View Full Version : Best Movie
King Jan III Sobieski
01-20-2008, 17:05
What's everone's favorite historical period movie (i.e. Gladiator, Constantine (NOT the one with Keanu Reeves :laugh4: ), With Fire and Sword, etc.
Lets try to keep the answers confined to movies dealing with the periods/wars dealt with in the TW series, eh?
If we're talking strictly in the time period that the games take place, then Gladiator. 300 is really good in my opinion though it is a little off of the time periods we're talking about.
Veho Nex
01-20-2008, 17:46
ummm well not covered in a time period of TW but Zulu, and this one is.... Braveheart(mainly for the action scenes)
I'll second Braveheart -- it's easily in my list of Top Ten movies. :2thumbsup:
For other historical period films, I also enjoy Spartacus, Gladiator, Troy, and Elizabeth; but of course the latter two don't fall within a period covered by any of the TW games.
Bushi 144
01-20-2008, 20:43
Well I enjoyed 'The Emperor and the Assassin', which covered the famous story of the attempted assassination of Prince Zheng of Qin by Jing Ke just prior to the unification of the Six States, when Prince Zheng became Shi Huang, First Emperor of the Qin (RTW period). I also enjoyed Kagemusha, which was about the death of Takeda 'Shingen' Haranobu, his succession by his son Katsuyori, and the diasterous Battle of Nagashino (STW period).
Both of those movies were excellent are re-creating the history and got most of their facts right. Which is more then I can say for most western history movies.
I'll have to add Last Of The Mohicans to the list.
Great action, and ended up with a lump in my throat.
:charge:
Barbarian
01-20-2008, 23:25
I just watched finished watching the Braveheart few minutes ago. Had forgotten how good it is.
But in the first place I would put Gladiator
I of the Storm
01-22-2008, 19:08
Gladiator of course, and "Kingdom of Heaven" although I'd have to stick to the extended version here. The cinema version is crap compared to this.
Edit: slightly out of timeframe, but "Alatriste" with a surprisingly not bad at all Viggo Mortensen was pretty good too. 16th century warfare with some action in the bogs of Flanders and an interesting depiction of a pitched battle of pike formations against each other in the end.
Guildenstern
01-23-2008, 19:52
My Top Seven historical movies:
1) Ben-Hur (1959), featuring a great performance by Charlton Heston;
2) The Ten Commandments (1956), another stunning interpretation by Heston playing the powerful role of Moses;
3) Quo Vadis (1951), I particularly like Peter Ustinov's crazy Nero;
4) Spartacus (1960), wonderful military scenes, probably the most historically accurate among Hollywood movies about ancient Rome;
5) Braveheart, the acting is amazing, the direction is glorious, the landscape of Scotland is really charming, and Wallace's speech at the battle of Stirling is definitely inspirational;
6) Alatriste, a very nice surprise, an entertaining painting about the economic and political decline of Spain in the 17th century, and Mortensen's performance deserves a special mention;
7) Gladiator, the special effects make this film spectacular, but it's the barbaric and cruel fights that make it an epic.
Off topic: let me say farewell to Australian actor Heath Ledger, who was found dead in a New York apartment.
I'm glad nobody said Alexander. They could have made that a lot better.
Good Ship Chuckle
01-25-2008, 01:00
Kingdom of Heaven is awesome.:2thumbsup:
Saladin besieges Jerusalem complete with siegetowers, tribuchets, ladders, and siege rams. I think that the siege scene creator took some hints from TW.
Anybody saw "Knights of the Black Cross"? I don't think many did; after all, it wasn't a Hollywood movie. European-made movie about Teutonic Knights vs. King of Poland. Story line is...well, nice enough within the confines of the historical events. But the battle scenes, baby, were really a sight to see. Battalions of peasants marching to the beat of kettle drums...a knight handling his halberd skillfully...massed knights pacing their horses, then trotting and canter, finally the charge!! The very one thing that amused me (but it was historically true) was one side shouting "God is on our side!" while the other side also screamed "God is on our side!" The scenes really stirred my heart, like it was one major influence why I bought MTW.
