Why are people interested in plague films in the Middle Ages? You must admit that it’s quite interesting and exciting to look at the life of people during the dark period, when the “phantom of death” literally breathed in the back of every person and there was no way to escape: neither money nor communication could defeat the terrible disease. Ten of the best and most interesting films about the plague in the Middle Ages in the list below.
1. “The navigator. Medieval Odyssey »
This film was shot in 1988 by the joint forces of Australia and New Zealand. The director was Vincent Ward, best known as the author of the film “Where Dreams May Come”.
The action takes place in England in 1348. No one suspects that a terrible disease, already approaching from the east, is about to fall on the country. No one? No, hey, there was a boy in one English village who predicted future terrible times. His name is Griffin, he is a seer, and several residents of this village entrust their fate to his hands. Through his visions, the boy learns that for salvation it is necessary to reach the "end of the world." A group of desperate travelers set off, but when they reached this very edge, they suddenly found themselves in modern New Zealand. You should not disclose the main intrigue of the film in advance, however, the heroes will more than once be transferred back and forth in time.
2. "Piper of the flutist"
This film about the plague epidemic in the Middle Ages was shot in 1972, and the leading roles were played by the famous musician Donovan, as well as the famous English actors John Hurt and Jack Wilde. The plot of the Anglo-American film, which was shot by the cult French director Jacques Demy, takes place in medieval Germany in 1349. The pharmacist is trying to find a cure for the disease, the church accuses him of the Black Book, and only one minstrel, which appeared from nowhere, offers the townspeople salvation. It is known that the main carriers of the plague were rats, and this young man promised (for a fee, of course) to take away all the rats from the city with his flute. It was only after the rats that the music of the minstrel carried away all the young children from the city ...
3. "Bloody fists"
This Hong Kong film about plague in the Middle Ages, like the previous one, was shot in 1972. The director was Ng Siyuen, author of such iconic martial arts films as The Drunken Master, The Snake in the Shadow of an Eagle, and The Blood Moon.
The plot of the film takes the viewer to medieval China, where the unique Dragon grass grows. Plague is raging in China and Japan, and only this herb can save dying residents. It is for this grass that a group of Japanese bandits comes to a Chinese village, wanting to force the locals to show the location of a valuable plant. But the whole village, including a fugitive criminal who sacrifices his life for the sake of saving the rightful owners of the medicine and his fellow tribesmen, defends the grass of the Dragon.
4. "The Tale of Wanderings"
Not many people know, but there is also Soviet cinema on the theme of the plague and the Middle Ages. This film was shot by the joint efforts of the USSR, Czechoslovakia and Romania in 1983. The director was Alexander Mitta, and the leading roles were played by famous actors Andrei Mironov, Tatyana Aksyuta, Vladimir Basov, Lev Durov, Veniamin Smekhov and others. The picture unfolds in an uncertain European medieval country, where the plague epidemic is just beginning and scary costumes of plague doctors are found everywhere. The villain abducts the Mayan boy, who has the magical gift of finding gold. His sister Marta goes in search of, and the philosopher-doctor Orlando helps her in this. He dies, sacrificing himself to the allegorical witch Plague. Ten years later, Maya enters the kingdom of a cruel prince, in which he recognizes his brother.
5. “Healer: Apprentice of Avicenna”
The German film about plague in the Middle Ages of 2013 tells about England of the XI century, when a terrible disease has not yet arisen as an epidemic, only occasionally found in some residents. Such a victim of a strange illness was the mother of the future hero of the film, Rob Cole - no one could understand why she died, and therefore her son decided to devote his life to the study of human bodies, diseases and how to treat them. He becomes a student of Avicenna, a doctor and aristotelian of Persian origin, who actually existed at that time.
The director of the picture was Philip Steltzl, almost unknown outside of Germany. This film put him in the ranks of capable directors. One of the main roles in the film was played by the famous English actor Ben Kingsley.
6. “Flesh and Blood”
This film about the plague in the Middle Ages of 1985 was shot with the participation of the United States, Spain and the Netherlands in the Spanish fortress of Belmonte. The film was directed by Paul Verhoeven, best known for his films “Robocop” and “Basic Instinct”.
The main roles were played by the big stars of the 80s Rutger Hauer and Jennifer Jason Lee. The action takes place in 1501, in a castle abandoned after the recently completed plague epidemic. Against the background of the war and the capture of the fortress, a love story and a story of passion unfold: the main character has to make a choice between two men. The film, which received a strict rating of X in the American box office and 18+ in the British, was one of the first to show extremely frank scenes of blood, violence and sex against the backdrop of medieval history. Subsequently, “Flesh and Blood” will be called the great-grandfather of the cult series “Game of Thrones”.
7. The Seventh Seal
This is the oldest and most iconic film about the bubonic plague in the Middle Ages. It was filmed in 1957 by the cult Swedish director Ingmar Bergman.
XIV century, the knight Antonius and his faithful squire return from the Crusade, but suddenly Death arises in their path. Antonius invites her to play a game of chess, putting his life at stake. The game is periodically interrupted and continues again, and the knight Antonius continues his journey, in clashes with different people, trying to find the answer to the question: “Is there a God?” and whether there was at least some sense in his own existence. As a result, Blok loses the game, but saves one person from death by outsmarting Death. The film ends with a philosophical picture in which death takes away all the knight’s companions, and they move away from the dawn.
8. "Black death"
In 1992, the film about the plague in the Middle Ages called "Black Death" wanted to shoot according to the script Dario Poloni. However, for some reason, the project was not implemented and, in anticipation of its time, the script lay until 2010. Then the director Christopher Smith, the author of such films as “Labyrinth”, “Bypass”, “Creep”, undertook it.
The main roles in the film of British-German production were performed by the famous actors Sean Bean and Eddie Redmeind. The plot unfolds in medieval England in the midst of a plague epidemic. Rumor has it that one of the villages was not affected by the plague, as its inhabitants decided to renounce God. A young monk named Osmund invites the Inquisitors to show the way to this village to find out the reason. In this film, the Middle Ages is completely devoid of romanticism, the dirt, cruelty and darkness of minds prevailing in this difficult time are very realistically shown.
9. "Time of the Witches"
This film about the plague in the Middle Ages of 2010 put forward an unusual version of what was happening in those days. It is known that many ministers of the church and ordinary people believed that the plague was the machinations of dark forces, and that witches were capable of sending it. The authors of this film decided to show the situation from this perspective: witches exist, demons enter the peasant women, and you can save people from black death with the help of spells. This is what the main character of the picture is doing - the crusader knight, who returned from the Crusade and discovered his native England on the verge of extinction. He immediately begins the search for a fair explanation of what is happening and the necessary spell that can heal those who still opposed the plague.
The director of the film is Dominic Sena, and the main roles were played by Nicolas Cage, Ron Perlman, Robert Sheehan and Christopher Lee.
10. "The Phantom of Black Death"
The documentary of 2008 created in Russia completes the list of paintings about the plague in the Middle Ages. Most of the film is based on the book Essays on the History of the Plague, in which the epidemiologist and candidate of biological sciences Mikhail Supotnitsky describes all cases of the plague and its epidemics from ancient times to the present day. That is why this documentary is the best in the whole world. Supotnitsky himself took part in the picture. It is interesting not only to know the history of this terrible disease, but also to understand what each person can do so that the horrors of the Middle Ages do not recur today. And many scientists who took part in the creation of the tape clearly say - you should never relax about epidemics.