Knights and knightly tournaments, beautiful ladies and their hearts broken. The clinking of swords against chain mail, military campaigns and conquests, a feast of flesh and spirit, burning bonfires of the Inquisition and beautiful witches roasting on them - all this is our idea of the Middle Ages, isn't it?
The best films about the Middle Ages are those where the era is reflected without any special embellishments, where the beauty of noble costumes does not obscure the eyes and the dirt of the streets along which waste and sewage flows, and the beauty of the architecture that was born then are visible. These are films about strong people striving for happiness and love, facing pain and injustice, horror and wars. Films about people overcoming the cruelty of the world.
Creators of beauty
"The Name of the Rose" (Der Name der Rose, directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud, 1986) is a treatise by the great Aristotle about comedy, the only copy in the world of which is kept in the secret section of the great monastery library. The book becomes the source of crimes and deaths, which are destined to investigate the Franciscan monk William of Baskerville (played by Sean Connery) and his assistant, novice Adson (Christian Slater). The film was created in the genre of a historical detective story, visually beautiful and spectacular, and all the characters seem to have descended from the paintings of the artists of that era. It contains a bit of philosophical and religious discourse, plenty of medieval customs and events, and the work of priests to falsify world history is shown in amazing naturalism.
Lope de Vega: The Libertine and the Seducer (Lope, directed by Andrusha Weddington, 2010) - without which, apart from wars, people in the Middle Ages could not live without spectacles. Great artists, poets and playwrights created the era and Europe no less than the conquering kings. To mix tragedy with comedy in those days was no less a crime than to blaspheme, but thanks to Lope's talents - both poetic and love - world history somehow had to come to terms with this. For his time, he was too impetuous and full of constant changes, and for the director Andrus Waddington, this was what was important. Perhaps, one should not look for in this film neither a reliable biography, nor the lightness of a love story familiar from the old TV movie "Dog in the Manger", based on one of the plays of the prolific playwright. Andrush Waddington's film is good because it is simple and shot without stereotypes about that time and poets. Although there is plenty of love and romantic poetry in it.
"Ghosts of Goya" (Goya's Ghosts, directed by Milos Forman, 2006) - the heroes of the film are people, as if descended from the paintings of the great painter. Those whose destinies he followed, and whose faces here and there meet in his canvases and pencil sketches. Priest Lorenzo (performed by Javier Bardem) and the beautiful Ines (Natalie Portman) first saw each other in portraits, in the workshop of Master Francisco Goya (Stellan Skarsgard). A moment, and now their fates were already intertwined: the vigilant Inquisition, suspecting dissent and in a plate of eaten chicken, not pork, grabbed the girl, and even a lustful Jesuit priest could not save her and was forced to flee Spain. Fifteen years later, France occupied Spain, slaughtering and hanging those who resisted, raping civilians, destroying dissent, but also abolishing the Inquisition in its path. The heroes meet again. They are not beautiful, like the world around them. And only the deafened Goya gives hope, capturing death on the scaffold and a newborn baby in the arms of madness in his immortal sketch.
Knights and Ladies
"Braveheart" (Braveheart, directed by Mel Gibson, 1995) - Mel Gibson took as a basis for the film the story of the legendary Scottish national hero William Wallace, who fought with the British To the Beautiful Lady, about the aspiration of unconquered small peoples for Freedom. Among the manure, mud, battles, the clash of swords and knives, biting into the throats of enemies, women and children, a small but great freedom-loving nation was born. And she was born, because she united her life, and then the death of a national hero.
A Knight's Tale (directed by Brian Helgelend, 2001) is one of the few films about the Middle Ages, shot with a good sense of humor, refined irony in the genre of romantic historical fairy tale. A boy from a poor non-noble family, once wearing the master's armor, wins a knightly tournament. From this begins his adventures, victories in tournaments and love, and also insidious enemies start up. This film became one of the first real acting successes for the talented Heath Ledger, who is a real Knight here without fear or reproach.