"Alexander" was not good at all; I mean, would you believe it? The only redeeming factor was the main actor: I kinda have a crush on him, usually plays the bad-guy role. But there was one scene I liked in the movie: Alexander's Companion cavalry making a wide left sweep to outflank the enemy and the right wing of his infantry (they looked like armored peltasts or Hypaspists to me) running to keep apace with the horses. Made me think, "Girl, this kind of running during combat is what the skills used in the ancient Olympics was all about."
"300" was a complete distortion of history. Well, what do you expect from a movie based on a popular book of paintings? It evoked a lot of admiration of Spartan courage and militaristicism (?) from people who didn't know the difference anyway, but most parts were totally wrong! The ephors were represented as a sinister syndicate of political manipulators only out for sex and gold, the Boeotians readily proposing to run back home at the slightest odor of Persians outflanking them (truth was, the Thespians stuck it out beside the Spartans and died beside them at Thermopylae), etc. (The Spartans in truth were a little politically naive, but were an OK people, really.) Only 2 things I liked in "300": the warriors authentically had long hair (but hey, why were there some baldies there?) and Leonidas's beard looked authentically ancient Greek.
Nuff for now, people. Bye.
Nice post, goodbye yourself.
Barbarian
01-26-2008, 01:59
:applause: Make her a member, please! :yes:
TruePraetorian
01-26-2008, 05:09
:applause: Make her a member, please! :yes:
I second the notion :yes:
:focus: Has anyone ever seen the movie/tv series Rome? Its great...it was produced by HBO so I can't tell if it is considered a movie or not. It has a great plot, starting with many funny characters (serious but funny of course), all the way through Caesar's rise to Dictator. He eventually gets assassinated, whoulda thought, with the second season about Marc Antony and Octavian.
When I say Rome as number one, I mean it...rented them the first time from blockbuster and then had to purchase both seasons...it ended with two because of the Sopranos taking up the spotlight.
If that doesn't count as a movie, then I heard Braveheart somewhere up there, but Gladiator tops them all...and if you agree with Gladiator as number one see Rome.
BTW, if you guys wanna meet some friendly people (except for Caius) click my signature and sign up!
PseRamesses
01-26-2008, 13:16
Any Akira Kurosawa movie about feudal Japan will end up on my top ten movie list. Loved the battlescenes in Alexander, especially the battle at Guagamela. The initial battle in Gladiator against the germans is awsome. The siege of Jerusalem in Kingdom of Jerusalem is good too. Troy is another of my favorites. 300 for the excellent slow-mo scenes. Braveheart for its inspiration etc. Another really good movie is Apocalypto by Mel Gibson, not much battles but a really good film about the Mayan culture and society.
Recently released swedish movie "Arn" is really good from my point of view as a swede. I wholeheartedly recomend the books (3).
@TruePraetorian: Rome was a TV series that ran for two seasons on HBO. I agree it was pretty good, however. Definitely not perfect, but still enjoyable.
ByzantineKnight
01-26-2008, 19:03
Gladiator!
TruePraetorian
01-27-2008, 04:43
@TruePraetorian: Rome was a TV series that ran for two seasons on HBO. I agree it was pretty good, however. Definitely not perfect, but still enjoyable.
Yeah, sorry, but it seemed awfully like a really long movie...it could be considered one if you think about it. Like movies and unlike TV series it had one, strong plot. But, again sorry for the misplaced post (still advise it).
Yes, Apocalypto was a good movie. Were they really speaking authentic Aztec (or maybe Mayan or Toltec)? Mel Gibson's foreign-language writer ought to help out in adding voice mods...nah, I'm just wishfully dreaming.
Yes, movies by Akira Kurosawa were great. I liked that one about the Ronins, how they avenged their master's death. About the Japanese, there was also one that starred Toshiro Mifune, but there was no big battle scenes there, only true-blue individual fencing scenes. But the Japanese are really big on the topic of honor, more than the Europeans' attitude toward chivalry, IMO.
And I agree completely: that battle scene of Gladiator in that German forest was really epic. the movie itself had a noble story. But is it reall possible that the Ceasar himself would come down to fight in the arena, cheats or no cheats? I think that part of the story was just a situationer to make the whole movie more delicious.
