For the first time, the term "Middle Ages" was used by Italian humanists of the 15th century. That is what they called the period of time that separates their era from classical antiquity. Its beginning and end are a time of strengthening and becoming the states of Europe, between which countless battles were fought. Films about medieval wars presented in this publication are dedicated to them.
The best of the best
Before proceeding to the consideration of paintings covering, to one degree or another, the battles that took place in that era, special attention should be paid to the best projects. So, the top films about medieval wars are as follows:
- “The Passion of Joan of Arc” (1928).
- “The Process of Joan of Arc” (1962).
- Excalibur (1981).
- “And trees grow on stones” (1985).
- The Kingdom of Heaven (2005).
- The Vikings (1958).
- The Crusaders (1960).
- “Tristan and Isolde” (2005).
- “Primordial Russia” (1985).
- “Flight of the Raven” (1983).
Presented top 10 films about medieval wars compiled on the basis of the rating of IMDb paintings.
The story of Arthur
The list of films about medieval wars would be most logical to start about the film works narrating about this famous ruler. Filming King Arthur (IMDb: 6.30), director Antoine Fucua attributes the action to the second half of the fifth century, considering this segment of the history of mankind a “dark Middle Ages”. The screenwriter David Franzoni, known to the viewer for his works “Gladiator” and “Hannibal”, was apparently obsessed with the heyday of ancient Rome. Therefore, he tried to transfer the tales of Arthur and his knights into a realistic, harsh context of the collapse of the great Roman Empire.
At the same time, the historical melodrama The First Knight (IMDb: 5.90) turned out to be a typically American film starring Richard Gere and Sean Connery. She says that it is not worth taking the wives of their kings and kneeling even before the most insidious and powerful rival. Despite the significant budget ($ 75 million), the tape failed at the US box office.
Form prevails over content
Creating films about medieval wars, authors sometimes do not adhere to historical facts. So, in the film directed by Kevin Reynolds “Tristan and Isolda” (IMDb: 6.90), based on the eponymous medieval legend, according to the ironic remark of one of the leading reviewers, the historical roles of Irish and British were reversed. The initiators of the aggressive actions turned out to be adherents of the defensive.
And in the aesthetic historical adventure film Excalibur (IMDb: 7.40), according to the critics, the form clearly prevails over the content. Director John Burman suppresses the viewer with his own vision, saturated with mythical power. He clearly aesthetizes, recreating the world of bygone times. This picture stands out from the entire filmography of the English director. She is the most stylistically generous and ambitious.
Films about Byzantium
When listing films about medieval wars, the Byzantine period should not be ignored. Pictures covering this subject have found a niche in the cinema. For example, the peplum Battle for Rome (IMDb: 6.30), directed by Robert Siodmak, E. Marton, and S. Nikolaescu. The latter two, for inexplicable reasons, are not indicated in the credits. Military-historical film drama clearly demonstrates the events of the Byzantine-Gothic wars. The film is based on the eponymous work of Felix Dan.
The journalistic picture of Archimandrite Tikhon (Shevkunov), the governor of the Moscow Sretensky Monastery, which caused widespread discussion in society, “The death of the empire. Byzantine lesson ”can also be classified as a category in which films about medieval wars are considered.
Domestic masterpieces
A large-format historical and adventure film directed by Gennady Vasiliev “Primordial Russia” (IMDb: 6.80) was set based on the works of Russian writer Valentin Ivanov. The plot is based on the life of one of the ancestors of the Eastern Slavs - the Ants in the VI century and their struggle with Byzantium and the Khazars.
Another Russian feature film is called The Knightly Romance (IMDb: 6.70). Released in 2000, the picture was shot based on the novel by W. Scott, "Count Robert of Paris." The story unfolds at the end of the XI century, during the first crusade. These two projects are the best domestic films about medieval wars.
Viking adventure
Most of the films about early medieval Scandinavian sailors are created in the adventure genre or in the action genre. The historical action movie The Vikings (IMDb: 7.10) was created by director Richard Fleisher. It is an adaptation of Edison Marshall's novel “The Viking”. The writer during the creation of the work took into account the ancient sagas about the ruler of the Danish Vikings Ragnar Lodbroke, his offspring and their conquests. A peculiar sequel to this tape can be considered the movie "Viking Ships", shot by Jack Cardiff.
