want revenge on the makers of it… I certianly do. ---
**Author:** ![Tars\_Tarkas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tars\_Tarkas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tars_Tarkas)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2003, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medieval-movies/153243/25 "2003-02-06T19:29:52Z")
i liked Black Knight. Martin Lawrence is better when he has people to work off of, but he did pretty well in Black Knight. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2003, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medieval-movies/153243/26 "2003-02-06T19:43:06Z")
Two more nobody’s mentioned: Tarkovsky’s tremendous \*\*[Andrei Rublev\*\*](http://us.imdb.com/Details?0060107) and another Sean Connery vehicle, **The Name of the Rose**. And surprisingly, nobody’s mentioned the best Robin Hood, Errol Flynn’s **The Adventures of Robin Hood**. I suppose any version of _Othello_ or _Macbeth_ counts, too. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2003, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medieval-movies/153243/27 "2003-02-06T20:03:31Z")
How about springing **Prince Valiant** on everyone… [sub]OK, I’ll go now[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![yBeayf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/e274bd/32.png) [@yBeayf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yBeayf)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2003, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medieval-movies/153243/28 "2003-02-06T20:09:13Z")
I recommend Terry Gilliam’s **Jabberwocky**. Funny in parts, goodly amount of swordfighting, and it captures the feel of dark ages Europe better than any movie I’ve seen. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2003, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medieval-movies/153243/29 "2003-02-06T20:36:34Z")
I was going to mention **Jabberwocky** , but you beat me to it. It’s not that good a movie, but it was the first to portray the Middle Ages as being _dirty_ (in the literal term). Prior to that, everything was clean and you got the impression people bathed regularly. Gilliam made it clear they did not. Going back to a previous era, though, there’s **The Court Jester**. Completely innaccurate, of course, but very funny. Fill in the blank: “The pellet with the poison \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ .” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Katisha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bcef8e/32.png) [@Katisha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Katisha)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2003, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medieval-movies/153243/30 "2003-02-06T21:08:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Avalonian \* > \*\*Since nobody else has added it to the list, I nominate Ken Branagh’s _Henry V_. A good story, well-acted, and a great fight scene at the end. It pretty much fills the need for “guys in armor kicking the crap out of one another,” without being a “low-budget crapathon.” Of course, only watch it if you like Shakespeare (I happen to LOVE Shakespeare). \*\* Mmmmmmm…_Henry V_… **drools, a la Homer Simpson** Along those lines, I also highly recommend Orson Welles’ _Chimes at Midnight,_ which uses a composite text taken mostly from the _Henry IV_ plays, with some _Henry V_ and just a bit of _Richard II._ It focuses on the corpulent, cowardly yet supremely entertaining and larger than life Sir John Falstaff, and the breakdown of his relationship with Prince Hal, the future Henry V. It’s got a great cast – Welles plays Falstaff, and Sir John Gielgud is Henry IV – and the portrayal of the battle of Shrewsbury is easily as good as Branagh’s Agincourt (and coming from me this is _extremely_ high praise). Indeed, I think it was an influence, as there are some very similar shots… The one drawback, though, is that it’s _very_ hard to find. Though it turns up on ebay sometimes – that’s how I got my copy. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Katisha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bcef8e/32.png) [@Katisha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Katisha)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2003, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medieval-movies/153243/31 "2003-02-06T21:14:47Z")
As a side note, which I forgot to post, _Chimes_ is another movie I’m not sure would sit that well at a pizza and beer gathering. OTOH – Falstaff would approve… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2003, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medieval-movies/153243/32 "2003-02-06T21:22:19Z")
The 13th Warrior? Lord of the Rings? Brian ---
**Author:** ![keeper0](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@keeper0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/keeper0)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2003, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medieval-movies/153243/33 "2003-02-06T21:36:07Z")
I would go with The Court Jester as a way to appease those who are annoyed at not having The Holy Grail. Just as funny, and not so often repeated. “The pellet with the poison is in the vessel with the pestle, the flagon with the dragon has the brew that is true.” So, you have your light medieval one picked. Then you pick one for plot (such as Henry V) and one for all out action (say, Conan). ---
**Author:** ![Terrifel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c68b51/32.png) [@Terrifel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terrifel)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2003, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medieval-movies/153243/34 "2003-02-06T21:36:26Z")
If **Monty Python and the Holy Grail** is wearing a bit thin, why not substitute **Jabberwocky**? That way, you’ll still get your Python fix, or near as dammit. ---
**Author:** ![Terrifel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c68b51/32.png) [@Terrifel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terrifel)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2003, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medieval-movies/153243/35 "2003-02-06T21:38:33Z")
Unless someone or several someones already mentioned it while I wasn’t paying attention, in which case never mind. ---
**Author:** ![CBCD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@CBCD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CBCD)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2003, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medieval-movies/153243/36 "2003-02-06T21:58:27Z")
Pochacco mentioned **The Navigator** - I agree. Wonderful & moving. Medieval villagers must put a cross on top of a church steeple in a modern city to save their village from the plague. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2003, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medieval-movies/153243/37 "2003-02-06T21:59:58Z")
There are plenty of movies. Some that I have in my collection are A Knight’s Tale Excalibur The 13th Warrior Robin Hood Prince of Thieves Braveheart Conan Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon I’d also suggest The Seven Samurai ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2003, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medieval-movies/153243/38 "2003-02-06T22:11:28Z")
_Highlander_ (the original is the only one worth watching–stay away from the sequels) ---
**Author:** ![bonzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/45deac/32.png) [@bonzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bonzer)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2003, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medieval-movies/153243/39 "2003-02-06T23:02:50Z")
The best selection of medieval films is surely that compiled, with commentary, by medieval historian Paul Halsall as [part](http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/medfilms.html) of his [Medieval Sourcebook](http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/sbook.html). ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2003, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medieval-movies/153243/40 "2003-02-07T00:14:21Z")
Early on in this thread someone mentioned **The Sword and the Sorceror**. I second the motion. Not that it would win any awards, but it is highly entertaining and Lee Horsley had quite a body. I suppose Kathleen Beller did too but that’s not the way I lean. As was said, it does have every fantasy movie cliche ever. But I like it at the end, when Alanna turns to Tallon and says" Don’t we have some business to transact?" Oh heck, just watch the movie, it’s fun. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medieval-movies/153243.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medieval-movies/153243.md?page=3)