Bye-bye all you grand people. Bye-bye MrDun. Hear from ya-all next time.
Barbarian
01-28-2008, 09:42
Emperor Commodus, which was in the movie, was really one of the emperors, besides, it is known that he himself liked to go to arena time after time and take part in the fights.
From wikipedia:
Commodus the gladiator
The emperor also had a passion for gladiatorial combat, which he took so far as to take to the arena himself, dressed as a gladiator. This action was considered to be unusual conduct for an emperor by the people of Rome.[8] The Roman people also found Commodus' naked gladiatorial combats as disgraceful and disgusting.[9] It was rumoured that he was actually the son, not of Marcus, but of a gladiator whom his mother Faustina had taken as a lover at the coastal resort of Caieta.[10] In the arena Commodus always won since his opponents always submitted to the emperor. Thus, these public fights would not end in a death. Privately, it was his custom to slay his practice opponents.[11] For each appearance in the arena, he charged the city of Rome a million sesterces, straining the Roman economy.
Commodus did raise the ire of many military officials in Rome for his Hercules persona in the arena. Often wounded soldiers and amputees would be placed in the arena for Commodus to slay with a sword. Commodus' eccentric behavior would not stop there. Citizens of Rome missing their feet due to accident or disease were taken to the arena where they were tethered together for Commodus to club to death while pretending they were giants.[12] These acts may have contributed to his assassination.
Also emperor Neron loved the games so much, that he sometimes appeared in the arena, not so much for fighting, but for entertainment, like, in one case he was acting a wild beast.
Oh. Ah, well, Barbarian, at least that clarifies the question. Live and learn. Thank you so much for the post. Ba-bye-you.
Anybody saw "Knights of the Black Cross"?
No, but I'll have it by Friday. Thanks for the recommendation.
"Alexander" was not good at all;
I've seen Alexander (2004) the theatrical release (175 min), the director's cut (168 min) and the revisited version (220 min). I agree that the theatrical release was not well done, but I think the director's cut is very good with the flashbacks properly placed within the narrative. The revisited version is too long and includes the dubious private scenes from the theatrical release which were removed from the director's cut, and also some additional but gratuitous close up gore during the battles. Within the limitations of a movie, the director's cut conveys the essence of Alexander's character as best we will ever know it using tertiary sources (http://www.livius.org/aj-al/alexander/alexander_z1b.html) such as Putarch of Chaeronea and Arrian of Nicomedia. The authors lived more than three centuries after the events they described, but they used older, nearly contemporary sources, that are now lost. The film only portrays two battles due to the cost of staging these battles, and it's unfortunate that the filmmaker didn't include the additional battle in which Alexander was actually wounded because how it happened is even more dramatic than the silly confrontation with the elephant. However, the essential elements that his men hesitated to attack and that Alexander was fearless in battle was portrayed as the cause of him being wounded which is accurate.
Molonthegreat
01-29-2008, 18:17
Well i think that Gladiator is a brilliant movie it has nice action scenes and great dramatic scene i just love the opening scene against the germanic tribes its great.
Hi again, people.
@ Puzz3D: Well, my friend, thank you for telling that there were actually THREE versions of Alexander. I'm sorry to say that I'm not that extensively informed about the life of ancient heroes. Now that you said it, I know better. As Bushi 144 had implied, western historical movies usually aren't as faithful to history as Japanese (and quite a few Chinese) movies are. At least, a few western movies, like Braveheart for example, are truer to the original story of the real guy than some others are. Another example was "The Lion in Winter" which was truer to the spirit of Shakespeare's play than for the moviemakers to get out of their way to obtain the exact minutiae of Henry's (II) life. Or "Joan of Arc" (both of them) the miniseries TV versions which told their own versions of their story than to present a true historical Jeanne d'Arc.
Very informative discussions we have here--I like it. A lot. Ba-bye, you-all.
1. Il mestiere delle armi - It is an Italian/French/German production [2001] focussing on the live & death of Giovanni di Medici....great!