The legendary adventure film “And trees grow on stones” (IMDb: 7.30) was created based on the story of Yu. Vronsky “The Extraordinary Adventures of Kuksha from Domovichi”. The project is a joint product of the Norwegian film company Norsk Film A / S and the film studio named after Gorky. The film was directed by Stanislav Rostotsky and Knut Andersen.
At the same time, the historical picture of Icelandic director Hrabn Gudnleugsson “Flight of the Raven” (IMDb: 6.80) tells about an insidious conspiracy that led to clashes between the two Viking communities and their merciless extermination.
Interpretations and remakes
A joint project between the United States and Ireland, the historical adventure film The Viking Sagas (IMDb: 4.10), was shot by Michael Chapman. It is a low-budget regular interpretation of the legend of Rurik, Oleg and their aggressive operations in the territories of the Eastern Slavs.
Modern films about medieval wars are often remakes of paintings from an earlier year of release. For example, the adventure thriller directed by Marcus Nispel, The Pathfinder (IMDb: 5.40), is a remake of the movie Explorer (1987). The story begins 600 years before Columbus arrived in North America. During the Viking raid, the little boy does not have time to return to the ship. He is left alone on the land of Aboriginal Indians. The tribe accepts and brings up the child. After 15 years, an adult warrior will again have to meet his relatives on the battlefield.
The project of Icelandic director Hrabn Gudnleugsson “Shadow of the Raven” (IMDb: 6.40) is not a direct continuation of the film “Flight of the Raven”. However, it is part of a series of works shot by Hrafn about the Icelandic Vikings.
About Joan of Arc
Surprisingly, the best films about medieval wars, according to their rating, tell a story related to the events of the Hundred Years War in France of the 15th century and the persona of a 19-year-old girl from Domremy. Three paintings of this subject have the same name:
- The historical short of Georges Méliès with an IMDb rating of 6.70 is the first film adaptation to tell the story of Jeanne. The premiere of the silent picture took place back in 1900.
- American historical project (1948) directed by Victor Fleming based on the script by Maxwell Anderson, having an IMDb rating of 6.50.
- The well-known historical drama from the meter directed by Luc Besson (IMDb: 6.40) with Milla Jovovich in the title role.
Film critics were praised for the paintings “The Process of Joan of Arc” (IMDb: 7.60) - the historical and biographical black and white drama of Robert Bresson. And also “The Passion of Joan of Arc” (IMDb: 8.40) - French silent psychological film by Carl Theodore Dreyer. These two projects are deservedly considered one of the universally recognized peaks of the global film industry.
About the Crusades
After the historical and epic project Kingdom of Heaven (IMDb: 7.20), directed by Ridley Scott, was released, Hollywood was overwhelmed with fashion for high-budget and large-scale historical blockbuster movie epics. Along with this, the film community recalled other works that illuminated the Crusades of Christians in Jerusalem. Among the most popular films in this area are feature films about the adventures of Arn — United Kingdom (IMDb: 6.60) and Templar Knight (IMDb: 6.60), based on the novels of Jan Guillau about the Templar Arne Magnusson.
The Polish film adaptation of the work of Henryk Sienkiewicz “Crusaders” (IMDb: 7.10) and the tape of Italian director Carlo Brahaglia “Liberated Jerusalem” are not inferior to them. A rather high rating is given by the film directed by Yousef Sahin “The Winner of Salladin” (IMDb: 8.10) about the conquest of Muslim lands by the soldiers of Jerusalem and almost the entire Middle East, and the preparation of the Third Crusade.
Reliability of historical events
Medieval wars of various sizes can be observed in feature films about Robin Hood, Genghis Khan and knights of all stripes. But if authenticity is important to the viewer, it is better not to spray on the feature film, but to watch documentaries about medieval wars. For example, "Times and Warriors" of Discovery Channel, "Conquest of 1453", "Ottoman Empire against Christians. The Battle of the Mediterranean ”,“ Templars. From History to Legend ”,“ Teutonic Knights ”,“ Great Warriors ”,“ Smolensk - Western Shield of Russia ”,“ 1631 - The Plunder of Magdeburg ”,“ The Greatest Battles in the History of Britain ”,“ Battle Fortresses ”,“ Crusades ”, "1529 - Siege of Vienna."