Mixed tape movies - Medieval movies

In the eighties it was the-thing-to-do to make a mixed tape (like an mp3 but touchable, always in need of a pencil and definitely cooler). On it you would make a little playlist of all the cool songs. Now the trick was to make each song correspond with the rest of the tape. In this post I will try to do the same with movies.

Every once in a while I will select a general topic and select movies to accompany it. As you can see the more child-friendly movies are at the start of the day, but  when night falls: ‘here be monsters’. Please feel free to give suggestions of other unknown movies.

One rule though: Auteur themes like ‘Shakespeare’ or ‘James Bond’ are not allowed. ‘Spy-movies’, naturally, are.

Theme: Medieval movies.

A king on a throne. Dragons and fair maidens. A duel between the dark knight and the knight in shining armor. So many stories to tell about those dark fairytale times when chivalry was still (somewhat) of a thing. So here's my little selection of medieval movies:

08:00-10:00         

Disney’s the sword in the stone: “Transport me to Bermuda.”

This wonderful (slightly tacky animated -due to the Xerox technique) humor filled movie is a must see for everybody with a heart. It’s the Arthurian legend with some common sense thrown into the mix. Keep watching for madam Mim. I quote her regularly when I’m ill “I HATE sunshine!”

There is actually are rather big fan community who wishes to couple Arthur and the squirrel girl. I’m not joking. Fan fiction/art and all.

10:00-12:00        

Ronja Rövardotter: Imagine a castle on a mountain peak that has been torn apart by a chasm. On one side lives one clan of people constantly fighting with the clan on the other side. Ronja is from the left side and she befriends a boy from the right side. It’s the simplest of stories but add some trolls, goblins, witches and Astrid Lindgren’s fantastic storytelling to the mix and you’ve got a great children’s movie.

12:00-14:00        

Dragonheart: Sean –James Bond- Connery as a Dragon! ‘Till this day the CGI still holds up. And with it the movie tells a thrilling tale of a dragon who shares his heart with a wicked king. The music is great. The acting is great. And Pete Postlethwaite plays a cheeky priest. Christmas. 

          

14:00-16:00 

Ladyhawk: A darker medieval fairytale. Two lovers: by witchcraft one is a bird by day, the other a wolf by night – never to be together. The movie is a bit too cold to care for the characters (and the bloodshed doesn’t help) but the basic conundrum makes you want to watch it to the end.

16:00-17:00         

Tristian and Isolde: I’m biased. I saw this movie at a sneak preview with a hilarious couple of girls beside me – laughing all the way through this sad tale. Basically it’s Romeo and Juliet before Shakespeare; it doesn’t end happily. But it’s a fun watch with some great chemistry and acting.    

17:00-19:00         

Monty Python and the Holy Grail: Ahh the legend. So many jokes. So tremendously insane. Soooo quotable. Just watch it. This is Monty Python at its best: “I’m being oppressed!”

19:00-21:00

The Last legion: Like Tristian and Isolde a new take on an old legend. This time it is the Arthurian legend (again) with the backdrop of the fall of the Roman Empire. It might be a bit bland, or seen-this-before-done-better, for some. But overall it is an interesting movie to watch.

21:00-23:00

Kingdom of heaven: Watch the director’s cut –it’s far better than the original! This movie was ‘sold’ as Scott’s return to Gladiator. Don’t look at it that way. Watch it as a highly intriguing history lesson about the crusades. The madness we did then (in name of God), we still do today on a daily basis.

           

23:00-01:00         

Braveheart: Time hasn’t been kind to Braveheart. Numerous movies have taken bits from this classic and repeated them over and over again until the effect was lost. Nonetheless this movie still stands tall as one of the greatest medieval pictures in the world today. Helped by the fantastic soundtrack (the ‘love theme’) it tells the story of people who want to be free from oppression. A righteous goal that comes with a heavy price. 

01:00-03:00

Ironclad: A true insight in the cruelty of medieval warfare. A castle is besieged – how to defend it? This movie doesn’t hold any punches. If the best way to defeat an enemy is to slash your sword half-way through him – so be it! Ironclad is a testosterone-filled bloodshed of a movie. But also one of the few that shows the audience what wartime was like in the middle-ages. If you like your horrors to be ‘ghosts’ and ‘supernatural serial killers’, think again. True horror will always be found in the sword of the other man!

Honorable mentions:

Any Shakespeare play: Obviously. 
Disney's Robin Hood: A great telling of the classic tale. Just the opening theme song alone.
The seventh seal: A fantastic movie - but better placed in another theme.
The name of the rose: The book is quite the read (if you can get through it). The movie is strong in its own right. I hated to leave it out, so I'll probably return to this theme for a second installment in due time.