2. Monthy Python - "Quest for the Holy Grale"
3. Troy - Brad Pitt running around as Achill is worth watching da movie I think....
4. Aguirre- Klaus Kinski on the quest for El Dorado - definitely worth watching
5. Kingdom of Heavens - A movie which has it's moments - Leaving out the Battle of Hattin felt a bit strange to me
Guildenstern
01-30-2008, 16:50
1. Il mestiere delle armi - It is an Italian/French/German production [2001] focussing on the live & death of Giovanni di Medici....great!
It's very interesting but definitely not an easy-to-watch movie. If you're looking for a conventional adventure film then it's not the best choice. You have to pay attention if you want to fully appreciate its value. Besides, I think you need some knowledge of Renaissance military history, considering that the movie is carried out like a documentary. That said, it's a great historical biography about mercenary military captain Giovanni de' Medici, also known as Giovanni of the Black Bands, by one of the greatest Italian directors. The international English title is "The Profession of Arms".
:charge:
Hi, everyone.
Although Troy is outside the scope of TW, allow me to ask: what really is the style of combat during the Trojan War? Seeing Brad Pitt showcasing his Achilles' talents (an extraordinary range of cast of the javelin, a spectacular dexterity in handling his spear against Hector, etc.), I fall into the conclusion: THIS isn't really how the style of fighting before Troy's walls. And definitely, the phallanx wasn't invented yet (good thing the movie didn't feature any phallanx). So how did the Mycinean-era Greeks fight against the Trojans? At any rate, Brad Pitt is one pretty-looking actor.
By the way (out of topic, but what the heck) Apollo, the "most Greek of all the gods," was originally a god of Troy (and so was Artemis/Diana). The Greeks began to have an Apollo cult only after the Trojan War.
Bye-bye folks! Hope you don't get offended by my out-of-topic.
I know you will probably laugh, but I would have to say 'The Princes Bride', 'The Mission' and 'Braveheart' are the best films.
I know you will probably laugh, but I would have to say 'The Princes Bride', 'The Mission' and 'Braveheart' are the best films.
I've never seen The Mission, and so I can't comment on it.
The Princess Bride, however -- I presume that's what you meant -- is another story! A good number of people here at the Org are quite fond of that movie, myself included. (Indeed, my best buddy and I can quote the entire Wesley-Inigo fight scene at will.) ~:thumb:
The book is excellent too, if you've not already read it. :yes:
Caeser The III
01-31-2008, 05:33
alexander was the worst movies ever man
i like 300, and gladiator.
The Wandering Scholar
02-01-2008, 17:03
alexander was the worst movies ever man
i like 300, and gladiator.
I agree with you although Good Luck Chuck could be THE worst movie of all time.
A list of good topical films:
300
Gladiator
King Arthur
Braveheart
Kingdom of Heaven
I also like the American war films like We were soldiers/ Letters fro IWO Jima. Albeit they are a little out of the date restrictions.
@cuthach: "The Princess Bride"...sounds romantic, dear...I think I'll look it up with your & Martok's recommendations. I'm sure I'll like it.
@TruePraetorian: Thanks for your recommendation--I've seen snippets of Rome the series, and I like the costumes (theylook authentic enough, and that's what would throw my favor towards). Have seen a DVD package of it downtown (maybe of 3 disks, and that would pose to be expensive), but I'll buy it (them) because you make it sound so nice.
Bye-bye for now.
Hound of Ulster
02-08-2008, 05:00
My name is Inigo Montoya...you killed my father...prepare to die!
300 (I root for the Persians) (Immortals rock!)
Kingdom of Heaven (Saladin!!!!!!!!!!!)
HBO Rome (Sons of Dis!)
Spartacus (the Tony Curtis flirting with Laurence Olivier scene is classic:jawdrop: )
Lawrence of Arabia
Last of the Mohicans (Daniel Day Lewis ftw!)
Thin Red Line
Charge of the Light Brigade (an animated sequence...wtf?!)
Braveheart (the Irish dude)
Emperor and the Assassin
Gallipolli (if you don't want to hit somebody after watching this...)
Henry V (Branagh)
Seven Samurai
Das Boot
Sink the Bismarck!
All Quiet on the Western Front ('30s version)
Zulu (Michael Caine young and spunky)
I dunno if this can be included as such, but Dances With Wolves, with Kevin Costner in it. Easily the single best film ever made imo, and i say it can be a historical movie in that it deals with the Native American Sioux tribe and how White man is coming. I know the events may not have taken place, but the feel of the movie and the themes it portrays are very much akin to the real thing. The loss of the habitat, and the eroding of their culture and whatnot, it is a very powerful film, and i recommend it to anyone whole heartedly.
cegorach
02-08-2008, 12:14
Anybody saw "Knights of the Black Cross"? I don't think many did; after all, it wasn't a Hollywood movie. European-made movie about Teutonic Knights vs. King of Poland. Story line is...well, nice enough within the confines of the historical events. But the battle scenes, baby, were really a sight to see. Battalions of peasants marching to the beat of kettle drums...a knight handling his halberd skillfully...massed knights pacing their horses, then trotting and canter, finally the charge!! The very one thing that amused me (but it was historically true) was one side shouting "God is on our side!" while the other side also screamed "God is on our side!" The scenes really stirred my heart, like it was one major influence why I bought MTW.
It is known as "Krzyzacy" - the first Polish epic movie.
Of course it is from the late 1950s so the communist censorship made some cuts here and there. There is obviously too much pan-slavic stuff about friendship between Slavs as the Party ordered + anti-German notions were enhanced a bit compared to late XIXth century novel of Henryk Sienkiewicz (written at the time of brutal Germanisation policy imposed in so called 'Prussian Poland' ).
Still it is a nice movie
for example the battle here
http://pl.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSZu81xVxfE
http://pl.youtube.com/watch?v=M-AbBTFOrKA&feature=related
and actually this week it has been released on DVD - obviously upgraded to up to date standards.:yes:
It shouldn't be too expensive if you are interested Madam.:beam:
Still to me NOTHING beats "Potop" (the Deluge) - even if those remarks to the Polish-Russian war fought at that time were removed by the censorship it has ALL THE FEATURES of a great historical movie.
a duel between two strong characters with quotes which became famous
http://pl.youtube.com/watch?v=_tFXZn9qNhg
in this case 'End this, spare me more shame' (Koncz Wasc, wstydu oszczedz)
a siege
http://pl.youtube.com/watch?v=faU2CRHMX2w
and other remarkable features
this VIDEO shows many of those in one, decent clip
http://pl.youtube.com/watch?v=7GihwyldGGM
with the excellent battlescenes, just like this Husaria charge (should be in dense formation, but you can't have everything...).
http://pl.youtube.com/watch?v=t1dD530tAsY&feature=related
And all that in a 3+ HOUR LONG movie.:egypt:
I love the XVIIth cnetury - the mixture of technology and tradition, science and magic, knowledge and superstition.:2thumbsup:
Galapagos
02-08-2008, 12:50
Well gladiator for me and Der Untergang-Downfall (it's about WW2)
pevergreen
02-08-2008, 12:59
Your X-Box Live Account has been banned Hitler...
WHAT IS THIS? MY XBOX NOW HAS NO ONLINE CAPABILITIES WHATSOEVER?
His Ultimate Downfall. Youtube it :laugh4:
Well gladiator for me and Der Untergang-Downfall (it's about WW2)
Oh, yeah, I loved Der Untergang... but sticking to the classic -> medieval time period let me present you the first 2 movies directed by Sergiu Nicolaescu:
- Dacii (1966) - dealing with the first Dacian War
- Mihai Viteazu (1970) - 2 part epic dealing with Mihai Patraşcu's reign (later known as Mihai Viteazu - the Brave) - 1. „the Last Crusade” 2. „the Union”
The really cool part is that they used tens of thousands of soldiers as extras. Some „rich fat-assed capitalist westerners trying to oppress us” in them, but little, Romania had good relations with the West in that period of detachment from Soviet influence.
[QUOTE=cegorach]It is known as "Krzyzacy" - the first Polish epic movie.
Thank you so much for telling me, noble cegorach. Of COURSE, I'll definitely buy the DVD--if and when it comes within my reach. Problem is, we're in the hinterlands here, and I don't know when, or even IF it comes around at all. eBay or something of the sort is out of the question, unfortunately. The disks have to be physically there in the store for me to buy it.
And, oh, hey, Guilderstern--take heed. You liked "Quo Vadis". I've seen the movie--twice--and have the book, somewhere in my dusty bins. Henryk Sienkiewicz is the author of this book, same as the author of what the "Black Cross" was based on. I'm also surprised to learn this. Thanks again, cegorach. I liked "Quo Vadis" too (both movie and bood), but in the movie that fight between the (red-garbed) legionaries and what seemed to be (black-garbed) praetorians would be, IMO, quite unlikely--not the combat itself, but the thought that Nero (or Neron?) was deposed as the consequence of the fight, and replaced by Galba, is unlikely.
Well, bye-bye folks--hasta la vista.
[QUOTE=cegorach]It is known as "Krzyzacy" - the first Polish epic movie.
Thank you so much for telling me, noble cegorach. Of COURSE, I'll definitely buy the DVD--if and when it comes within my reach. Problem is, we're in the hinterlands here, and I don't know when, or even IF it comes around at all. eBay or something of the sort is out of the question, unfortunately. The disks have to be physically there in the store for me to buy it.
And, oh, hey, Guilderstern--take heed. You liked "Quo Vadis". I've seen the movie--twice--and have the book, somewhere in my dusty bins. Henryk Sienkiewicz is the author of this book, same as the author of what the "Black Cross" was based on. I'm also surprised to learn this. Thanks again, cegorach. I liked "Quo Vadis" too (both movie and book), but in the movie that fight between the (red-garbed) legionaries and what seemed to be (black-garbed) praetorians would be, IMO, quite unlikely--not the combat itself, but the thought that Nero (or Neron?) was deposed as the consequence of the fight, and replaced by Galba, is unlikely.
Well, bye-bye folks--hasta la vista.
King Jan III Sobieski
02-11-2008, 05:22
Anybody saw "Knights of the Black Cross"? I don't think many did; after all, it wasn't a Hollywood movie. European-made movie about Teutonic Knights vs. King of Poland. Story line is...well, nice enough within the confines of the historical events. But the battle scenes, baby, were really a sight to see. Battalions of peasants marching to the beat of kettle drums...a knight handling his halberd skillfully...massed knights pacing their horses, then trotting and canter, finally the charge!! The very one thing that amused me (but it was historically true) was one side shouting "God is on our side!" while the other side also screamed "God is on our side!" The scenes really stirred my heart, like it was one major influence why I bought MTW.
"Alexander" was not good at all; I mean, would you believe it? The only redeeming factor was the main actor: I kinda have a crush on him, usually plays the bad-guy role. But there was one scene I liked in the movie: Alexander's Companion cavalry making a wide left sweep to outflank the enemy and the right wing of his infantry (they looked like armored peltasts or Hypaspists to me) running to keep apace with the horses. Made me think, "Girl, this kind of running during combat is what the skills used in the ancient Olympics was all about."
"300" was a complete distortion of history. Well, what do you expect from a movie based on a popular book of paintings? It evoked a lot of admiration of Spartan courage and militaristicism (?) from people who didn't know the difference anyway, but most parts were totally wrong! The ephors were represented as a sinister syndicate of political manipulators only out for sex and gold, the Boeotians readily proposing to run back home at the slightest odor of Persians outflanking them (truth was, the Thespians stuck it out beside the Spartans and died beside them at Thermopylae), etc. (The Spartans in truth were a little politically naive, but were an OK people, really.) Only 2 things I liked in "300": the warriors authentically had long hair (but hey, why were there some baldies there?) and Leonidas's beard looked authentically ancient Greek.
Nuff for now, people. Bye.
"Knights of the Black Cross" Hmm...I'll have to look that up!
cegorach
02-11-2008, 10:12
[QUOTE=cegorach]It is known as "Krzyzacy" - the first Polish epic movie.
Thank you so much for telling me, noble cegorach. Of COURSE, I'll definitely buy the DVD--if and when it comes within my reach. Problem is, we're in the hinterlands here, and I don't know when, or even IF it comes around at all. eBay or something of the sort is out of the question, unfortunately. The disks have to be physically there in the store for me to buy it.
No problem. In fact your post made me see the battle clip on youtube... I must admitt it was a while before I even started playing Shogun TW that I have watched "Krzyzacy".
It is almost a new experience now when you realise - 'hey those knights are charging in a WEDGE formation !'.
Good luck with finding the movie - it might appear out there in several months, as it was just released on DVD in Poland.:2thumbsup:
It is known as "Krzyzacy" - the first Polish epic movie. Thank you so much for telling me, noble cegorach. Of COURSE, I'll definitely buy the DVD--if and when it comes within my reach.
An NTSC DVD of Krzyzacy (1960) was released in Oct 23, 2007 in the USA, and I viewed that by renting it through netflix. I would not recommend buying that DVD because the film is not framed properly. That disk is framed at 1.66:1 which cuts off the left and ride sides of the picture. The subtitles are also partially off the bottom of the screen, and the print itself is not restored.
The narrative is a bit confusing, but by the halfway mark of this 2 hr and 45 min movie I was able to figure out the political allegiances. The theatrical style of the acting is fine, and it's interesting to see that in a film that is apparently shot entirely on location. The on location settings are impressive and lend realism to the film. The final Battle of Grunwald (or 1st Battle of Tannenberg) that took place on July 15, 1410 is apparently shot on the actual site of the battle. This battle is well done, but I was struck by its similarity in cinematic style to Sergei Eisenstein's Battle on Lake Chudskoe on April 5, 1242 in his film Alexander Nevsky (1938). Eisenstein's battle is better paced and benefits from a famous music score by Sergei Prokofiev which unfortunately suffers from considerable audio distortion. There is also some humor and a bit of speeded up action in this 30 minute battle which detracts from the impact of the sequence in my opinion.
Both of these films were created for anti-German propaganda purposes, but they are still very worthwhile to watch. I've watched Alexander Nevsky many times, and the dramatic effect of the Teutonic Knights coming across the ice and forming into their wedge for the final charge hasn't been equaled in any film I've seen. The aftermath of the battle is also very poignant. The best DVD of Alexander Nevsky is the one released by Criterion which I own, but it's expensive to buy because it comes as a set with Sergei Eisenstein's Ivan the Terrible Parts 1 & 2 (1944 and 1958).
cegorach
02-11-2008, 16:00
An NTSC DVD of Krzyzacy (1960) was released in Oct 23, 2007 in the USA, and I viewed that by renting it through netflix. I would not recommend buying that DVD because the film is not framed properly. That disk is framed at 1.66:1 which cuts off the left and ride sides of the picture. The subtitles are also partially off the bottom of the screen, and the print itself is not restored..
THat is the old release on DVD - something rather por, I believe.
THe new one is supposed to eliminate all those problems
The most recent release (not sure if restored - rather not, at least not the sound - still mono) has the following cover
https://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b356/cegorach/AAR/306011478.jpg
It costs around 10 $ (with delivery) here.
There is a region 0 (all regions) PAL format DVD of Krzyzacy available through HKflix (USA import distributor) for $23.95, but it doesn't have that cover. It has the three vertical swords on a white cover with these features listed:
# Anamorphic Widescreen 1.77:1
# Mono
# Collectible Booklet
# Restored & Remastered
# New & Improved English Subtitle Translation
# DVD-9
Some standalone DVD players sold in the USA do automatically decode PAL to NTSC such as the Philips DVP5982 which I have, and has worked very well for me for about 6 months. DVD players in computers should handle PAL format with no problem. The anamorphic widescreen may not be the original aspect ratio either. This 1.77:1 aspect ratio is simply what exactly fits a 16:9 TV, but it appears to me, after viewing the 1.66:1 version, that this film is wider than 1.77:1.
Hound of Ulster
02-11-2008, 23:18
If you have a computer with a more recent DVD drive, it will play PAL format with no problem.
I think I'm going to look for that one Ceg.
Hannibalbarc
02-12-2008, 02:03
Heres my list of my favorites.
Gladiator
Braveheart
300(although not that historically accurate)
Kingdom of Heaven
Yes, Kingdom of Heaven was a nice film too; but seeing it reminded me once more: "Why were the King of Jerusalem, the Grand Marshall of the Templars, and the Grand Marshall of the Hospitallers so silly (stupid is the better word) as to ignore or neglect that watering place on their way to the Horns of Hattin?" Ba-bye to you, all good people.
Spartan198
06-07-2008, 08:28
Don't have a specific favorite, but instead I rank them into the following groups (the contents and their specific rankings within will doubtless spark criticism, so if you're one of those types, keep your nose out of the spoilers!):
First Tier (Favorites):
1. 300
2. Troy (both versions, but I prefer the Director's Cut)
3. Alexander Revisited
4. King Arthur (Director's Cut, of course)
5. The Last Legion
6. Gladiator (all versions, but I have the extended cut in my DVD collection)
7. Attila
Second Tier:
1. Rome
2. The 300 Spartans
3. Clash of the Titans
4. The Scorpion King
5. Helen of Troy
6. The Arena
7. Braveheart (no, not a mistake -- I really rank it dead last)
macsen rufus
06-07-2008, 17:00
One of my favourite films of all time has to be "Excalibur" by John Borman - anything Arthurian has to be dubious, historically speaking, but I like his take on the mythology, and also the humour (especially where it comes to Merlin). The arms and armour seemed more mediaeval than dark age, though. Some very stirring scenes, I loved the band of knights in gleaming armour cantering through huge orchards full of apple blossom to a rousing Carl Orff soundtrack. :charge::charge::charge:
I haven't seen any of the more recent ones like 300, Troy or Alexander though.... maybe I should ~D
what really is the style of combat during the Trojan War?
Not easily answered, and the archaeology is still a little confused. There's a good case to be made that most Bronze Age palace/city powers relied primarily upon archer chariotry, with infantry being very uncommon or providing nothing more than a spear wall + foot-archer "refuge" for the chariotry. What we do know with say Kadesh, that though infantry was present, the action was entirely chariots (at least on the Hittite side). Troy was likely a satellite or vassal state to the Hittite empire and the general military approach would have been similar (debate still rages over whether the Hittite references to 'Taruwa' or similar were the same as Troy...)
As for the Achaeans, the orthodox view is that their chariots were basically "battle taxis" for foot soldiers, yet the Dendra panoply would be unusable for anyone fighting on foot, and really only a largely immobile archer would be able to use it. Though Homer admits that his generation did not know how the "ancients" used chariots, and that little evidence of Helladic archery exists, there are many references to Achilles as a bowman for instance. SO IMHO, the Trojan wars would have been fought pretty much along those lines -- archer chariots in the field, possibly with the Achaeans fielding more heavy infantry, using swords influenced by the Haltstatt sword from north of the Balkans. This period is notable for marking the end of widespread chariot use and the rise of mass infantry formations, mostly due to new technology and tactics (cut & thrust swords, iron, light skirmishers/chariot runners) and contributed to by economic collapse across the region.
Ooops sorry - a quick comment turned into full scale derailment :embarassed:
best period
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Black Peal-------------------Empire
A Funny Thing Happened on the way to the Forum----------Europa Barbarorum
Amadeus--------------------------------------------------European Wars
The Black Robe--------------------------------------------The New World-1550 to 1800
The Searchers---------------------------------------------TBA
The War Lord----------------------------------------------Medieval Total Realism
best all round ever
The Hot Chick
The New Guy
Old School
A Guy Thing
Joe Dirt
Fight Club
Quintus.JC
06-08-2008, 10:28
Sword and Sandal/Historical/War
1. Gladiator
2. Untergang, Der
3. Schindler's List
4. Saving Private Ryan
5. Troy
Everything else
1. Godfather
2. Raging Bull
3. Goodfellas
4. Fight Club
5. Indian Jones and the Last Crusade.
WarMachine187
06-09-2008, 18:04
Braveheart was deep.tho theyr were a few inaccuracies,mel gibson potrayal of william wallace was great.Second id have to say alexander.
It'd be a tie between Gladiator and Braveheart... both are absolutely great, although historically inaccurate.
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